Almost Christmas. Did you find the time yet to slow down a bit and actually FEEL it? And enjoy the good vibes (while skilfully ignoring all the lurking Xmas-stress)? I finally made it to that point :–D My happy Christmas-mood even magically turned our pizzas into Christmas trees last weekend ;–)

There is no such thing as magic, you say? But isn’t Christmas all about magic? The enchanting magnificence of glittering snow (it snowed this week – YAY!). How all the Christmas-smells send you on a time travel back to your childhood days. How everyone suddenly finds a free spot in their schedule to meet all the people they haven’t seen in ages. How every house looks at it’s very best, sparkling with festive, more or less kitschy Christmas decorations or with just a single, modest illuminated Christmas tree in the garden. Not to mention the magical light of joy that Santa and our Austrian Christkindl puts in the faces of our children.
Sounds rather magical to me ;–)

Anyway, I would like to share my magical savoury yeast bread dough recipe with you :–) Magical, because it can turn from a pizza dough, into babies’ bread-sticks, into grissini, into a simple bread loaf, into (filled) bread rolls and whatever else bready you could think of. It is based on whole spelt flour, which, I find, has a rather mild flavour compared to other wholemeal flours. And it is really tasty!

Whatever you will make with this dough, you should definitely use some part of it for pizza. There is a way to make pizza tasting like fresh from your pizza restaurant. And no need for a professional stone oven. All you need is a big pan on your stove and your average oven with broil function. Trust me! I should probably also mention, that most people who tried my pizza did not even realise that the dough was made of wholemeal. The ones who did, claimed that something tastes different, but also REALLY good. So, even if you happen to be a convinced white-bread-pizza-type, give it a try! You should also know, that IF there really happen to be any leftovers: tastes amazing cold too :–) And if you don’t need all the tomato sauce you already have your yummy pasta-sauce for tomorrow’s lunch ;–)

For you mamas and papas out there: when I make a portion of this dough, I usually always keep some aside to bake a couple bread sticks for my boy. They have the perfect shape to fit in those little hands and are wonderfully portable. Make some sweet by adding a tiny bit of cinnamon on top before baking, or some parmesan or herbs (brush with water first) for a savoury twist. And no teeth necessary, by the way. They are great for sucking/munching/toothless chewing ;–) (Approx. 1/2 cm in diameter, let prove another 10 minutes on room temperature, bake on 200°C top/bottom heat, until slightly browned on the bottom. Around 15 minutes in my oven).

For everyone else: Also keep some aside for bread-sticks, but make them longer, brush them with olive oil and also add some coarse salt and pepper to your preferred other toppings (cheese, herbs…) before baking – and there you have your very own grissini :–)

Or, for a festive twist: don’t clear away your cookie cutters just yet. Roll out the dough around 1/2 cm and get busy cutting stars and snowmen and bells… brush with some water or olive oil and add your topping/seasoning of choice. Cute little bread snacks for your Christmas party :–) (Approx. 1/2 cm in diameter, let prove another 10 minutes on room temperature, bake on 200°C top/bottom heat, until slightly browned on the bottom/edges. Around 15 minutes in my oven).

But back to the must-try: pizza!

Ingredients bread dough:

• 400 g whole spelt flour
• 100 g spelt semolina (or wheat semolina if you can’t get spelt)
• 7 g dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 320 – 325 ml lukewarm (!) water

Ingredients topping “normal” pizza:

• 400 g pureed tomatoes
• 1 big clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• salt & pepper
• optional: fresh basil
• mozzarella (for a vegan pizza-option
  swap for a plant-based cheese)
• Topping of choice (ham, bacon, vege, …)

Ingredients topping “Xmas tree” pizza:

• 400 g pureed spinach
• 1 big clove garlic, minced
• salt, pepper & bit of freshly ground nutmeg
• feta cheese
• dried tomatoes (in oil)
• bacon
• sweetcorn
• a bit of fresh rosemary and thyme
  (for a vegan pizza-option swap for a plant-based
  cheese and leave out the bacon)

Directions:

1. For the dough:
   In a medium bowl (that ideally comes with a lid) add all dry ingredients and stir until well combined. (If you do not make Baby’s bread sticks or plan for savoury toppings, I recommend doubling the salt to 2 tsp and add herbs or spices as you see fit.)
2. Add wet ingredients (make sure water is just lukewarm – not hot or the yeast might not do it’s job), and stir with a wooden spoon until it is getting hard to stir.
3. Then it is time to pour it out on your working surface and get kneading. If you find the dough too sticky, add some extra flour as you go. (I got different results regarding stickiness depending on the brand of flour used. So just keep your flour handy ;–) ) Knead until a smooth ball forms and place it back into your bowl. Cover it with a fitting lid or a clean kitchen towel.
4. Let prove at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size. (Tip: alternatively, you could prepare this dough the day before and keep it in the fridge until around 1 hour before using it.)
5. In the meantime, prepare your toppings:
   tomato sauce:
   In a medium sized saucepan on medium heat, add a tsp of oil and the minced garlic clove. Let the garlic take some color but be very carful not to burn it – or it will taste bitter. Add pureed tomato, herbs, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Then reduce to low heat and let simmer uncovered until your dough has finished proving. It is ready when it has thickened and the tastes have mingled well. Set aside.
   Xmas Tree spinach sauce:
   Proceed as with tomato sauce, replacing the pureed tomato with pureed spinach and the oregano with some freshly ground nutmeg.
   Other toppings:
   Prepare mozzarella, ham, vegetables, dried oregano, etc. to be in easy reach and ready to be thrown on top of your pizza.
6. Once your dough is ready, put a big pan on high heat and turn on your oven to broil (as hot as possible) function, with a grill or baking tray in the very top level.
7. Knead the dough once more and cut off a small piece, cover the rest. Lightly flour your working surface, grab your rolling pin and roll your dough into a circular shape (for regular pizza) or into a triangular shape (for Xmas tree pizza). It should be around 3 mm thick if you like a thin dough-base to your pizza like me. Otherwise, go with your preferences and roll it a little thicker ;–) Make sure the size will fit nicely into your pan. Cut a Xmas tree shape into your triangular piece.
   
8. Transfer the dough to your pan and reduce heat to medium-high. Add a few spoons of sauce (tomato/spinach), cheese (mozzarella/feta), and all other toppings. Check with a spatula if the bottom of your pizza has browned to your liking. If not, keep it there a bit longer and maybe increase heat a little again.
   
9. Once fine, use your spatula to lift the pizza out of the pan and transfer it into the oven – directly onto the tray/grill. if your pan is ovenproof, you can simply pop in the pan.
10. Now it will only take around 3 minutes (depending on your oven) to bake the pizza from the top. So better keep an eye on it! …and enjoy!

Yield: totally depending on how thick you roll your pizzas… I made 6 medium-sized pizzas with thin base and 8 baby-bread-sticks.