The Perfect Pizza

With this pizza recipe your homemade pizza will come out great every time and even if it does not come out perfect it will still taste supper yummy. This dough can also be used to make calzones and garlic bread sticks. (We top our pizza with all sorts of goodies but our top THREE pizzas and topping recipes are bellow)


Predictable Pizza Dough

(makes 2 large pizzas--thin to medium thick crust)
Ingredients:
4 cups of strong white flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 T sugar
4 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups of warm water

Method:
Tumble flour into mixing bowl, make a well in the center into which you put the yeast sugar and olive oil. On the ridge of the flour put the salt. Lastly, use a wooden spoon to mix in 1 cup of warm water gradually adding the flour from the sides until all the flour is combined (add remaining water if needed to make a damp but not sticky dough). No need to kneed this dough properly in a stand mixer or on the counter simply use your hand to kneed the dough inside the bowl until relatively smooth. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl and coat the ball of dough, then cover with cling film or a damp towel and rise for an hour. After which it will have well and truly doubled in size. Punch dough down and separate into two balls of dough.

Now for the point of debate...some say never roll out dough only use your fingers to gradually ease the dough into the desired shape and thickness because you do not want to loose to much air from the dough. However, this dough is SUPER forgiving so roll away if you like or be a purist whatever you fancy. Once dough is in the desired shape let it rest for 10 minutes on it's pizza tray (or lined baking sheet)--this is the trick to a lovely crust  every time!

*This dough can be stored in the fridge after it has--risen and been punched down--for a day or two but it will expand so make sure there is extra room in your air tight storage bag/container.


Basic Pizza Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
680 g jar Italian Tomato Puree (approximate size)
1 T dried oregano (not fresh)
1 T sugar
2-3 T olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
Put everything in a bowl and mix together with a spoon..how easy is that!

*Left overs, just pour back into the tomato puree jar and keep in fridge for about a week. It can be used for next weeks pizza, or added into your spaghetti sauces, or any other sauce that calls for tomato sauce really so no need to waste anything here.


Baking a Perfect Pizza at Home

Pizza ovens are fantastic and if you have one yeah for you, but most of us are left with a conventional home oven. So here is how I get a yummy pizza in a home oven every time.

Turn your oven up as hot as it will go when pre-heating. Prep your pizza by adding the Basic Pizza Tomato Sauce smoothing a thin layer on top (and any raw veggies you may be adding onto of sauce). Then put into the piping hot oven, close the door and turn the oven temperature down to 400F/200C. Cook for about 5 minutes until the crust just begins to color but not browns. Take out and top with all the other goodies. Then put it bake into the oven and finish cooking directly on the wrack until golden brown edges and cheese is bubbly hot. If you have enough self-control to wait five minutes for the pizza to cool slightly wonderful if not you simply risk a scorched roof of your mouth!

DONE! Now have fun and be creative.


Our Family Favorites...

Pepperoni and Red Onion
Ingredients:
Pizza Dough (above recipe)
1/2 cup Basic Pizza Tomato Sauce
1 cup sliced Pepperoni
1/2 cup sliced red onions (rings)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese (thinly grated or zest)
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (OPTIONAL)
1-2 cups Rocket
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Method:
After dough is formed spread sauce on top and sprinkle with red onions. Bake till just beginning to color. Then top with red pepper flakes if you like spicy heat, 1/2 the pepperoni then cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese then the remaining pepperoni and lastly the parmesan cheese. Bake. Top with a sprinkling of rocket and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

Calamari and Saffron Aioli Pizza

Ingredients: 
Pizza Dough (above recipe)
pinch of saffron
1-2 T vodka
1 egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
200g calamari (approximately, 2-3 whole squid)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (OPTIONAL if you like a bit of heat!YUM)
5-6 cherry or grape tomatoes (quartered or halved)
2-3 T fresh parsley (rough chopped)
*Aioli Sauce (can be made the day before just make sure it is mixed well again before using)

Method:
A food processor is your friend with all these emulsification sauces and dressings but you can easily do it by hand with a whisk if you prefer.

Soak the saffron threads into a tablespoon or two of vodka for about 5 minutes. You will only be using the vodka not the actual threads of saffron.

Mince garlic into a bowl and add the pinch of sugar, lemon juice and zest, let sit for 5 minutes. This will help to take the bite out of the garlic and leave you with a slightly cooked garlic and a smoother garlic flavor.

In a food processor put the egg yoke, and garlic-lemon mixture, process for a couple seconds then gradually add the olive oil while the processor runs until you have a thick creamy sauce. Finally add the saffron infused vodka (remove and discard saffron threads), salt and cayenne pepper blitz until smooth. Taste for seasoning.

Clean, and slice your squid into rings, and cut tentacles in half if you like but I love the beauty and drama of keeping the tentacles in one symmetrical whole.

In a hot frying pan add a table spoon of olive oil and a nob of butter, season the squid with salt and fresh cracked black pepper (not finely ground). You only want to start the cooking here so 30 seconds should be plenty of time. Calamari is rubbery when it is over cooked so don't do that and it will taste creamy and delicious.

Once your dough is shaped as you like brush it with olive oil and sprinkle with red onions. Bake till just beginning to color. Drizzle lightly with saffron aioli sauce, and sprinkle with crushed red pepper if using, calamari, tomatoes, and season lightly with salt/pepper. Bake till golden brown. Top with fresh parsley and a final silky sprinkle of saffron aioli sauce. Enjoy!

*You will probably have left over aioli sauce so treat yourself for tomorrows breakfast to a poached egg on a slice of the best crusty buttered toast you have.  Top with left over rocket and drizzle with saffron aioli sauce-- yummy!


Hawaiian Pizza
Ingredients:
1 small pineapple (Sliced thinly into 1-2 cm squares)
2-3 T orange juice
3 cardamon pods (crushed)
1 star anise
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 T brown sugar
1 T marmalade jam
1 T orange liqueur (or whisky)
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Basic Pizza Tomato Sauce
1 cup of Ham (diced)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (grated)
2-3 cups mozzarella cheese (grated)

*Tinned pineapple would work also and if you do use tinned omit the orange juice and use the cans juices instead.

Method: 
In a very hot frying pan or cast iron skillet tumble in the pineapple, orange juice, cardamon pods, star anise, cinnamon, brown sugar, pinch of salt, and marmalade jam. Cook over medium-high heat till the juices have almost dried up and the pineapple are beginning to color golden brown on their edges. Add the orange liqueur and cook down a until you are left with a sticky sauce slightly binding together your pineapple. Remove from heat and remove the star anise and cardamon pods.

Once dough is shaped as you like, smooth over the Basic Pizza Tomato Sauce, and sprinkle the ham (if you use a basic thin lunch meat, which works great and is almost always in my fridge, do not put it on the pizza until you add the cheese as it will dry out). Bake until just beginning to brown. Sprinkle on the pineapple and drizzle the sticky sauce lightly over the pizza also then add the cheeses and bake until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling hot. Enjoy!






Calzone
Another great way to use this pizza dough is to make calzones;

--simply roll a small ball of dough into a circle and then dollop on half of the circle a couple tablespoons of Basic Pizza Tomato sauce leaving a 1 cm edge dry, cheese, pepperoni or what every you like, fold over and roll up the edges working from one end to the other while folding dough onto itself. Brush with an egg wash (one egg whisked lightly), sprinkle with flakey salt and bake on a lined baking tray in a 400F/200C oven until golden brown about 10 minutes. These taste great hot and cold so they could even be sent in a school lunch box or to work for lunch.

The Perfect Sourdough Bagel

There is nothing like a fresh bagel--the smell wafting from the oven, the warm chewy bread in between your fingers, and a "smear" of the best quality cream cheese money can buy. No longer do bagel stores hold a monopoly on the pleasure of a fresh bagel. With this simple and predictable recipe you can have fresh hot bagels any day. This is obviously a yeast recipe--please don't run away yet and ignore that little lying voice in your head that is telling you that this recipe will be difficult and then after hours of work you will end up with bricks or a failed gooey mess.  My method of "yeast work" is predictable and simple!

Bagels do not stay fresh long unless they have a preservative in them and seeing as I am a home cook I could not even imagine adding artificial preservatives to my food.  The good news is that Sourdough starter is a natural preservative so in my home bagels are always sourdough bagels. This means you need a starter--if you have a friend who has sourdough starter bribe them for it. (FYI I like dark chocolate, red wine, good coffee and I almost always have sourdough starter in my house!) However, it is easy enough to make your own but it does take about a week--almost no work on your part as time does most of the work. (RECIPE for Sourdough starter at the end of this post)

Ingredients:

500 g strong white flour (a mix of white and other flours like rye, spelt, whole meal are also great)
150 g sourdough starter
15 g instant yeast
10 g salt
20 g of sugar (or honey)
30 g of grape seed oil
1 egg (seperated: yoke for dough and white for egg wash)
250 g warm water
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or flacked sea salt to sprinkle on top if you fancy.

**egg wash: 1 egg white and a pinch of salt whisk together

Method:

Tumble your flour or indeed flours into a large bowl and make a well into the center. On the ridge of your flour carefully spoon the salt. In the well put the sourdough stater, yeast, sugar, oil, egg yoke, and warm water. Take a wooden spoon and begin to stir the wet ingredients together slowly incorporating the flour along the edge until all the flour and is incorporated. **Alternatively use a stand mixer and a dough hook to mix the wet and dry ingredients together and kneed them.

Kneed the dough for approximately 10 minutes until the dough is soft and supple and still slightly sticky. Dry dough makes dry bagels! **Stand mixer will get the job done in less then 5 minutes.

Put the dough back into mixing bowl cover with cling wrap or a damp towel and let rise for 10-30 minutes. The beauty of this recipe is that the rise times are really flexible so your life does not need to revolve around making bagels. Just let it rest till your ready.

Weigh dough out into 135g balls (large bagels) or 60g (mini bagels). Make relatively smooth round balls then poke your thumb through the middle and stretch the whole in order to make a bagel shape. Remember these are homemade and I believe should look that way so just have fun, even get the kids involved. Place on lined baking tray leaving a little space between. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes or up to an hour.

Pre-heat oven to 200C

Meanwhile fill a frying pan (larger the better, I use a large cast-iron pan) halfway full of water and bring to a boil. Carefully place bagels upside down into water working clock wise until pan is full of floating bagel-wrings--wait 30 seconds then gently flip them over. Wait 30 seconds then put them back onto the baking tray.

Paint the egg wash on the bagels with a pastry brush and top with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flaked salt, or nothing...etc.

Bake in 200C oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. They should be golden brown around the edges and when you tap the bottom they should sound a bit hollow. Don't over cook them they are bagels not a crunchy bread so they will be soft and ever so slightly squidgy.

If you have enough self-controle let them cool on a wrack--if not use the faithful "hot-potato" technique to slice through and smear with cream cheese.

Eat and Enjoy!  

**we love cream cheese and jam, or cream cheese, thinly sliced red onions, rocket, and smoked salmon.



Sourdough Starter "Cheaters" Recipe

Where do I start--Sourdough bread is not the easiest bread in the bakers kitchen to make but it is one of the most rewarding and my favorite. The Sourdough starter is not rocket science and is useful in so many things--basic bread rolls, pancakes, American biscuits, cinnamon scrolls, and if you add 100 g. to any bread recipe in place of some of the water you have a natural preservative. For me,  I also find that there is something strangely comforting to have a sourdough starter growing somewhere in my kitchen--the world simply seems right. A non-"Cheaters" starter would solely collect the yeast from the air and add no instant yeast, buy all means omit the yeast and be a purist but it will take a few more days and might take a few attempts to get it just right.  You can also use what ever flour you fancy for your starter and every baker will have their own opinion on this one. For me I find a plain white flour is more versatile then a whole wheat or rye starter so that is what I do.  There are a myriad of rules with starters a few of which I confess that I do religiously or superstitiously follow but who knows if you actually need to?! No metal may touch my starter so only glass bowls and wooden spoons.  I also find a glass jar the easiest thing to store it in long term. Once your starter is truly alive you only need to feed it once a week or once a fortnight and you can let it live in the back of your fridge. I use mine a lot so it lives on the counter and gets a feed more regularly.

Now I warned you earlier that this recipe takes multiple days--don't panic! As long as you can pop in and visit your kitchen for 5 minutes each day you are fine--just like feeding the family dog!


Ingredients:
water (use bottled water if you are not sure that your tap water is chlorine free)
flour
1 tsp instant yeast

Day One:
In a glass or wooden mixing bowl, with a wooden spoon mix together 1 tsp of yeast, 100g of flour and 100g of pure water, cover with a damp clothes. (This cloth needs to stay damp the entire time so check on it once a day.) Store in dry warm location.

Day Two:
Add 100g flour and 100g pure water to bowl, mix well with a wooden spoon, cover again (making sure cloth is damp).

Day Three:
Here is what you are looking and sniffing for... a pungent sour smell when you de-frock your mixture and bubbles, bubbles everywhere, all through the mixture.  The mixture should have risen quite a lot. If you find these things you are good to go, if not feed the stater again by adding equal weight water and flour. I would add about 50g flour and 50g water, mix and recover.

*Please note: if you choose to be a purist you will NOT feed your starter on Day Two or Three simply let it grow and keep cloth damp. By Day Four or Five you should find a very sour smell and bubbles and it is at this point you will want to feed your starter, then leave it another day, check it, and if at this point you are happy that you have found the source smell, the mixture has bubbles all over, and it has risen you are good to go.

After you use your starter replenish it with a good feed (equal weight water/flour).

Cinnamon-Maple Rolls

I have made cinnamon rolls for years and have never committed to a recipe as each recipe seemed to be lacking something or simply not quite right. So I began to tinker with my own recipe until the day I took a bite of these—my search was over! 

Depending on my mood I will add chopped pecans and raisins into the filling, sprinkled on top, or leave them out entirely. Either way these rolls are the greatest excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. If you don't have maple extract in the house you could leave it out which if you have a craving for this fluffy sweet delight and cannot make it out to the shops this is completely understandable. However, the addition of the maple extract takes a cinnamon rolls to the next level of indulgence! 

Ingredients: 

2 cups full cream milk 

1/2 cup butter (for dough

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

4-5 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter (melted)

1 tsp maple extract

2 Tbsp Cinnamon 

1 cup sugar

2 cup of fine chopped pecan nuts (option)

2 cups of raisins (optional) 

Icing Ingredients:

1/2 pound powdered sugar

2 Tbsp full cream milk

1 tsp maple extract

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp butter

Method: 

For the dough…

Melt 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup sugar in small sauce pan over medium low heat. Then add milk warm milk (not too hot or you will kill your yeast!). Put 3 cups of flour into a bowl making a well in the center where you will put your yeast and milk/butter mix. On the ridge of the flour place 1 tsp salt. Mix in a circler motion starting in the center of the well and working all the flour together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour (or two or three if you like) in a warm location. In the winter I put it in my oven with the light on summer the counter will do. 

After dough has risen sprinkle 1 tsp baking powder over the mix and 1 cup of flour then mix together. Kneed in the remaining 1 cup of flour as needed until you have a dough that is slightly sticky but easily workable. Divide into 2 balls then roll each ball out into a rectangle shape about the size of a sheet pan (no stress here) on a lightly floured surface. 

For the filling…

Melt 1 cup of butter in sauce pan (I use the already dirty sauce pan from the milk and butter mixture to save washing up!) once melted add 1 tsp of maple extract. In small bowl mix together sugar and cinnamon. 

Use this maple butter mix to grease a baking pan. 

With a pastry brush, brush butter mix over both sheets of dough, then sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mix onto of butter. Sprinkle nuts and raisins over both sheets of dough if using. 

Roll up dough up snuggly starting on the long edge so you end up with a long snake shape. Cut the roll in half and half again and again…so on until you have 2-3 inch long pieces. 

Place slices with their cinnamon swirls facing up and leaving space between each. Let rise for 1 hour in warm place. (If you are making these rolls for tomorrows breakfast, then cover them with plastic wrap, after the hour rising, and put into the refrigerator. Then pop them into a pr-heated oven cook, ice, indulge…)

Bake rolls in a preheated oven at 375F for 20-30 minutes. Do not over bake them as they will dry out!! Your baking time will depend on how deep your rolls are. If they are 1-2 inches high they will need only 15-20 minutes. If you make big rolls like I do that are at least 3 inches high they will need 30 minutes. You want the rolls to be light, fluffy, and golden. If your oven tends to brown breads quickly then after the rolls are golden (10-15 minutes) loosely cover with tin foil for reminder of baking. 

  

For the icing…

Mix the sugar, milk, 1 Tbsp butter, maple extract and maple syrup and heat gently in sauce pan over medium low heat until smooth. Then drizzle on top of cooked cinnamon rolls. If you want to plate them on a serving tray/plate then invert the plate onto the top of the cinnamon rolls then flip. After they are on the serving plate drizzle with icing. 

Enjoy…