JAMMY CRUMBLE CROSTATA

From Beatrix Bakes Another Slice

Serves 6-8

It takes 30 minutes for the dough, an hour to freeze and 1 ½ hours to bake and cool. Make the dough the day before, for a head start. Keeps up to three days at room temperature in an airtight container

Ingredients

● 240g plain flour

● 80g fine polenta

● 50g flaked almonds

● 70g demerara (or other coarse) sugar

● 2g (¼ tsp) fine sea salt

● 2g (¼ tsp) baking powder

● 170g unsalted butter, cool and pliable

● 60g egg yolk (from approx. 3 eggs)

● finely grated zest of 1 lemon, orange or mandarin

● cooking oil spray 300g jam

● sea salt flakes

Method: Make the dough by mixing all the dry ingredients, then rub the butter in until you have a breadcrumby texture. Loosen the egg yolk with a fork and stir in the zest. Add to the bowl with dry ingredients and butter, massaging to a stiff dough. Divide dough into two equal portions of 360g each, form each into a rough log and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight. When ready to assemble, preheat oven to 180C and place a heavy baking tray in the oven to heat up too. Lightly spray a 24cm round x 4cm deep loose-bottomed tart tin or 23cm square tin with cooking oil.

Start grating first log of dough on the coarse side of a grater on to the work surface, then pile into tart tin. Break up any end nuggets between your fingers – no bloody knuckles please. Level out the grated dough pile, then start to press down firmly. Push the dough a little higher on the sides to form a shallow dish for the jam. Re-spray the sides with cooking oil. The slight shallow will hold the jam, preventing it from touching the sides and fusing to the tin during baking. Scrape the jam onto the base dough and smooth, leaving a clear 1cm border so the jam stays hidden (a hidden filling is my preferred aesthetic, but this also prevents side stickage).

Grate the second dough log on the coarse side of a grater for flossy flakes. When the inside of the box grater is two-thirds full, lift the grater off and start a new pile so the flakes don’t get compacted.

Pick up handfuls and, starting around the edges first, place gently and evenly on the top. Let it fall from your hands and remain fluffy. Even out the grated dough with light fingers, but don’t compress – it will settle when baking. Place on the preheated tray in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is toasted sandy brown. Cool for 30 minutes before unmoulding. Sprinkle a few salt flakes on top. Always perfect with ice cream. From Beatrix Bakes Another Slice by Natalie Paull, Hardie Grant Books, $50. Photographer: © Rochelle

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