No bread is an island

...entire of itself. (With apologies to John Donne!)
I live and breathe breadmaking. I’m an evangelist who would like everyone to make his or her own bread. I want to demystify breadmaking and show it as the easy everyday craft that it is. To this end I endeavour to make my recipes as simple and as foolproof as I possibly can.

I call my blog 'No bread is an island' because every bread is connected to another bread. So a spicy fruit bun with a cross on top is a hot cross bun. This fruit dough will also make a fruit loaf - or Chelsea buns or a Swedish tea ring...
I'm also a vegan, so I have lots of vegan recipes on here - and I'm adding more all the time.

Monday 6 January 2014

HOMEMADE BREAD WRAPS, GREAT FOR LUNCHBOXES

(For more breadmaking ideas, take a look at this post.)

Here I am on YouTube, demonstrating these.

Cheese and tomato (or mushroom) sizzlers (wraps)
(Makes 8 sizzlers):

Ingredients:
400g strong white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 rounded dessertspoon fresh yeast
250ml lukewarm water
Splash of olive oil (optional)

(Or: 2 mugs of flour to 2/3rds water)

Filling:
6 medium tomatoes or 8 mushrooms or a combination of these
150g grated Cheddar

Method:
1. Measure the water and stir in the fresh yeast. Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, pour in the yeast liquid, then add the olive oil if using.

2. Have a little water to hand to add if necessary, remember, it is better for your dough to be wetter (slack) rather than drier (tight). Holding the bowl with one hand begin to mix by stirring the ingredients together with your fingers. Check how the dough feels as you mix – it should stay soft and squidgy – and add more flour or water as needed. When all the flour has been mixed in, wipe the bowl around with the dough, turn it out onto the worktop and begin to knead.

3. Knead by flattening the dough out, folding it over and flattening it again. If the dough is too sticky, instead of putting extra flour on your worktop, place some in the bowl, put the dough back in and turn it round to coat it all over. That way you keep the flour under control and you won’t be tempted to add too much. Knead until the dough becomes smooth – and then stop before you get fed up!

4. Divide the dough in two and put one piece to one side. Divide the first piece into 4 and form each piece into a bap shape. Flour the worktop and roll each piece out into a circle about 15cm across. As you roll out the dough, keep turning it and refreshing the flour, to make sure it isn’t sticking.

5. Slice the tomato and cut each piece in half and put them in a line across the middle of each circle. Sprinkle a little grated cheese over the tomato then fold the sides of the circle over the filling, leaving the sizzlers open at each end. Place on a baking sheet and repeat with the other circles.

6. Repeat with the second piece of dough.

7. Leave to prove until the dough is risen and puffy and bake at 220C, 425F or gas 7 for about fifteen minutes. There should be some colour under the sizzlers to show that they are cooked right through.

When making these for the first time, a common tendency is to include more filling than is strictly necessary! You don't need a lot - they really are cheap and cheerful. Once you've made them a couple of times, you'll find what's best for you.

Suggestions:
For 4 sizzlers use half of the ingredients.
Vary the cheese – Red Leicester or Lancashire, for example.
Use peppers or onions instead of tomatoes/mushrooms.

This dough will make two pizza bases, or a batch of rolls, or a smallish loaf, or – anything really!

1 comment:

  1. A very useful dough, Paul. The sizzlers sound so good - just what I need for lunch on Saturday. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete