Gluten-free Pizza Base

I think I've finally cracked a half decent pizza base that is wheat and gluten-free!
I love pizza and I was missing it when I reduced my wheat consumption, but recently I've been thinking about it and have a few goes at making this version. 



                                                          Gluten-free Pizza Dough
 

This is not like a bread dough it is more like a paste.

6tbs warm water

150g mashed potato

1 tsp sugar

1tsp Doves Farm 'Quick Yeast'

Mix together in the bowl of an electric mixer, cover and leave in a warm place until it smells boozy and is frothy.

Boozy smelling bubbles

375g gluten-free bread flour

1 ½ tsp salt

190ml milk

1tsp vinegar

2tbs olive oil

 

Sift the flour into the bowl with the frothy potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with the paddle/"K" beater for 4 minutes at a medium slow speed. Cover and leave in the warm place again for 30 minutes.

The 'Dough'

 

Oil 4 large baking trays and put a quarter of the dough on to the centre of one. Then using a pallet knife dipped in water spread the dough out into a circle or oval as evenly as you can. Cover and leave to rise while you do the other 3 bases.

Almost round!

Leave them all to rise for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C, GM 4.

Bake the bases until dry on top, firm and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.

The cooked 'B' side

Remove them from the oven and take the bases off the trays and leave on wire racks. 

 

Ready to go

Turn the oven up to the highest setting and put a heavy baking tray into the oven at the top.

Brush the top of the bases with oil and turn over. Cover the bases with your favourite toppings and bake directly on the pre heated baking tray for 10-15 minutes, until bubbling and golden.

(If using a pizza stone put it into the oven before you turn it on to bake the bases.) Makes 4 bases about 27cm in diameter.

Pizza!

 It could have done with a minute or two under a hot grill. Next time I'll use the oven with the grill in it and turn it on to finish the top.

There is some 'dough' left... almost supper time..... 

A Spot of Brunch?

Last Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday or more secularly Pancake Day!
I love pancakes almost as much as pizza. Spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar and spritzed with lemon, folded or rolled and eaten warm with a napkin to catch the dribbles that run down the chin. Oh, sweet delight if you can eat wheat.
Sometimes I like a more savoury approach that is wheat free. The cornmeal recipe below is one such experiment. Try to find a medium ground cornmeal as the coarse polenta style ones just make very gritty pancakes.

Primroses, Spring is here!

Cornmeal Pancakes 

1 cup of medium or fine cornmeal

1 cup boiling water

½ tsp salt

1 egg

milk

1tbs melted butter or oil

butter or oil for frying

Pour the boiling water over the cornmeal and salt and mix well, then leave to stand for 5-10 minutes.

The soaked corn meal and the egg.

Crack the egg into a half-cup measure and break it up with a fork, add enough milk to fill the measure and add it to the cornmeal mixture.

Add the oil or melted butter and mix well to a thick batter.

The batter ready to use.

Heat a frying pan or griddle and grease with oil or butter. When it is hot add blobs of the batter to the pan. (I use about 1-1 ½ tablespoonfuls per blob)

When they are dry on top flip them over and cook the other side. Serve straight off the pan or keep warm on a plate in a low oven.

Cooking the second side.

With grilled streaky rashers and maple syrup.

 For a more substantial lunch dish I added some grated cheese, a chopped scallion or two and a little chilli. I cooked larger pancakes and topped them with a salsa of tomatoes and shallot. Some avocado and coriander would make good additions too.

Post Christmas Pie

The pie & nothing but the pie!

Sausage, ham & leek pie!

Christmas drinking!

"A refreshing long drink for the drivers!"

Ginger Syrup 

Not just a refreshing drink for those who do not wish to drink, but a tummy settler after too much good food and a welcome sweetener for a 'lemsip'.

225g sugar

300ml water

2 lemons un-waxed or organic

1cm slice of ginger

Put the sugar and water to a saucepan.

Finely grate the zest from the lemons into the saucepan.

Grate the ginger and add to the saucepan.

Put the saucepan on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Cover the pan with a lid or cling film and leave overnight.

Next day cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the saucepan.

Strain the contents of the pan through a sieve and into a sterilised bottle. Dilute to taste with still or sparkling water.

"Helpful Hints for Christmas Food"

I am going to post a series of thoughts and photos over the next while under this title. I am starting the post with these notes which formed the basis of a cookery demonstration I did for my parish last Monday. 

Christmas cookery notes

         Start clearing the freezer this week!

This will give you an opportunity to see what fruit you have in there and turn it into jam or chutney to give away as presents.

When it comes to the "Christmas Dinner" plan your cooking schedule and delegate!

Work back from the time you plan to sit down to dinner and plan what has to be done from the time the roast goes into the oven onwards. Write a timetable and stick it on the fridge. If you can keep a copy with you!

In some families it is usual to descend on one household for Christmas dinner, if that is your house do not be afraid to DELEGATE. Spend a little time working out what your guests are good at and ask them well in advance to do something small that will help you enormously and if they are forgetful a quick text a day or two before reminding them how much you are looking forward to their contribution will nudge their memory!

It could be to bring a bag of logs because they have access to them or a dessert because they make the best one you've tasted. Flattery will get you places!

         If you have children in the house who are use to eating at a particular time and you'll be eating later feed them something small, but sustaining at their usual meal time so that hunger does not fray their tempers & yours!

Do not attempt to have *deep breath* prawn cocktail/smoked salmon, soup, turkey, ham, spiced beef, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, red cabbage, cranberry sauce, gravy, Christmas pudding, Brandy butter, trifle, mince pies, tea/coffee and Christmas cake! all at the one meal!

         Choose the elements that you and your family will enjoy! If you want to have all the trimmings have them as elements of the different main meals over the festive period.

Nothing bad will happen if you don't have Brussels sprouts on Christmas day!

Consider portion size, less is definitely more on Christmas day.

Leftovers!

         The day after boxing/Stephan's day strip the turkey carcass and make stock. Freeze the meat in manageable amounts and label them. Do the same with the ham and spiced beef. Freeze the stock, I use ice cream tubs. Don't forget to label them.

Most of all try to remember to enjoy yourself! Happy Christmas :) 

Bread, The Staff of Life?

The two finished loaves.

           I love bread! Sadly bread does not love me, I won't go into details but I find it has an unpleasant effect on my lower gut.

          I have been fascinated with it since doing the Bible story of the Passover and the Israelites not having time to let the bread rise. Unleavened bread became my goal what did it taste like and how was it made? 
I found a sort of an answer in a remaindered copy of 'The Royal Cook Book" a collection of recipes from the Royal houses around the world. It was a recipe for Poori or Puri a deep fried Indian bread.
I got quite good at making these and was given a little book on breads by some visitors we had staying at the time. My attempts at making yeast breads from the little book were not so successful. It did give me a life long interest in bread and all things bread related.

The dough ready for it's ten minute kneading!

           Over the years I have experimented with different breads, both yeast and soda. Earlier this year I went on a course to learn how to make a Pizza oven and that re-sparked my bread interest. Even though I was eating less and less of the stuff.
          I have always liked the breads from Declan and Patsy Ryan's Arbutus Bread started in Cork in 1999. They also run a four part bread course and last Wednesday I did part  three and was given a portion of the sour dough starter they use.
          Declan explained to us on the first night how using sour dough makes the loaves more digestible that even some coeliacs can eat it. This got me thinking....
Spelt, I knew is an old form of wheat with lower levels of gliadin, a protein that effects the gut.
          Could I combine the sour dough starter and spelt to make a loaf I can eat?
The starter is based on wheat flour, but over time feeding it with spelt it will become almost all spelt.
It was worth a try.

The round loaf just before it went into the oven.

         
         So, yesterday I used some of it to make my first seeded spelt sour dough loaves! As I was a bit hazy on the quantities and method so I used Patrick Ryan's "Bread Revolution" recipe.
          I made two small loves the round about 180g of dough only got one very long prove the other had seeds added to it. It was about 400g of dough and it had two provings, the second in a loaf tin.
The double proving was more successful with a slightly deeper flavour and seemed a little lighter.
I do not expect to get super light and airy loves from spelt, but if I can get a more digestible loaf I will be very happy.  

The inside of the round loaf.

          The experiment has begun, I need to refine the recipe and keep feeding the starter. When it all comes together I'll let you know.

Thanks for reading and please do leave a comment.

Mushrooms and other Fungi

         It has been a good year for mushrooms. I even made a batch of mushroom ketchup from field mushrooms growing in our fields. Some of the ones in the basket below went into it. This salty and spicy liquid is a flavour enhancer when added to soups and stews. We made it in a large glazed crock at home.

Field Mushrooms.

         It has also been a good year for non edible fungi too I found this candlewick fungus growing in the yard.

Candlewick fungus.

         The best bit has been eating all the tasty ones we can eat, but as always do not eat anything from the wild unless you are 110% sure you know that it is safe to eat.

 In the pan!

        I also took a chance and sowed some Padron pepper seeds from one if the riper peppers and they came up. Hopefully that will put us a head for next year.

Padron pepper seedlings.