Fine Pizza Dough

I read that you could make pizza dough from “00” flour for a finer texture, so I thought I’d try that.

Ingredients:

350 g “00” flour

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp fast-action dried yeast

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp olive oil

200 ml lukewarm water (about 1 cup)

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well.

2. Place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour.

3. Knead on an oiled surface and shape into a pizza. Let rise again.

4. Then top and bake as desired.

Eliopitta Olive Bread

I found this recipe in Sally Butcher’s Veggiestan and since we love olives, I thought I’d try it out. I adapted it to our tastes.

 

It was a nice bread, but for great olive taste, I still prefer a focaccia.

 

Ingredients:

250 g strong white flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

7 g dried yeast

2 tbsp olive oil

1-3 tsp rosemary

160 ml lukewarm water, plus water for the pan

75 g olives

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, olive oil, rosemary, and water together. Knead well and leave to rise for 30-60 minutes.

2. Knead again, then leave to rise again.

3. Shape into a loaf or round. Slice the olives and place on the loaf. Let the loaf rise another 30 minutes.

4. Fill a baking tray with water and place in the bottom of the oven.

5. Bake at 240 C for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190 C and bake for another 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Light Wheat Buns

This is another recipe inspired by The Nordic Diet by Trina Hahnemann, but I shifted the proportions quite a bit to allow for a lighter wheat taste for my M.

 

Ingredients:

275 g white flour

50 g spelt flour

5 g fast action dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp honey

300 ml warm water

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together and leave to rise. Hahnemann suggests overnight in the fridge, whereas I left it for much of the day on the counter.

2. Shape into buns (the dough is soft so you might need to use a couple of spoons) and bake for 15-20 min at 220 C.

Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

1¼ cups liquid (I use ½ cup water and the rest rice milk)

1 tbsp quick-action dry yeast

2-2½ cups flour

½ cups oats, plus extra for topping

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey or sugar

1 tsp salt

milk/water/egg for wash, if desired

 

Instructions:

1. Warm the liquid. Put the yeast in it and leave it to foam for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the flour, oats, oil, honey, and salt.

3. Add the yeast and liquid and mix well. Leave to rise for an hour.

4. Knead well and shape into a loaf. Place in an oiled loaf tin if desired.

5. Sprinkle with oats and wash, if desired. Leave to rise again.

6. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes, until golden.

Pita Bread

A warm pita filled with hummus or some other dip or salad is a lovely thing.

 

Ingredients:

2 tsp fast-action dried yeast

200 ml warm water

400 g flour (white or brown or a mix; it doesn’t need to be bread flour)

1-2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp honey or sugar

1-2 tbsp olive oil

 

Instructions:

1. Put the yeast in the water and set aside for 10 minutes until foamy.

2. Mix the other ingredients together, then add in the yeast. Knead or blend for 10 minutes.

3. Leave to rise for at least two hours. You can also leave overnight in the fridge.

4. About an hour before baking the bread, put a bread stone or baking tray in the oven to warm up at 220 C.

5. Roll out the dough into 8-12 circles on an oiled surface. Test one by putting it on the baking tray and baking for 3-4 minutes per side. If it doesn’t puff up enough, sprinkle the other circles with water or a touch more olive oil.

6. Bake them all and serve.

Faux Tortillas

I found this in a book called 30-Minute Vegetarian Mexican Cookbook by Sarah Beattie. She serves the “gorditas,” as she calls them, with cheese, chilli, and lettuce. I served them with beetroot soup and they were good for dipping although I think next time I’d add some herbs as they were quite plain.

 

Ingredients:

150 g cornmeal

500 ml water

1-2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp margarine

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a pan and cook over low heat until it thickens.

2. Roll the cornmeal mixture into small balls, then flatten them out as thin as you can.

3. Cook in a dry frying pan over medium to high heat, until both sides are lightly browned.

Naan

The traditional Indian flatbread isn’t that hard to make at home. We put garlic, chives, and rosemary in the middle but you could really go wild with flavour combinations (almond and coconut, like a Peshwari naan, or potatoes, or cheese and herbs, or cheese and jam, etc).

 

Ingredients:

6 g fast-action dry yeast

225 g warm water (or about 1 cup)

1 tsp sugar

4½ cups strong white bread flour

3 tsp salt

4 tbsp milk (I used rice milk)

1 egg

2 tbsp oil (toasted sesame oil adds a nice flavour)

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the yeast with the water and sugar and leave to get frothy for about 10 minutes.

2. Mix all the other ingredients together, then add the yeast.

3. Knead or mix well (about 5-10 minutes). Leave to rise for an hour or so in an oiled bowl in a warm place.

4. Roll out the dough. Divide into 10-12 pieces.

5. If using filling, put it in the middle of each piece and then fold the pieces together and roll out again.

6. Heat a frying pan over high heat. Dry-fry one or two pieces at a time, about 3-4 minutes per side, until golden.

Sourdough Bread

If you want, you can use an egg or milk wash on top of the bread, and/or you can also sprinkle it with seeds.

 

Ingredients:

130 ml milk (I use rice milk)

6 g fast-action dry yeast (about 1 tsp)

340 g strong white bread flour

20 g sugar

pinch of salt

15 g oil

190 g starter (about ¾ cup)

 

Instructions:

1. Warm the milk and sprinkle the yeast over it.

2. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and oil together, then add the yeasty milk.

3. Mix in the starter. Knead well, then leave to rise for about an hour.

4. Knead, shape into a loaf, and let rise for another hour or so.

5. Bake at 190 C for about 30 minutes.

Sourdough Starter

The longer you leave it, the sourer the flavour. Often, the first breads you make with it don’t taste that sour, so keep trying. If it gets a strange colour, do not use it. It should be brownish-grey.

 

Remember to add back whatever you use from it. So if you use 100 g, add another 100 g flour and 100 g water.

 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp fast-action dried yeast

250 g flour

475 ml lukewarm water

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

2. Cover and leave in a warm place for 4-8 days, until it has developed a sour smell.

Simple White Bread

Because M can handle white flour but not whole-wheat, I’ve been making a lot of white breads lately.

 

Ingredients:

12-14 g yeast (2 packages if using them)

300 ml warm water

1 tsp sugar

500 g strong white bread flour, plus a little extra

2 tsp salt

40 g margarine or oil

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the yeast, water, and sugar together and set aside to get frothy.

2. Mix the flour, salt, and margarine together. Then add the yeast mixture and knead well.

3. Leave to rise for an hour in an oiled mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap.

4. Knead again and shape into a loaf.

5. Sprinkle with a little flour, cut a pattern if you want, and leave to rise for another 45-60 minutes.

6. Bake at 220 C for 20-30 minutes.

Tiger Bread

This is a white bread with a distinctive crackly, mottled crust. It is also sometimes called giraffe bread.

 

Ingredients:

1 sachet yeast (or 2 tsp dried yeast reconstituted in warm water)

500 g strong white bread flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp sesame oil

300 ml warm water

 

paste:

125 ml warm water

750 g corn flour or rice flour

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp yeast

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp sesame oil

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the dough ingredients together well. Leave to rise, covered, until doubled, about an hour.

2. Shape into a loaf.

3. Mix the ingredients for the paste together, leave for a little while, then spread on the loaf. Leave to rise again for 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 220 C for 20-30 minutes.

Cheesy Baking Powder Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp oil

¼ - 1/3 cup milk (I used rice milk)

¼ cup cheese (I used Vegusto vegan cheese)

1 tsp sugar or maple syrup, as desired

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well.

2. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking tray.

3. Bake at 200 C for 12-15 minutes.

Soft White Rolls

Ingredients:

500 g strong white bread flour (or use a combination of white and wholemeal if you prefer)

7 g fast action yeast

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

3 tbsp sunflower oil (or rapeseed oil)

300 ml warm water

 

Instructions:

1. Blend all the ingredients together and knead or mix in a food processor for about 10 minutes.

2. Leave to rise for an hour.

3. Knead and shape into rolls. Leave to rise another 30-60 minutes.

4. Cut a cross into the rolls if you want. Bake at 200 C for 15-25 minutes.

Chocolate Cherry Bread

A tasty treat that’s perfect with coffee or tea.

 

Ingredients:

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (about 200 ml)

3 cups strong white bread flour (about 400 g)

½ cup cocoa powder

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1-2 tsp cinnamon, optional

1-2 tbsp oil

¼ cup rice milk (or regular milk)

¼-½ cup chocolate pieces

½ cup cherries

 

Instructions:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside for about 15 minutes until frothy.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the yeast and the wet ingredients. Knead well for 5-10 minutes.

3. Add the chocolate pieces. Wash and de-stone the cherries and fold them in.

4. Leave to rise for an hour.

5. Shape into a loaf or small rolls and leave to rise another 30-60 minutes.

6. Bake at 180 C for 20-40 minutes, or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

 

Sesame Bread

This is a somewhat unusual bread, with tahini in it to add a tang. Decorate it with sesame seeds too, if you like. It has a sweet and slightly bitter taste and it’s great with salad. Ingredients: 5 cups strong white bread flour (about 500 g) 2 tsp yeast 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp honey or sugar or maple syrup 4 tbsp oil (I used rapeseed but I think toasted sesame oil would be good too) 1-2 tbsp tahini (depending on how strong you want the sesame taste) 1 cup warm water (about 225 ml) sesame seeds, optional Instructions: 1. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add in the honey, oil, tahini, and water. Add the sesame seeds if you want or sprinkle them on top. Mix with a bread hook in a stand mixer or else knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes. 2. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour. 3. Knead again and prove a second time. Sprinkle with sesame seeds now, if you prefer. 4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 200 C.

Delicious White Bread

This was definitely the best white bread I’ve made, so now I keep making it. M prefers white bread to wholemeal (I’m the opposite) so I make it often.

Ingredients:

450 g strong white flour

2 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup

2 tbsp oil

300 ml warm water

Instructions:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add in the honey, oil, and water. Mix with a bread hook in a stand mixer or else knead on a floured surface. We mixed it in the mixer and then M kneaded it too.

2. Leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour.

3. Knead again and either prove a second time or bake.

4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 200 C.

Another Nice Brown Loaf

I make the same few breads a lot (focaccia, baking powder biscuits, white bread), so I wanted to vary it. This is what I created.

 

It can also be made into individual rolls.

 

Ingredients:

450 g strong bread flour (I used 270 g white and the rest wholemeal)

7 g dried yeast

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar or honey

2 tbsp olive oil

2 eggs (only one if not using seeds or oats)

250 – 300 ml liquid (I used 200 ml rice milk and 50 ml water)

seeds or oats, if desired

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil together.

2. Blend in one egg and slowly add the liquid, a bit at a time. Knead for 10 minutes or mix in a food processor for 5 minutes.

3. Set in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise for an hour or so, until doubled in size.

4. Shape into a loaf or rolls and leave to rise another 30-60 minutes.

5. Brush with the second egg and sprinkle with seeds or oats. You can skip this skip, if you want.

6. Bake at 180 C for 15-25 minutes.

Ciabatta

This sounds fiddly, because you have to start it the day before, but it’s still quite easy, and has a lovely sour taste.

 

Starter ingredients:

½ tsp yeast

8 tbsp warm water

150 g strong white bread flour

 

Dough ingredients:

275 g strong white bread flour

½ tsp yeast

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp milk (I used rice milk)

150 ml warm water

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the yeast with 2 tbsp of warm water, then leave for a few minutes. Add the rest of the water and the flour and mix, then leave for 12-36 hours (depending on how sour you like it).

2. Mix the dough ingredients together. Mix in the starter. Knead or mix in a machine for about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer to a lightly oiled mixing bowl and leave to rise for 1-2 hours.

4. Divide the dough into two halves and shape into loaves. Set on a baking tray on top of baking paper and leave to rise another 1-2 hours.

5. Dimple and dust with flour, if desired.

6. Bake at 220 C for 20 minutes.

Baking Powder Biscuits

I’ve posted a similar recipe before, but here I’ve improved on it and made it vegan.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp oil

¼ - 1/3 cup milk (I used rice milk)

1 tsp sugar or maple syrup, as desired

 

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together well.

2. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased baking tray.

3. Bake at 200 C for 12-15 minutes.

Petits Pain

My sweetheart likes white bread, so I try to make different types, varying them as I can. I found a recipe for French petits pain and adapted it to our tastes. This recipe makes 8-10 rolls, but it’s easily doubled, or you can make one large loaf.

 

You can also add herbs or seeds. And you can glaze it with an egg wash if you want a glossier finish.

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp dried yeast

175 ml warm water

1 tbsp sugar or honey

250 g strong white bread flour

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp salt

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the yeast, water, and sugar together and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

2. Add in the other ingredients and knead or mix for 5-10 minutes. Leave in an oiled bowl to rise for an hour or so.

3. Shape into rolls or a loaf and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 180 C for 15-20 minutes.