v:gourmet

I came home from work yesterday and found my eldest, Joshua, in the kitchen with his black apron on making super yummy garlic bread out of pizza dough. Good on ya Joshua! Wow – I must have done something right. Try it out. It’s simple. It’s easy. It’s tasty. It’s vegan. It’s pretty. It’s a great way to transition from the hub-bub of work to the hub-bub of making dinner. A quiet calm with a glass of pinot grigio before diving into the cacaphony of the evening. Or what a great Saturday afternoon snack al fresco.

basic pizza dough

1 1/2 pounds strong white bread flour

1 1/2 cups find ground semolina flour

1 level tbsp fine sea salt

1/4 oz active dry yeast

1 tbsp organic cane sugar

2 cups lukewarm water

garlic topping

olive oil

minced garlic

parsley

Pile the flour and salt onto a clean surface and make a 7-inch well in the centre. Add you yeast and sugar to the lukewarm water, mix up with a fork, and leave for a few minutes,, then pour into the well. Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. It will look like stodgy porridge – continue to mix, bringing in all the flour. When the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat into a ball. Knead the dough by rolling it backward and forward, using your left hand to stretch the dough toward you and your right hand to push the dough away from you at the same time. Repeat this for 10 minutes, until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.

Flour the top of your dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature. This will make it easier to roll it thinly.

Meanwhile, combine minced garlic and olive oil. Chop fresh parsley. When the dough has risen, grab a chunk of dough about the size of a large fist. Roll it out. Place on a pizza stone. Brush with garlic oil and chopped parsely. Cut slits into the dough for a nice aesthetic look and bake at 500 degress for about 8 – 10 minutes.