A couple of times a week we fire up the wood-burning oven in the farmyard for guests to cook their own bread, pizza or anything else they fancy.
Here is an easy pizza recipe - we don’t provide or cook the pizza, that’s down to you!
Ingredients
1 and 2/3 cups of warm water (all our recipes use cups and measuring spoons as measurements as there are no scales in the tents)
2 and 1/2 tsp fast acting dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup of olive oil (just regular, not your best extra virgin)
4 cups strong bread flour
In large bowl mix together the water, yeast, and salt. Stir until dissolved and then stir in the olive oil, then the flour. It should start sticky but then all start to come together. Sprinkle a little flour onto the wooden worksurface of the kitchen and turn the dough out. You can cut the dough into three or four pieces at this point to give children the chance to knead their own dough. Knead, or let them knead the dough for five minutes.
Wash your mixing bowl (or a number of smaller bowls if you have little helpers), then dry and rub a few drops of oil on the inside to grease slightly. Put the dough in the bowl, or bowls, and turn it so it is oiled and then drape a clean tea towel over. Place your dough in a warm place (on the table in the sun, or to the side of the stove) until around doubled in size.
Take the dough and punch it down with your fist and turn out onto a board. Now cut it into three of four pieces. Press out the dough with your hands to create flat rounds. If you’re cooking in your stove press it into an oven skillet (greased) or an oiled baking sheet lined with parchment. Press it down into the pan and then add your chosen topping. If you’re cooking in the pizza oven place a piece of parchment on a plate then press out the dough on the plate. Top your pizza! Pop into the oven and don’t go anywhere! If the oven is hot it will cook in just a few minutes.
Our favourite toppings:
Garden tomatoes; simply gather up the freshest garden tomatoes in a mix of colours and shapes and slice thinly. Drizzle a little oil over the dough, rub over a garlic clove then add a thin layer of tomatoes, add salt and pepper then whack in the oven. When out of the oven grate over Parmesan and add some basil leaves.
Cheese and tomatoes; as above but add on dollops of mozzarella and a few shavings of cheddar and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Olives and anchovies, Smear the dough with tomato paste (just regular ready-made pasta sauce from a jar is just fine) then sprinkle chopped olives, sliced spring onions and a few anchovies.
Cheese and chilli, grate a strong cheddar cheese over the door and a sprinkling of chopped chillies. Add cubed chorizo for a meaty punch
Help yourself to herbs from the garden - in the summer you'll find thyme, sage, rosemary and basil
When you come up to the farmyard with your pizza there is a pizza paddle so you can put your pizza in the oven. We also have baking parchment, a board and knife if you want to enjoy your pizza in the sports barn rather than heading back to your tent. We also have a corkscrew and bottle opener handy too!