The birth and growing up of a Panuozzo

This is simply a photo journal of the evolution of a Panuozzo from dough to plate.  Click on the first photo to open a bigger photo and a slide show viewer (click on the thumbnails below the main photo that opens)

Well risen pizza dough

Turn out onto well floured surface

Stretch out and shape into a 'Ciabatta' style

Pre heat your pizza stone to HOT!!

Slide your breads onto the stone.

After a few minutes, breads will start to puff up and brown.

When almost done, remove to worksurface

Split open and add pizza sauce

Add more pizza type toppings of your choice

Close over and slide back onto stone and bake until everything is hot and melted

When steaming hot, melted and cripsy - remove, cool
a bit then devour with a large glass of wine or 3

DOH!! Cream Cheese Pastry - Pastry for men...

This is a pastry for men who like it a bit more flaky but don't want to phaff about with light, fluffy, tender, shortcrust pastry that needs treating with girly gloves.  Don't use a rolling pin to roll it out, use an empty whisky bottle and smoke a cigar at the same time.
 

This makes enough pastry for a 10" pie, bottom and top.  If you only want a pastry case bottom, then adjust the numbers.You will need:

• 115g of unsalted butter at room temp
• 115g of cream cheese at room temp
• 60ml of double cream
• 180g of plain flour + a wee bit more for rolling pastry out
• 1/2 tsp of salt

 Put on some really loud, hardcore rock music and make sure your wall mounted Playboy Calendar is opened at Miss August and start making the pastry.

1.  Process the butter, cream cheese, and cream in a food processor, electric mixer, or by hand to thoroughly combine.

2.  Add the flour and salt. Process until just combined and the dough holds together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 2 equal lumps. Flatten slightly into disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out, longer is better. If the dough is chilled overnight, take it out 15 minutes before rolling out.

3.  Rub flour all over a rolling pin (or whisky bottle) in a manly fashion while looking at Miss August adoringly and winking.  Place one of the dough disks on a well-floured surface. Applying some pressure with the rolling pin, roll gently from the centre of the dough to the top and bottom edges. Rotate the disk and roll to the top and bottom edges again. Add more flour to the work surface and rolling pin, turn the dough over, and continue to roll the dough from the centre out to the edges. Turn over and roll again, rotating the disk to ensure even rolling until the dough is about 12 inches in diameter, thin but not transparent.  Repeat with the other other dough disk.

Use pastry as required and give Miss August one more manly wink before hiding her back in the drawer before you wife comes in.

Enjoy.

Pizza, Pizza, Panuozzo...???

Probably the most inspiring sandwich you'll ever make.  You cook the bread and the sandwich almost at the same time - could bread GET any fresher?  One of the best things about this sandwich is that it's hot so everything you put into it all comes together in one juicy, tasty, steaming, melting pile of deliciousness on a plate.  Best of all, it's simple. Once you've mastered the pizza dough, then making this is even easier than pulling a pizza base.

Make a Pizza Dough with 58% to 60% hydration.  i.e. 500g of flour to  290g to 300g of water.  500g of flour is enough to make 2 x 12inch breads.

Divide the dough into 2, put into tubs and leave to rest in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days.  Continue to follow the Pizza Dough instructions up to the point of doubling in size.  You will need to judge how cold or warm your kitchen is to figure out how long to leave them rising.  They need to rise SLOWLY so you want them somewhere less than room temperature for 6 to 10 hours.

Remember, they are starting out well chilled so it will take a couple of hours just for the yeasts to realise it's time they starting gorging themselves.  Be patient.

When your dough is good to go, put your pizza stone in the oven (preferably fan assisted) and fire it up to it's hottest and then when it reaches it's hottest, give it another 15 minutes to get the stone saturated with heat.  Or do what I do in good weather - fire up the wood fired oven and do it right :-)

Slide the dough onto the stone and let it cook until you see it puffing up and starting to go golden.  IT should take about 4 to 6 minutes depending on how hot your oven is.  It'll only take about 2 minutes in a WFO.  You need to get it out when it's only about 90% done.

Take it out and carefully (its full of scalding steam remember) cut it open along 3 sides and fold it open like a hot book.  Spread some pizza sauce on the open face of the bottom half, top with sauteed onions, ham, salami, cheese - basically anything you'd put on a pizza or a big sandwich - and then fold it closed.  Slide it back into the oven and continue cooking until the stuffing starts to sizzle and the cheese melts right through.  I sometimes like to cook mine until the dough start to blacken at the edges but I refrained for these photos.  Well cooked and crispy is just my preference.

Remove from the oven and put onto a plate or chopping board and allow to cool slightly.  The Panuozzo will be so hot inside that you will burn the skin of your mouth and I'm not insured so you can't sue me like you would McDonald's.  Ciao and Gustare.

PS - 'Panuozzo' is the Neapolitan for this pizza bread.  You might also see it called Panino di Gragnano or Pizza e Panuozzo.  Whatever it's called, I think it's a bit like a fresh made Ciabatta but only way better than anything you buy in a supermarket.  I'm still 'tinkering' with the recipe and the cooking method so I may post some more photos below later.

If you want grain, sew da bread. Sorry, SODA BREAD.

Quick, easy and hearty.  Soda bread, made slightly heartier for that winter lunchtime snack.  'Traditional' (yawn) recipes either use wholemeal or plain flour, but I had some other flours lying about so I decided to chunk up the dough a bit.

Soda Bread cooling on a wire rack.

I used:  (FYI - I nicked the basic recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and manned it up)

• 100g of Spelt Flour
• 100g of Granary Flour
• 250g of Strong White Flour
• 2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 300ml of cultured buttermilk (Sound weird?  You can buy this in most supermarkets.  In Sainsbury's it's near the cream and yoghurt section.  If you can't find it, use a live natural yoghurt instead.)
• 50ml of milk

Preheat oven to 200degC (fan 180).  You need the oven to be hot before the dough is ready as you want the dough straight in the oven as soon as it is mixed and the bicarb is still working away strongly.

Mix the flours (use any combination you want) with the salt and bicarbonate in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.  Pour the buttermilk into the well and then use the milk to rinse out the tub and add that to the bowl as well.  No point in wasting all the butterymilk goodness.

Using a spoon, stir the buttermilk and gradually work your way out into the four so that the flour starts to mix into the milk.  Keep doing this until it is mostly incorporated and then get one of your hands messy.  Clean the spoon off with one hand and then use that hand to finish mixing the dough until it is well mixed up.  If you need to add a little flour do it now and do it quickly.  You want a dough that is still slightly sticky without being wet.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue to kneed until well mixed, but do not over kneed this. A minute is more than enough for kneeding, less is better.  You are not looking for a smooth, elastic dough like for yeast bread.

Shape the dough into a rough round and put onto a floured baking sheet or like me, on a baking sheet covered with a silicone sheet that has been well floured.  (I use silicone sheets a lot).  Dust generously with flour and then with a long, sharp serrated knife, cut a cross in the dough to a depth of about half to 2/3 deep.

Put it right in the oven and cook for 40mins or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. underneath.  If it still sounds 'heavy' give it another 5 minutes.

When done, take it out and leave to cool slightly on a wire rack for a crunchy crust.  Eat while still warm with butter and jam or like me, with salted butter and strong cheese.  When it goes cold simply toast it and add even more butter.