All posts tagged 'talian'

Crispy Ciabatta

This recipe for traditional crispy ciabatta is very easy to make, and before you know it you will have bread that is deliciously crispy on the outside, and light and airy in the middle.

With the Great British Bake Off in to its third week, we thought we would bring you Paul Hollywood’s very own recipe for classic crispy ciabatta for this week’s technical challenge! This scrumptious recipe is easy to make, and will fill your home with a fantastic smell of freshly baked bread! It helps if you have an electric mixer for this recipe, as the dough needs to be very wet in its consistency.

Ingredients:

500g strong white bread flour
10g salt
10g instant yeast
40ml olive oil
400ml tepid water
Fine semolina for dusting (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1- Lightly oil a 2-3 litre square plastic container. It has to square to help shape the dough!

Step 2- Take the bowl of your electric mixer and add the white bread flour, salt and yeast. It is important that you do not pour the salt immediately on top of the yeast. Also add three-quarters of the water and the olive oil, and slowly start to mix. When the dough starts to bind, add the remaining water and mix for a further 5 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy.

Step 3- Then add the dough to the lightly oiled square plastic container, and cover it with a tea towel. Leave the dough until it has doubled or tripled in size. This should take between 1 and 2 hours, but it is possible that it may take longer.

Step 4- At this point, heat your oven to 220 degrees celcius and line baking trays with silicone paper.

Step 5- Now the fun starts! Cover your work top in flour and add the semolina if you have any. Don’t worry if you don’t have any semolina, as this is optional! Remove the dough from the container carefully, trying to keep it in as much of a square shape as possible. Ensure you handle the dough carefully to try and keep as much of the air inside it as possible.

Step 6- Cover the top of the dough with more flour and the semolina, remember the semolina is optional!.

Step 7- Cut the dough in half lengthways and then cut each half into 2 strips. This should leave you with 4 pieces of dough. Stretch each piece lengthways.

Step 8- Place the 4 pieces of dough on baking trays, and leave it to rest for 10 minutes before baking.

Step 9- Bake the dough for 25 minutes until it turns a delicious golden brown colour. To check if it is baked, tap the base of the loaf. If it sounds hollow, then it is ready! If not, pop it back in the oven until it does sound hollow.

Step 10- Leave the bread to cool on a cooling rack before serving. We recommend serving this will some balsamic vinegar and olive oils. Enjoy!

Source: Paul Hollywood

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Neapolitan Pizza Sauce

Spaghetti Neapolitan is a classic Italian tomato pasta dish, but the sauce can be used for other purposes, including pizza! This simple, flavourful sauce really celebrates its classic Mediterranean ingredients, and it makes a deliciously Italian-tasting pizza base.

Ingredients:

(To make 4-6 servings)

2 tins of good quality plum tomatoes
A swig of olive oil
1 large white onion
2 cloves of crushed garlic
12 fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Step 1 – Sautee the onion in olive oil on a medium heat until it begins to turn translucent.

Step 2 – Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 – 2 minutes.

Step 3 – Add the tomatoes, fresh basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 – 20 minutes.

Step 4 – Your Neapolitan sauce should now be ready but taste it to ensure the seasoning is to your taste – if you find the sauce a tad bitter, adding a teaspoon of sugar will balance out the acidity.

Step 5 – Spread the sauce onto some pizza dough and top with mozzarella and other tasty toppings!

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Make a Pizza from Scratch!

Homemade pizza

Healthier than shop-bought stuff and less expensive than a takeaway, there can be few dishes as rewarding as a home-made pizza! We’ll show you how to make the base from scratch – once that’s done, you can top it with anything you fancy. Here are some topping suggestions:

Anchovies
Salami/Pepperoni
Prosciutto
Chillies
Pineapple
Mushrooms
Olives

Note that this recipe (adapted from the BBC Good Food website) will make two pizzas. If you only want one, you can freeze the leftover dough and defrost it at a later date.

Ingredients:

550g (20oz) white flour
320ml water
1 sachet of yeast
2tbsp olive oil
1tsp salt
1tsp caster sugar
Tomato purée (for the topping)
Mozzarella cheese (for the topping)
Toppings of your choice (see above)

Instructions:

Step 1 - Use a sieve to sift your flour into a mixing bowl.

Step 2 - Mix the salt into the flour. You can also grind some pepper into the mix if you so desire.

Step 3 - Put your water, olive oil, yeast and sugar in a mixing jug and leave to stand for five minutes (this will allow the yeast to activate).

Step 4 - After five minutes have passed, slowly pour the contents of the jug into your mixing bowl. While you pour, stir the mixture with a spoon.

Step 5 - Once everything is mixed together, use your hands to knead the dough until it starts to gain some elasticity.

Step 6 - Place your kneaded dough back in the mixing bowl, cover the bowl with a damp towel, and leave to stand for an hour. This gives the yeast a chance to take effect – once the hour has passed, your dough will have grown much larger.

Step 7 - When you come back to the kitchen, preheat your oven to 200oC.

Step 8 - Knead the dough a little more and separate it into two halves. Remember, if you only want to make a single pizza, you can freeze the other half of the dough.

Step 9 - Use a rolling pin to roll your pizza dough out. Aim for a size that fits your pizza tray.

Step 10 - Place your pizza base on the tray and spread your tomato purée across the surface. Remember to leave a crust around the edge.

Step 11 - Add your mozzarella cheese and any other toppings you fancy.

Step 12 - Cook your pizza in the oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on how crispy you like it!)

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Mediterranean Tray Bake

Mediterranean Veg

Everyone loves a bit of a one-pot wonder – let’s face it, we are all guilty of being a bit lazy at times, so if we can save on washing up it is always a bonus! This next recipe is not only super-tasty, healthy, and a beautiful taste of the Med, it’s also all cooked on only one roasting tin too.

Photograph by Ji-Elle (view original)

Ingredients

1 Red Onion
1 Courgette
2 Peppers (at least one red)
100g Crumbly Feta Cheese
Glug of Olive Oil
Oregano (preferably fresh)
Basil (preferably fresh)
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

Step 1 - Cut the red onion into about 8 pieces, the courgette into rings, and the peppers into 4cm chunks. Arrange all the cut up vegetables in one layer on a large non-stick roasting tin.

Step 2 - Chop up your fresh oregano and basil, then sprinkle over the prepared vegetables. Then evenly add a generous glug of olive oil, and season to taste. Pop your roasting tin in the oven for about 30 minutes on 200 oC.

Step 3 - Take your roasted vegetables out of the oven, give them a good mix to make sure the juices are evenly coating the veg, then crumble the feta cheese over everything. Pop the roasting tin back in the oven for around 10 minutes, or until the cheese has slightly browned. Serve with some crusty bread or grilled meat for a true taste of the Mediterranean!