Quick and easy dinner: Darina's soda bread pizza
Darina's soda bread pizza is a speedy and very welcome addition to the midweek meal plan.
I can't tell you how many times this soda bread pizza base has come to the rescue when I needed to whip up a dish of something filling and delicious in no time at all. It can be as simple as a topping of grated mature Cheddar cheese or halved, well-seasoned cherry tomatoes.
Serves 6-8
- 450g plain white flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling
- 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 level tsp sea salt
- extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- ½ to 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 50g chorizo, sliced
- 350g homemade tomato sauce or chopped fresh or tinned tomatoes mixed with seasonings/spices
- 8 bocconcini, halved
- 15g Parmesan cheese, grated
Fully preheat the oven to 230C/gas mark 8.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in 375ml of the buttermilk and, using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl. Mix to a softish, not too wet and sticky consistency, adding more buttermilk if necessary. When it all comes together, turn out the dough onto a floured board, knead lightly for a few seconds, tidy it up and flip it over.
Brush a roasting tin, approx. 31 x 23 x 5cm, with olive oil. Roll out the dough lightly to fit the tin and sprinkle with rosemary. Scatter the sliced chorizo evenly over the surface. spread a layer of tomato sauce over the chorizo and arrange some halved bocconcini on top. Sprinkle over the Parmesan.
Transfer the tray to the fully preheated oven on a low rack and bake for an initial 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 200C/gas mark 6 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until the dough is cooked and it's golden and bubbly on top.
Serve with a good green salad.
