Apr 29

Pizza Pull Aparts

I have a phobia about bread. Don’t know why. Must have made it a couple of times 4 years ago. It was a success but the effort involved just would make me procrastinate.


I am friends with the bread guru Sumod Tom who we fondly call Sarr. He has been pushing all of us in the group to make breads and we keep giving excuses. And believe me he can push.
So I bought a packet of the precious yeast even though I had a bottle in the fridge ignored since 3 years. I tested the old yeast and it worked perfectly. Now I have so much yeast and I just may become the society’s new pav wali. The only deterrent is kneading the damn  dough in the heat.


Back to this dish. So it finally took me a whole month of mentally preparing myself to make bread and today I took the leap. I used Sarrs white bread recipe and made these pull aparts. The pizza sauce is homemade and a recipe I have been using for years. It turned out so good. My 9 yr old advised me to put it on my Menu.


A special thanks to my friend Himanshu the pav wala. He helped and guided me through every step. I wouldn’t have the courage to make this without him saying – Whyshakha main ho naa.


Ingredients

White bread dough

Pasta sauce

Grated cheese

Wash with either egg or milk


PIZZA SAUCE

Ingredients

1 large onion chopped

10 garlic cloves chopped

10 tomatoes

1/2 readymade tomato purée pkt

1 tbsp each dried oregano, basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tbsp red chilli flakes

salt

Olive oil

1 tbsp maida

  1. Blanch or roast the tomatoes. remove skin and chop or purée as per preference.
  2. In a big pan, heat olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Sautée to pink
  3. Add the fresh tomato puree, pkt purée, chilli flakes, dried herbs, salt. (If u feel the tomatoes are too sour u can add half tsp sugar)
  4. Cook till tomatoes are soft.
  5. Add the maida and mix well. This will thicken the sauce 

WHITE BREAD DOUGH 

– https://sumodtomzcuisines.com/recipe/white-bread-loaf-2/

Ingredients

All-purpose Flour – 482 grams (4 cups)

Water or Milk – 303 grams to 340 grams lukewarm (1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups)

Honey or Sugar – 32 grams (2 tablespoons)

Instant yeast – 2 1/4 teaspoons

Salt – 1 3/4 teaspoons

Butter or Olive Oil – 28 grams soft (2 tablespoons)

Milk Powder – 35 grams (1/3 cup)

Method

  1. Take ¼ cup lukewarm water, add 1 teaspoon sugar and the instant yeast, mix well and set aside to rise.
  2. Mix the flour, milk powder and salt in a bowl.
  3. In another large bowl mix the milk/water and sugar/honey. Add the risen yeast mix to this.
  4. Start adding the flour mix, a cup at a time, mixing well with a silicon or plastic scraper (if you do not have a scraper, mix with hand), till you get very wet dough, which starts pulling off from the side of the bowl.
  5. Add butter little at a time to the mix and keep kneading.
  6. Transfer this to a lightly floured work table, knead gently for 8-10 minutes (lift, spread and throw or stretch and pull), adding little flour at a time (if required only), till you get a very loose, but not sticky dough. (The dough may seem very sticky, but after the above kneading, it will automatically form smooth dough, do not add excess flour, and do not knead hard). Don’t overwork the dough
  7. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Grease the dough also.
  8. Cover it, with a wet cloth and let it rise at room temperature (preferably warm place) until it’s doubled in size, appx 1 to 2 hours.
  9. You can check by lightly pressing with your finger. If there is an indentation then it’s ready.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Lightly deflate the dough and divide it into 4 portions.
  2. Roll out into a rectangle shape, spread pizza sauce leaving a one inch space around the borders. Top with cheese.
  3. Now roll it from one end like a swiss cake to make a log.
  4. Cut equal slices of the log.
  5. Take a 12″ round tin, grease it well.
  6. Place this cut rolls flat in a circle leaving some space between each roll. This will allow enough space for the dough to rise a second time.
  7. Cover and keep for the second rise in a warm place. Appx an hour or more. Keep an eye on it.
  8. Once the dough has prooved for a second time, preheat your oven at 180-200 degrees Celsius (depending on your oven)
  9. Brush an egg/milk wash on your pull aparts to ensure a nice brown top. 
  10. Bake for 15-18 minutes till u get a nice brown top. Settings is both rods on with the fan mode.
  11. Brush with butter once you remove it. Let it rest for 7-8 minutes.
  12. Gently run a knife around it and de mould from the tin. If u leave it in the tin, the juices from the sauce will make your bread soggy.
  13. Serve hot