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Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

Posted on by Abi

Easy homemade pizza dough recipePizza makes a semi regular appearance in our household, however it doesn’t come delivered in boxes or wrapped in plastic from the supermarket. The only pizza we regularly consume is our very own homemade variety. The need for a good pizza dough recipe arose not out of a wish to be healthy but because ever since visiting Italy many years ago I’ve loved super thin pizzas covered with fresh and appetising toppings. I really don’t enjoy greasy pizzas and I certainly doubt they offer much in nutritional value for my kids. With that in mind my husband and I tinkered about and came up with this easy homemade pizza dough recipe. It makes 4 thin pizzas, but if you prefer a deeper crust you could just make 2.

Ingredients

500g Strong white flour (bread flour works well, or a combo of plain and bread flour)

2Tsp Salt

14g Dried yeast (normally this is 2 small packets worth)

2Tsp Olive oil

300ml Warm water

Method

Pop all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and gradually mix in the water (I use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment to do this).

Once mixed knead the dough for about 4 mins if using a stand mixer or 10 minutes by hand (on a floured surface).

Cover mixing bowl with cling film and pop dough in a warm place to rise (I use the airing cupboard) for about 45mins – 1hour until doubled in size (see pics).

Divide dough into 4 pieces and stretch or roll to fit your baking trays. Cover with tomatoes (or passata) and whatever toppings you fancy. I really enjoy the simplicity of cheese and tomato with just a sprinkle of basil.

Bake in a preheated oven about 175C for approximately 8 mins until golden.

Note. Obviously if you choose to make 2 deeper crusted pizzas these will take longer to cook.

 

 

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The Best Gooseberry Crumble Recipe!

Posted on by Abi

the best gooseberry crumble recipeGooseberries bring back fond memories of my childhood, playing with my best friend in her Grandma’s garden while rushing to pick all the fruit so she could make us a yummy dessert. Unfortunately I never managed to find space to grow a Gooseberry bush at our old house and this year was the first time our new bush produced a useful quantity of fruit. It wasn’t a huge amount but it was definitely enough for one dessert heaped in comforting memories. So today I’m sharing what is in my opinion the best Gooseberry Crumble recipe, it’s super quick and easy plus it has a mega quantity of crumble topping. Incidentally if you think my Gooseberries look odd that’s because they’re pink Gooseberries!

gooseberriesWhat You’ll Need

450g / 16 oz Gooseberries

100g / 4oz Soft Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp Water

350g / 12oz Plain Flour

180g / 6oz Butter

180g / 6oz Soft Brown Sugar

1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

 

Preheat the oven to 180C, 350F or Gas Mark 4

Step 1

After washing cut the top and tail from all the gooseberries. Tip. If you don’t want to get bored it helps to have another pair of hands to help with all the topping and tailing! Place the fruit into the bottom of your pudding dish.

Sprinkle over the brown sugar, then add the water and give the gooseberries a gentle stir to coat.

Step 2

Rub together the flour and butter with your fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs in texture. Next add in the sugar and ground cinnamon and stir together gently.

Tip. If unlike me you prefer a leaner topping on your crumble then the quantities can easily be halved.

gooseberrycrumbleStep 3

Sprinkle the crumble evenly on top of the fruit and bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm with oodles of cream, custard or ice cream.

 

 

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Gooseberry Meringue Tart Recipe

Posted on by Abi

gooseberrymeringuetartGood Morning everyone! I hope you’ve all been enjoying the fabulous weather the last few days, I most certainly have. Unfortunately the weather folks says it’s all downhill from here and the weekend is looking decidedly cold and dull. There’s no need to feel downcast though with plenty of St George’s Day events and parades planned over the next couple of days. Why not celebrate in style by making today’s super yummy Gooseberry Meringue Tart Recipe from Rachel’s Organic.

Using gooseberries in this recipe adds an exciting twist to a classic British tart

Ingredients:

•375g short crust pastry
•400g fresh gooseberries
•50g caster sugar
•3 tbsp cornflour
•4 egg yolks
•75g unsalted butter
•100g Rachel’s gooseberry yogurt

Meringue:
•4 egg whites
•115g caster sugar
•115g icing sugar
Makes: 22cm tarts serving 6-8 or 6 individual tarts 10cm each

Preparation time: 40 mins  Cooking time: 1 hour

Method:

Step 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease the tart case and line with pastry. Chill the pastry for ten minutes in the fridge as this will prevent the pastry shrinking. Meanwhile cut out a sheet of parchment paper or greaseproof paper the same size as the tart, crumple and place inside the tart case. Pre-bake with baking beans for 20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and lightly browned.

Step 2. To make the filling, add the gooseberries together with the sugar and 250ml of water in a pan and simmer until the fruit is soft. Drain the liquid off and reserve the gooseberries. Use the liquid to make a paste with the cornflour and stir this on the heat until it thickens. Beat in the egg yolks and butter. Allow to cool slightly and add the yogurt, then stir. Re-add the gooseberries and stir again. Pour the mixture into the tart case.

Step 3.Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the caster sugar in three stages on full mixer speed. When the caster sugar is all incorporated, fold in the icing sugar in two stages with a metal spoon or spatula.

Step 4. Pipe or spoon the meringue on top of the filling. Bake on 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 for 30/ 40 minutes until lightly brown and crisp.

Tip: this method will ensure a crispy meringue which doesn’t weep.

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