Savoury bakes
Perfect ideas for entertaining friends, or to pop in the picnic basket
Mini pesto and prawn pizzas
These deep pan, pillowy, focacciastyle bases are topped with fragrant basil pesto – and are irresistible hot from the oven. Makes 4 •
Ready in 25 mins, plus rising
500g packet Classic Ciabatta
Bread Mix (such as Wright’s)
4tbsp olive oil
2tbsp sun-dried tomato paste or tomato puree
200g peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen
3tbsp basil pesto
150g packet mini mozzarella, drained, or mozzarella, cut into cubes
8 sunblush tomatoes, drained
COOK’S TIP
1 Make the bread mix following packet instructions with 350ml water and knead for 5 mins until soft, doughy and slightly sticky. Add 2tbsp of the oil and knead for another min.
2 Divide the dough into four equal pieces and, on a lightly floured surface, roll each one out to a 7.5cm diameter circle. Place on a greased baking tray and press the end of a wooden spoon handle at intervals over the dough, to create dimples. Drizzle over the rest of the oil and leave to rise for 10 mins.
3 Heat the oven to 230C/Gas 8. Spread the sun-dried tomato paste or tomato puree over the pizza bases, top with the prawns, pesto, mozzarella and sunblush tomatoes and bake for 15 mins until well risen and golden. Per serving: 567 cals, 26g fat,
7g sat fat, 57g carbs.
Turkish pizza ‘pide’
Similar to pizza, these boat-shaped beauties are perfect for lunch or torn and shared with drinks. In Turkey, pide is cooked in a hot stone oven. The trick is to knead your dough for a really long time so you are able to stretch it without tearing. You can fill your pide with anything you like.
Makes 4 • Ready in 45 mins, plus proving
5g dried yeast or 10g fresh yeast 400g strong white bread flour 1tbsp olive oil
1tsp fine sea salt semolina, for dusting for the lamb filling:
1 red onion
½tsp each sea salt and sugar
1tbsp cider vinegar
1tsp olive oil
350g lamb mince
½tsp harissa (we used Belazu) ½tbsp tomato puree
1tsp dried mint coriander, optional for the spinach filling:
200g baby spinach, wilted
50g feta, crumbled
2 eggs
½ lemon you will also need:
2 baking trays lined with baking parchment and dusted with semolina
1 For the dough, put the yeast and 300ml tepid water into the bowl of a mixer. Mix together and leave for 5 mins. Add the flour and use a dough hook to combine. Add the oil and salt and knead for 10 mins, until the dough is sticky and elastic.
2 Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean, damp tea towel,and leave in a warm place for 1 hr to prove, until doubled in size.
3 While the dough is proving, make the lamb filling. Cut half the onion into rounds, place them in a bowl and sprinkle with the sea salt and sugar. Pour over the vinegar and set aside. Dice the remainder of the onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the diced onion and cook for 5 mins. Increase the heat, add the lamb and season. Stir constantly until browned, for about 2 mins. Decant into a bowl, mix through the harissa, tomato puree and mint, and set aside.
4 Heat the oven to 230C/Gas 8.
Dust the work surface with semolina, divide the dough in half and shape into 2 balls. Either roll the dough with a rolling pin or stretch it over the back of your hands to create a 25x45cm rectangle, about the size of the baking tray.
5 Place each piece of dough onto the prepared baking trays. Cut both in half so you have 4 rectangles. Leaving a 4cm border around the edges, fill 2 with the lamb mixture and 2 with the spinach and feta. Fold the edges over and pinch the ends together.
6 On the 2 spinach pides, make a well in the spinach and crack an egg into each. Bake for 15 mins.
7 Before serving, squeeze the lemon juice over the spinach pides and put the pickled onion rounds and coriander, if using, onto the lamb pides.
Per serving:
Lamb filling: 586 cals, 16.5g fat,
6.5g sat fat, 80g carbs.
Spinach filling: 474cals, 10g fat,
3.5g sat fat, 80g carbs.
Quilted olive and halloumi loaf
These regal, puffy loaves are the perfect accompaniment to a Mediterranean spread, as they are made for sharing and tearing. You could experiment with the toppings you use to adorn the loaf. We kept it simple with mixed olives, but you could dress yours up with capers, pickles – with chunks of veg to make them more vibrant.
Makes 4 large rolls •
Ready in 1 hr, plus proving 500g strong white bread flour 7g dry yeast or 14g fresh yeast 40ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2tsp sea salt
100g halloumi, cut into 4 slices 4tsp pesto 1 egg, beaten
150g black and green olives
1 Tip the flour into a bowl and stir in the yeast. Add 300ml lukewarm water and combine to form a dough. Add the olive oil and salt, and then knead the dough, either in a mixer with a dough hook, or on a lightly floured surface, for 8-10 mins until smooth and elastic.
2 Put the dough into an oiled bowl and smother the top with a little more oil. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for 1 hr or until almost doubled in size.
3 Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Then divide 2 of the pieces in half again. Shape the 4 large pieces into flat discs, and place a slice of halloumi and 1tsp pesto into the centre of each. Fold the dough over, pinching the seams firmly together.
4 Place on a flour-dusted baking tray. Put a damp cloth on top and prove for 30 mins. Cover the smaller pieces in cling film and place in the fridge.
5 On a floured cutting board, roll the smaller dough pieces into 15cm rounds. Create a lattice pattern by making alternating incisions with a sharp knife.
6 Brush the halloumi-filled rolls with the egg. Stretch a smaller piece of dough over each to expose the holes and tuck the edges underneath. Press half an olive into each gap.
7 Heat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.
Once hot, cook the rolls for
20 mins. Serve them warm.
Per roll: 722 cals, 26g fat,
7g sat fat, 99g carbs.