Category Archives: Writing

Fluffiest Pizza Rolls

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Who doesn’t love pizza? Yes- that age old question. From my experience a pretty good fan base is kids. I know my two are 100% on board with this, and with these rolls even more so. I think part of the enjoyment for them is knowing that they’ll get to sample the fruits of their labor at the end. Over the years I’ve learned that letting kids take ownership of tasks (no matter how small) can yield bountiful positive results and enjoyment all round. But…I’m here to talk pizza (rolls)!

These pizza rolls are perfect on so many fronts – pizza is popular; you can rope the kids in to helping; guests can eat as much as they like; they’re easily transportable outdoor eating in the summer weather. Like I said- the perfect tear and share popular summer bite. For a snack or appetizer I use one, for a main I use two paired with a leafy, summer salad. Let’s not forget it customizable too. If pepperoni isn’t your thing, swap it in for chicken, or ham.

You’ll notice a couple of things with this recipe. The dough can appear wetter than usual when fully mixed, This is what makes the end baked roll so fluffy. It really is a case of “wetter is better”. You also see that I mention cornmeal in the recipe. Whilst this isn’t an ingredient in the rolls as such, dipping their bases in it and baking them results in a wonderfully toasted, crispy bottom with a delightful crunch.

One last piece of advice before I go. These pizza rolls are at their best fresh out of the oven however if there are any left they can be wrapped, stored in the fridge and reheated for enjoying later.

Makes 12

Ingredients

Pizza Sauce

  • 6oz can tomato puree
  • 1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
  • 2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Pizza Rolls

  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons quick yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1/4 cup oil

Filling/ Topping

  • 2 cups pizza sauce, recipe above
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan
  • 1 cup pepperoni, diced/ shredded
  • 1/2 cup cornmeal
  • Olive oil

Method

Pizza Sauce

  1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, stir well, cover and set aside on the counter until needed

Pizza Rolls

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with dough hook attachment, combine the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and Italian seasoning
  2. Add the egg and combine on low speed
  3. Add in 3/4 of the liquid and mix on speed 2 to to combine. The dough should come together and start “cleaning the sides of the bowl”. If you dough is still “shaggy” gradually add in some of the remaining liquid until it comes together
  4. Knead on this speed for 7 minutes, until it is uniform and spring to the touch. It will be a bit sticky!
  5. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (mine usually takes between 50mins to 1 hour)
  6. Line a 9″ x 12″ baking tray with baking parchment, leaving about a 2″ overhang all the way around. This will help fish the baked pizza rolls out of the tin
  7. In medium bowl, combine the mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and Italian seasoning. Set aside
  8. Spread the cornmeal onto a plate and set aside
  9. Once doubled in size, tip out onto a well-floured counter and knock back the air from the risen dough
  10. Form into a rough rectangular shape 20″ x 12″ with long edge facing you
  11. Spread the surface of the dough with 2 cups of the pizza sauce. Next sprinkle over 2/3 of the cheese mixture, followed by 1/2 of the pepperoni
  12. Taking the long edge, roll the dressed dough up into a long log shape. It’ll get messy- there’s no getting away from it but doing it slow and easy helps keep most of the filling inside
  13. Cut the rolled up log into 12 pieces* and dip the bottom of each piece into the cornmeal. Place the rolls into the prepared baking tray, cornmeal side down in 3 x 4 formation allowing a small gap between each
  14. Preheat your oven to 350F
  15. Cover with some oiled cling wrap and set aside to rise for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. By the end of this time you’ll notice they will have risen again and be quite snug in the baking tray
  16. Brush with some olive oil and bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes, at which point remove from the oven, sprinkle over the remaining cheese mixture, followed by the remaining pepperoni, return to the oven and continue baking for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the crust is golden, the cheese has melted and the pepperoni is nicely crisped up
  17. Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 5 minutes. After this time remove from the pan using the baking parchment overhang, serve and enjoy with the remaining pizza sauce for dipping

*A handy trick for cutting your individual rolls is to use some dental floss (unflavored and clean) or some fishing line (again clean!). Cut a length, wrap it it around the long dough log at where you want to cut and pull together. Slices will be clean and you don’t run the risk of squashing them. Repeat to cut more.

Brown Bread & Porter Ice cream

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups brown (wholewheat) bread, cut into small cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 ½ cups whipping cream
  • 1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup Porter stout

Method

  1. Set your broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil
  2. In a large bowl combine the brown bread cubes, maple syrup and brown sugar. Toss to combine and coat the cubes in brown sugar
  3. Transfer the coated cubes to the prepared baking sheet and spread in a even layer, avoiding clumps. Any stray sugar can be sprinkled over
  4. Place under the broiler for between 5 to 10 minutes, tossing frequently, until toasted and crispy. Use a spatula to turn the bread pieces as the sugar makes them extremely hot to handle and you risk burning your fingers
  5. Remove and leave on the baking sheet to cool fully
  6. When cooled fully, blitz in a food processor to make crumbs. You don’t want them to be too fine so I usually do about 3-4 pulses
  7. Set aside until needed later
  8. Whip the cream until soft peak stage using either a hand mixer, or a stand mixer
  9. In a separate bowl, or container, (I use a 1 Pint deli cup) combine the condensed milk and porter, stirring until mixed
  10. Pour the porter mix into the whipped cream and gently fold to full combine
  11. Add in most of the toasted brown breadcrumbs, reserving ½ cup for serving. Fold in the crumbs again using a gentle motion as you don’t want to deflate the cream
  12. Pour the mixture into a freezer-proof container, cover the surface with plastic wrap and freeze leave until fully frozen, minimum 6 hours
  13. To serve ice-cream remove from freezer and leave at room temperature for 5 mins before scooping to serve

Not so “Ice Creamy” Cones aka (Edible Cookie Dough)

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Ingredients

The OG (Chocolate Chip)

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, heat treated*
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons milk,
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Ruby Birthday Cake Funfetti

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, heat treated*
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ Tablespoon milk,
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/3 cup ruby chocolate chips, or callets
  • 3 Tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

To serve

  • Sugar cones, or wafer cones

Method

The OG (Chocolate Chip)

  1. In the bowl of stand mixer combine the butter, both sugars, salt and whip together until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes
  2. Mix in the milk and the vanilla extract
  3. Add in flour by ¼ cupful, and blend just to combine
  4. Fold in chocolate chips
  5. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for about 15 minutes to firm up
  6. Once firm enough, scoop and serve on your sugar cones or wafer cones
  7. Cookie dough is best eaten at room temperature

Ruby Birthday Cake Funfetti

  1. In the bowl of stand mixer combine the butter, sugar, salt and whip together until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes
  2. Mix in the milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract
  3. Add in flour by ¼ cupful, and blend just to combine
  4. Fold in ruby chocolate chips and sprinkles
  5. Transfer to a container and refrigerate for about 15 minutes to firm up
  6. Once firm enough, scoop and serve on your sugar cones or wafer cones
  7. Cookie dough is best eaten at room termperature

* To heat treat your flour for safety, place it in a bowl and microwave it in 30-second intervals until the flour temperature reaches 165 F (74 C). Mix with a spoon between intervals. Mine usually takes around 3 bursts. Allow to cool before using.

Brown Butter Banana Muffins

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Makes 12

Ingredients

Streusel Topping

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats

Banana Muffins

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease 12 cup muffin tray
  2. In a thick-bottomed pan over medium heat, add the butter, whisking frequently. Continue to cook until fully melted. Once melted the butter will foam up a bit, then subside. Watch carefully as lightly browned specks begin to form at the bottom of the pan. Smell the butter; it should have a nutty aroma. Pour into a bowl to stop the butter from cooking further and possible burning. Set aside to cool until needed
  3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and oats. Cut in the butter until mixture damp sand. It’s fine if there are peas-sized pieces of butter remaining. Set aside until needed
  4. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. It will still appear a little lumpy
  5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the streusel topping over muffins
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean
  7. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and serving

Raspberry, Pistachio & Rose Semifreddo

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Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup caster sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups whipping cream, whipped to semi-soft peaks
  • 2/3 cup pistachio nuts, toasted and chopped
  • 1 tbsp rosewater
  • 2 ¼ cups fresh raspberries
  • Additional fresh raspberries, to decorate
  • Sicilian pistachios, chopped (optional)

Method

  1. Grease a 9″ x 5″ x 2 1/2″ loaf pan. Line with baking paper, or cling wrap, allowing 2” overhang on both long ends. If you use baking parchment, you’ll get a smoother finish to the final result; using cling wrap will result in an interesting cracked/ wrinkled appearance
  2. Place eggs, egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water over low heat
  3. Whisk for 4 to 5 minutes or until thick and creamy. Remove from heat. Whisk the custard for a further 5 minutes or until cooled to room temperature
  4. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Gently fold in the whipped cream, toasted pistachios, rosewater and two-thirds of the raspberries
  5. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cover and freeze overnight or until firm
  6. To serve, remove from the freezer and ley stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before turning out onto a plate. Top with remaining raspberries
  7. Slice using a gently warmed knife into slices, plate and garnish with raspberries, and Sicilian pistachio slivers