Combine the flour, warm water, honey and yeast in a bowl and mix everything together for 2 minutes. Cover loosely with a tea towel and rest in a warm place for 15 minutes. Add the salt and olive oil and continue to mix for another 2 minutes. Meanwhile, coat a large bowl with oil, then add the dough and cover with a towel. Place into the fridge overnight.

The following day, place a baking stone or inverted baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven. Take another baking tray and brush the bottom generously with olive oil. Remove the dough from the fridge and carefully turn the dough on to the tray. Drizzle the top with more oil, then use the tips of your fingers to gently stretch the dough to 40cm (16in) long. Cover lightly with a tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes –1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / gas mark 5.

While the bread is proving, prepare the cherries. Use a cherry pitter to remove the stones. Alternatively, slice the cherries in half, pull out the stones and place the cherries into a bowl. Dot the cherries over the dough and scatter the fennel seeds evenly over the dough, if you like. Bake for 20–30 minutes or until golden. Remove the schiacciata from the oven and drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with large flakes of salt. Serve warm or room temperature. This is best the day it is made, but any leftovers make a nice morning snack.

Variation: Replace the pitted cherries with grapes and swap the fennel seeds for rosemary.