Pizza Dough for one Pizza.

 Ingredients.

180g white bread flour (Stone ground)

126g water @ 40 degrees C. (70% hydration.)

1/3 tsp Instant yeast 

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt.

1 tsp Olive Oil 

Methods.

Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl.

Add the Olive Oil and warm water.

Combine well. I use a silicone spatula for this but you can also use a wooden spoon or your hands.

Cover with plastic wrap or I use a plastic shower cap and allow to stand in a warm area to rise for 12 to 72 hours. In warmer weather it's best to put it in the fridge after 8 hours or so. Then take it out a few hours before you use it to come to room temperature.

After it has risen for at least 12 hours I turn it out onto a work surface and knock the air out and then put it back into the bowl for a second rise, covering it again 

Turn the risen dough out onto a very well floured flat surface, knock it down and roll into a pizza base, stretch it with your hands and finish rolling it into shape with a rolling pin. It is quite difficult to handle because of the high hydration percentage and the secret is to use lots of flour.

If it tends to shrink back to a smaller size, just let it stand for 30+ minutes covered with a tea towel for the dough to relax before rolling out again.

Sweetcorn and Cheese Savoury Muffins

 

 

 Ingredients.

Dry.

250g self raising Flour

1 tsp Bicarb

200g grated Cheddar Cheese

Kernels from two cooked sweetcorn

(You can use a tin of Sweetcorn kernels if you don't have fresh)

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Optional)

1 to 2 tsp Dried Thyme

1/4 cup chopped chives 

 

Wet.

250ml Milk

2 Eggs

100ml Oil

 Method

 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Whisk together all the wet ingredients in a bowl

Mix all the Dry Ingredients together in a separate bowl. 

Mix all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, taking care to not over work but ensuring that there are no patches of dry flour remaining. 

Using a spoon, put the batter into greased muffin tins (I got 6 large and 4 small muffins out of this recipe).

Place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Serve cut in half with butter. 

Award Winning Lamb Curry Potjiekos Recipe

Ingredients.

1.5kg lamb leg chops cut into bite size pieces. Leave bones on for added flavour. Trim some fat if you want but I think fat = flavour

1Tbsp cooking oil

10 whole cloves

6 cardamon seed pods

1 tsp cumin seeds

a few broken up cinnamon sticks 

2 onions chopped

2 Tbsp garlic and ginger paste

1 and 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp tumeric powder

2 tsp masala powder (Your choice. I like mother in law or Leaf).

1 and 1/4 tsp chili powder or more if you like hotter

1 can coconut milk  

1 packet of mixed vegetables (Carrots, beans, baby marrows and butternut were in mine from WW) I avoid potatoes as they do not freeze well and there are always leftovers.

Method

Heat pot on the fire or gas and add oil. When this is hot, add onions, cloves, cumin seeds, cardamon pods and stick cinnamon and cook for about 5 minutes until onions are soft and starting to brown. 

Add meat to the pot, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning.  

Add garlic and ginger paste and salt and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring to ensure even coating. 

Add the rest of the dry spices and cook into the meat stirring quite a bit for about 10 minutes. This is the secret trick told to me by an Indian work colleague to avoid the curry giving you heartburn.

Add the tin of coconut milk and reduce heat and simmer for an hour.

If the sauce is too runny, leave the lid off or ajar for it to reduce.

Add the vegetables on top of the meat. Do not stir and cook for another hour with the lid on.

Remove lid and check for seasoning and consistency. Should be o.k. if you have used enough salt.

Sir the vegetables into the curry and serve with rice.

 

White Bread Loaf No Knead

 

Ingredients.

450g Stone ground white bread flour (550g large loaf)

320g/ml water at 40 degrees C (390g/ml larger loaf)

1 teaspoon instant yeast (1and 1/2 large loaf)

1Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt 

Method. 

Stir the sugar into the warm water until dissolved. Add the yeast to the jug of water and stir until dissolved. Let stand for 15 minutes and if your yeast is active a layer of foam will form on top.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl and add the olive oil and the water/yeast mixture. Stir until well combined. I use a silicone spatula for this.

Cover with clingfilm or a plastic shower cap and let stand for a minimum of 8 hours for the dough to ferment/prove.

Turn out onto a floured surface and using well floured hands lift into a well oiled bread tin and cover again. Let it rise for an hour or two.

Bake in a 200C oven for 45 minutes.

Let stand on a wire rack for it to cool a bit.

Enjoy.

Pizza Dough Recipe

 This recipe makes enough dough for two Pizza's

Ingredients.

330g Eureka Stone Ground White Bread Flour

200ml warm water (40 degrees C).

1 teaspoon Instant Yeast

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Sugar

1teaspoon Olive Oil plus more to coat the dough

Method.

Stir the sugar into the warm water in a jug until it is dissolved.

Add the yeast to the water and whisk or stir until it is well mixed in.

Let the yeast mixture stand for 10 minutes or so. It should start forming a layer of foam on top when it reacts to the sugar in the water. If after15 minutes there is no foam then your yeast is dead and no good. You will need to repeat all this with a fresh packet of yeast.

Mix the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl.

Add the Olive Oil and the Yeast mixture and combine together using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.

When combined, turn out onto a floured surface/counter and knead for 10 minutes.

Clean the mixing bowl and add some Olive oil and smear it around the bowl. Add the kneaded dough back into the bowl and turn it over to cover with a film of oil.

Cover the bowl with cling film (I use a plastic shower cap from the Crazy Store) and place it in a warm spot for an hour or two to rise until it is doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 2 and roll into balls. I let these rest for about 15 minutes to relax.

Roll out each ball using your fingers and a rolling pin into a thin Pizza base. I never get mine quite round but that's o.k.

Wholewheat Fruit Soda Bread

 

Ingredients.

375g Cake Flour

125g Wholewheat Stone Ground Flour

( You can adjust the percentages of the different flours if you like as long as you end up with 500g in total).

2 heaped teaspoons Baking Soda (Bicarb)

1 cup Raisins or Sultana's

1/2 cup Mixed Seeds

1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground Cloves 

1 cup Sugar 

Half a teaspoon of Salt

1 x 75g tub of mixed Citrus Peel (optional, as I use a cake mix instead of raisins which already has some in it)

1 Egg

500ml Buttermilk

Method.

Preheat your oven to 230 degrees C

Mix all the dry ingredients together thoroughly in a large bowl

Beat the egg and buttermilk together in another bowl. I put a couple of tablespoons of milk into the buttermilk container and swill it around to get all the buttermilk out of it and add it.

Only when the oven is almost ready, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You do not want it to stand as it will then not rise as much. Make sure that everything is mixed well but do not overwork. (Edit. It depends on your oven. Ours heats up quite quickly so I get all the ingredients prepared and the pot greased before I switch it on)

Put the mixture into a well greased cast iron enamel pot, sprinkle with Sesame Seeds (optional) and place into the oven without a lid.

I sometimes use an oval shaped pan that I have, lined with parchment paper. It works just as well.

 

After 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 190 degrees C and bake for a further 50 minutes.

Turn onto a wire cooling rack and allow to cool.

I just serve spread with butter. 

 

 

Angela's Chili Con Carne recipe

 Chili Con Carne

1kg beef mince
2 x 400g tins kidney beans (drained)
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
250ml red wine
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
3 large cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 Beef stock cubes
2 heaped tbs tomato puree
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large red pepper, finely diced
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs cumin
2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp origanum
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Olive oil, as needed

To serve:
Rice
Grated cheddar cheese
Lime wedges
Sour cream
Fresh coriander

Add a splash of oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper & garlic and fry until they begin to soften and take on a tinge of golden colour.

Add the mince, break it up with your wooden spoon and continue to fry over medium heat until there is no sign of pink in the meat. Stir in tomato puree and deglaze with red wine. Allow to simmer for a few minutes to soak in the wine.

Add the canned chopped tomatoes, add in the drained kidney beans, beef stock cubes (dry, crumble in), Worcestershire sauce, and all spices, herbs, sugar, salt & pepper.

Give it a good stir as you bring to a simmer, making sure everything is well blended. Once simmering pop on the lid, turn down the heat to low and allow it to bubble away for 1 hr 30 min, stirring occasionally.

Take off kid and allow to simmer until sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Adjust seasoning/spice with chili powder, salt, sugar and black pepper if needed.

Marieta's Dumpling recipe

A dear friend from our camping club gave me this. I have tried dumplings before but this is the first one that has come out really well.

Dumpling Recipe.

2 cups of flour

4 t baking powder

half t of salt 

Sieve the above together in a mixing bowl 

2 T soft butter, use finger tips to mix into the flour mixture 

Add 3/4 cup of milk and mix well, if to dry add a bit more milk. 

I take a half fistful of dough depending on the size of your pot and put on top of your meat and veggies. 

Make sure there is enough gravy in the pot before you put the dumplings in.

Place the lid on to the pot and don't lift it for 20 to 30 minutes. It's the steam under the lid that cooks the dumplings.

😊

Refika's Turkisk Lavash Flatbread

Ingredients.

250g cake flour

125g/ml water

1tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

 

Method.

Add the flour to a bowl.

Add the salt and olive oil.

Add in the water a little at a time, combining with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Combine as much as you can using a spatula or wooden spoon and put on a kitchen counter to finish combining and knead for at least 6 minutes.

Roll into a log and divide into 4 equal portions. 

Roll each portion with your hands into 4 balls and flatten and put on a plate to rest.

Cover with a damp towel or plastic shower cap and let rest for 15 minutes or longer.

 

Roll out on a lightly floured surface into 4 thin flatbreads. You can stretch them with your hands similar to someone making pizza bases too after rolling. You can do this one at a time while the previous one is cooking.

Put a cast iron pan upside down over a gas flame and heat until medium hot.

 

Cook each one on the bottom surface of the pan turning when bubbles have formed and the flatbread starts to come away from the pan. You can turn a few times after that.

Optional. Brush each one with butter after it is cooked, stacking them on top of each other.

Give the cooking surface a wipe with a damp cloth between cooking each one to wipe away any burnt flour.

If the pan is not hot enough, they will be crisp like biscuits and if it is too hot the bubbles will burn.