Birthdays.....

[976bar]

I was just looking at the up and coming birthday list and there it is, SnS......

What has happened to SnS, still a moderator but nothing heard from this person for years.... SnS's base was the first base I ever made for quite some time, which is a really good base.....

So why don't you ever contribute anymore SnS?....

Oh, by the way, Happy Birthday whenever it is.....

[Ramirez]

It appears he visited in April, but hasn't posted in over a year. I often wonder happened to the older members that were more prevalent in the earlier years. I imagine for a lot it's either boredom or having simply attained a quality of curry making that their happy with.

[976bar]

It appears he visited in April, but hasn't posted in over a year. I often wonder happened to the older members that were more prevalent in the earlier years. I imagine for a lot it's either boredom or having simply attained a quality of curry making that their happy with.

I think there are quite a few of us that have achieved a quality of curry we're happy with but it would still be nice to here from our founder members and contributors, without them we would not be where we are today and our future members would not benefit either....

[JerryM]

SNS is member who i'm particularly fond having learn much from and enjoyed his posts.

there are quite a few interesting founder members who also fit the same.

i personally know that loosing that little bit of spare time does make a difference - this year i really need to get back onto pizza but have so far not managed it (purely down to currying).

the site is the happiest it's been so that can't be putting people off.

[976bar]

SNS is member who i'm particularly fond having learn much from and enjoyed his posts.

there are quite a few interesting founder members who also fit the same.

i personally know that loosing that little bit of spare time does make a difference - this year i really need to get back onto pizza but have so far not managed it (purely down to currying).

the site is the happiest it's been so that can't be putting people off.

Hi Jerry,

Talking of Pizza, I have been making my own lately. Not bases but just the topping and was wondering if you have a particular base recipe you could share please?

[Aussie Mick]

Hi 976

By "base" i presume you mean dough?

My pizza dough is:

- Bakers flour
- Fine Semolina  (about 1/8 of the volume of flour)
- 1-2 tsp of instant yeast
- 1-2 tsp of sugar or honey ( I like honey)
- about half a cup of milk
- enough water to mix to the right consistency
- a glug of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- Salt (table salt is fine for this stage)

Mix and knead the dough until it's not sticky anymore. Place in a bowl and coat with more EVOO. Allow a few hours to rise in a bowl covered with a clean damp tea towel.


Pizza sauce.

I use:

- Passata (a good quality one)
- Fry up a few crushed garlic cloves in EVOO and pour into the passata. Add freshly ground sea salt and pepper, fresh chopped basil, dried oregano, and I like to add  splodge of sweet chilli sauce.

Garlic bread (best you'll ever taste.)

Fry crushed garlic in half EVOO, half butter until golden with a good portion of ground sea salt. Allow to cool

Roll out a portion of dough and lash on the garlic mix.

Cook (ideally in wood fired pizza oven)

You can add some mozzarella too if this is your thing. Fresh basil and dried oregano are good too, but I prefer just the garlic mix.

I normally cook this up if we have friends round for pizza, but I have learned to serve it up AFTER the pizzas, otherwise nobody wants pizza, just MORE garlic bread ;D

Copious amounts of Peroni only improve things.

[natterjak]

Hi Mick I have a few Qs...

How much flour do you use? I take it the semolina is mixed in with the flour to make the dough? After leaving for a few hours I guess you roll out flat and then do you leave to rise again, or just add toppings and cook straight away?

I like the sound of the garlic bread in particular

[976bar]

Hi Mick,

Many thanks for the recipe, I am assuming Bakers Flour is like our 00 grade flour, quite heavy?

Also another man after my own heart, I'm fairly partial to a few Peroni's too. Had on draught once when I was working in Milan, they had to peel me away from the bar!!  ;D

[Aussie Mick]

Apparently 976, if you can get "Tipo 00" flour there is none better. It's not easy to find here in Perth. I have found it and used it, and it was OK....not brilliant though. I just use good quality Bakers flour. (I think it's called STRONG flour in UK)

NJ. I don't have any set measures, i just mix it up as I go. As a rough guide, if I'm cooking pizza for just the family (5 of us) I will use about 4 cups of flour (don't forget to sift it). This will make about 8-10 pizzas. it depends how thick you want the dough. I like it very thin. It just seems to cook better. If you're doubling up, there is no need to up the yeast content, as yeast didvides and makes more yeast as it feeds on the sugars in the mix.

Once the dough has risen, it's ready to go. Some people will re-knead it and let it rise again. I've tried it, and can honestly say that I didn't notice a difference.

You can always split the dough into individual pieces after it has risen, and sit them in a baking tray or something big enough to let them re-rise (covered), and then make up the pizza base. This does make a difference, and the dough is easier to work. Some guys swear by this way of doing things, and literally manhandle the dough into shape by throwing it in the air and spinning it into shape. They say by using a rolling pin, it ruins it.

I have noticed a difference doing it this way, but it is minimal. I don't normally have the time to faff about too much like that when everything else needs preparing.

I can feel a pizza oven firing coming on soon with all this talk of the second bestest food around ;D

Check out  www.fornobravo.com  for ideas. They have loads of recipes, and they even have downloadable plans for building a pizza oven.

By the way, I also normally make one "thick" pizza at the end, with whatever dough is left. i don't put any sauce on and just put 1/3 mozzarella, 1/3 cherry tomatoes, and as much fresh basil as you like on the other 1/3. (keep them all seperate. Drizzle with plenty of EVOO and bang it in the wood fired oven. Two minutes later you will have the tastiest simplest pizza you'll ever taste.

[976bar]

You've got me searching for my apron Mick, I have some 00 flour and yeast and I feel it's Pizza time!!!

I just bought some Italian hand stretched pizza bases from Sainsbury's last week and used a recipe out og Gino D'Campo's low GI diet book which was sooooo simple.

Pour a little passata onto the base and mix it round with the back of a spoon, salt & pepper. I then added some slices of hot & spicy pepperoni, then layers of fresh mozzarella, then just drissled with EVOO, stuck in the pre heated 210 C oven for about 7 minutes then threw some freshly torn basil on top and finished off for another 2 minutes. My kids said they hadn't eaten pizza that good in years

Also made a veggie one too, red onion, green pepper, mushroom and sliced jalapeno's for a bit of bite.. mmm mmm mmm mmm mmmmmmmmm

Thanks for sharing that Mick, but I feel all this should be moved to another thread