Baguette Pizza Food

BAGUETTE PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan200°C/gas 7. Bake the baguettes for 12-15 min or until cooked. Halve each baguette lengthways, place on a baking tray and put back into the oven for a further 5 min to crisp up.
• While still warm, rub each baguette half with the cut side of the garlic. Spread each piece with 1 tablespoon of purée, followed by 2 tablespoons of passata.
• Let the children help themselves to the different toppings to create their own combinations.
• Put the pizzas on the baking tray and bake for 6-8 min, until the cheese is melted and golden.

TOMATO BAGUETTE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute mushrooms and onions until tender. Add garlic and seasonings; cook and stir 1 minute. , Place baguette halves on a baking sheet, cut side up; sprinkle with half the cheese and 1/2 cup basil. Top with mushroom mixture, tomatoes and remaining cheese. , Bake until cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Cut each half into 3 portions.

FRENCH BREAD PIZZAS

Steps:

• For the pizza base: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay the rolls cut-side up on a large baking sheet. Top each half with marinara sauce (or pesto for the tomato basil pizzas), followed by the mozzarella. Then add your toppings of choice. See below for directions for assembling specific pizzas.
• Once the pizzas are assembled, put the baking sheet on the lowest rack for 8 to 10 minutes. Then turn up the heat to 425 degrees F and put the sheet on the highest rack until the cheese starts to bubble a bit and turns golden. Remove and serve immediately! Cut the pizzas in half right across the middle so there are mini French bread pizzas for everyone.
• Pizza Varieties:
• For the Canadian bacon and pineapple pizzas: Top with the Canadian bacon slices and pineapple and bake according to the directions above.
• For the Greek salad pizzas: Leave off the sauce and brush the sliced rolls with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with the mozzarella and bake according to the directions above.
• While the pizzas are baking, toss together the olives, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Top the cooked pizzas with the chopped Greek salad.
• For the pepperoni and jalapeno pizzas: Top with the pepperoni and jalapeno slices and bake according to the directions above.
• For the tomato basil pizzas: Use pesto instead of the marinara sauce, and top with the tomato slices. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake according to the directions above. Top the cooked pizzas with basil leaves.
• For the hamburger pizzas: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper and saute until the beef is no longer pink. Top the rolls with the sauteed ground beef and bake according to the directions above.
• For the hamburger taco pizzas: Top with the Cheddar and ground beef and bake according to the directions above. Top the cooked pizzas with the chopped lettuce and tomatoes.

THE BAGUETTE

Steps:

• Combine the yeast and the warm water in a small bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Let stand for 3 minutes. Combine the flours and salt in a large bowl. Pour the cool water and the yeast mixture over the flour, and mix with your fingers to form a shaggy mass. Move the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 4 minutes. It should be supple and resilient, but not too smooth at this point. Let the dough rest on the work surface for 20 minutes, covered with plastic wrap or a light towel. (This rest period is the autolyse.)
• Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes. Don't overknead it: The dough should be smooth, stretchy, and resilient. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it in the bowl to coat with oil, and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature ( 75 to 77 degrees F) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until nearly doubled in volume.
• Gently deflate the dough and fold it over itself in the bowl. Reshape it into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise for 1 1/4 hours or until it has nearly doubled again. Gently deflate the dough again, reshape into a round, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour. Place the dough on a very lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal pieces (about 10 ounces each). Gently stretch one piece into a rectangle, leaving some large bubbles in the dough. Fold the top third down and the bottom third up as if you were folding a business letter. Now form the loaf into a log by rolling the dough over from left to right and sealing the seam with the heel of your palm. Fold the dough over about 1/ 3 of the way each time, seal the length of the loaf, then repeat. You want to gently draw the skin tight over the surface of the baguette while leaving some air bubbles in the dough. Seal the seam, being careful not to tear the skin of the dough or deflate its airy structure. Set aside on the work surface to relax before elongating it, and repeat the shaping process with remaining pieces of dough.
• Now elongate each baguette, starting with the first one you shaped, by rolling it back and forth on the work surface. Begin with both hands over the center of the loaf and work them out to the ends until the loaf reaches the desired length. (Don't get carried away, or the baguettes won't fit in your oven!) Place the finished loaves on a peel or upside down baking sheet lined with parchment paper and generously sprinkled with cornmeal or on a baguette pan. Cover the loaves with well oiled plastic or a floured cloth and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes until the loaves are slightly plump but still not doubled in volume. The final rise is short, because you want the baguettes to be slightly under proofed; this will give them a better oven spring, resulting in loaves with a light, airy crumb and more flared cuts.
• Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat, and place an empty water pan directly under the stone. Use a very sharp razor blade or lame to make 3 to 5 slashes, depending on the length of your loaves, on the top of each baguette. The cuts should run from one end of the loaf to the other, rather than across it, and the blade should be held at a 30 degree angle to the loaf so that the cuts pop open in the oven. Be careful not to press down too hard, or you may deflate the loaves. Using a plant sprayer, mist the loaves.
• Gently slide the loaves onto the preheated stone, or place the baguette mold in the oven. Pour 1 cup of very hot water into the water pan and quickly close the oven door. After 1 minute, mist the loaves and oven walls 6 to 8 times and close the door. After 2 more minutes, spray the loaves and the oven walls again.
• Bake for 12 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer until the loaves are golden brown and crisp. Move them to a rack to cool.
• Enjoy your baguettes still slightly warm with some soft, ripe French cheese and a glass of wine.
• Note: If cake flour is not available, you can use the same amount of unbleached allpurpose flour, but cake flour will give the baguette a lighter texture.

PIZZA BAGUETTES

Steps:

• Preheat oven 350 or 400.
• Cut french bread in half. Bake bread in oven for 3 minutes.
• Pull out of oven and top with sauce, cheese, pizza toppings and italian seasoning.
• Bake in oven until heated thoroughly and cheese is melted (probably 10-15 minutes).

TUNA MELT PIZZA BAGUETTES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve the 2 part-baked baguettes lengthways and cook directly on the oven shelf for 8 mins. Meanwhile mix the diced peppers, sweetcorn, tuna, and 75g of the grated cheddar.
• Transfer the baguettes to a baking tray, spread each with 1 tbsp tomato purée, divide the tuna mix over, then sprinkle with the remaining grated cheddar. Bake for 12 mins until melting and golden.

TOMATOES MUSHROOMS AND MOZZARELLA BAGUETTE PIZZA

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat oil at medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, mushroom, salt, italian herbs and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 6 minutes or until mushrooms are golden.
• Put slices of baguette on a baking sheet and sprinkle them with half the cheese. Spread on the slices of bread 1/2 cup of basil leaves, the mixture of mushrooms and tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Cook in a preheated oven of 400 F for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted. Cut remaining basil leaves in fine strips and sprinkle on hot pizzas.