What is Greek Honey Cake (Melopita)

Greek Honey Cake is also known as Melopita and is a traditional honey cake made on the Greek island of Sifnos, in the Cyclades. It is a little like a cheesecake because it uses ricotta cheese and is very simple to make.

• Classic honey cake: the traditional recipe only uses six main ingredients.
• Delicious for any occasion: the cake works well at any time of the year.

What you’ll need to make Greek Honey Cake the traditional way

While ricotta isn’t a Greek cheese and instead comes from Italy, it is a big part of making this cake the traditional way. The traditional recipe uses anthotyro, but it’s really hard to find outside Greece.

Tip: Aim for the best ricotta you can afford, otherwise the end result may contain too much water, and will be prone to splitting. If you can only get watery ricotta, strain it for a couple of hours before using to remove as much liquid as you can.

Greek Honey Cake Key Ingredients

For the mixture of melopita: You’ll need ricotta cheese and runny honey along with eggs, cornflour and vanilla extract or bean paste for the cake. Olive oil and lemon zest are the final ingredients.

For the topping: More runny honey and some ground cinnamon will be used to top the cake once it is cooled.

Key Preparation Tips

There are just two main steps to making this recipe:

1. Prepare the melopita cake
2. Finish and decorate the cake

Prepare the melopita cake

Start by preheating the oven to 160C or 320F. Grease a spring form tin with a little olive oil, I usually use an 18cm or 7 inch one. Add some baking parchment to the bottom and the sides.

In a large bowl, beat the ricotta with a wooden spoon or whisk until it is smooth then beat in the honey. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly then add the cornflour, vanilla and lemon zest.

Using a scraper to get the mixture into the baking tin and smooth it with the back of a spoon to get a level finish.

Tip: If you want to change a little of the flavor, you can substitute the lemon zest for orange zest.

Finish and decorate the cake

Bake the melopita in the oven until it is set, usually around 30 minutes. It will have some color around the sides.

Leave the cake to cool then transfer it to a plate from the tin. Add enough honey to cover the top and sprinkle generously with ground cinnamon.

My melopita isn’t rising did I do something wrong?

It is worth remembering that this is a flat and dense cake mixture so don’t panic if it doesn’t rise while in the oven.

The Greek name melopita features ‘pita’ which means flat so the cake is more like a cheesecake than a sponge cake. But it does tend to stick like a baked cheesecake, so don’t forget to line the sides of the pan.

Variations of Greek Honey cake

The traditional Melopita from the island of Sifnos is this simple and beloved version with no other additions. But one can also find some variations using phyllo dough as a base.

Also it is very common to use a base made from crushed biscuits, melted butter and a pinch of cinnamon, like this no bake cheesecake. So feel free to experiment!

Making ahead of time and storing

You can make this Greek honey cake cake ahead of time by carrying out the first steps and then stopping before cooking. Then simply cook when you are ready to serve and add the topping.

Keep any unused portions in the fridge due to the ricotta cheese and use them within 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions

The cake can be served on its own or you can top it with some vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream would also work if you want to offset the sweetness of the honey a little. And of course, some crushed walnuts on top will give that extra crunchiness you may look for!

More recipes to try 

If you love Greek honey, the below recipes are made for you! Enjoy!

• Baklava Cheesecake 
• Greek Yogurt with Honey and Walnuts
• Traditional Baklava with honey and walnuts
• Loukoumades (Greek Honey puffs)
• Greek Christmas Pastry with honey (diples)
• Tiganites (Greek Style pancakes with Honey and walnuts)
• Melomakarona (Greek Christmas Honey cookies)

Greek Honey cake (Melopita Sifnou)

(82 votes, average: 4.87 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 60 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 8-10 pieces
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

If you are looking for a sweet treat with only 15′ prep time, then this Greek Honey Cake (Melopita Sifnos) is a simple and delicious cake to make that will satisfy your craving!

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Ingredients

• olive oil
• 660g ricotta (1 lb, 7 1/4 oz), at room temperature 
• 100ml runny honey (5 1/2 tbsp), plus extra for drizzling
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature 
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• zest 1/2 lemon
• ground cinnamon

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  Greek Yogurt with Honey and…

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  Greek style no bake cheesecake…

• 

  Greek Yogurt Cake Soaked in…

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C (320F). Grease a round loose bottomed 18cm (7 inch) cake tin with a little olive oil before lining both the bottom and the sides with baking parchment. 
2. In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon or a whisk to beat the ricotta until smooth. Beat in the honey, followed by the eggs, one by one, the cornflour, the vanilla, and the lemon zest.
3. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin, smoothing the top with the back of your spoon. 
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the middle is set not jiggly, and it has started to colour around the sides.
5. Leave to cool in the tin before transferring to a plate and drizzling with just enough honey to cover the top, and sprinkling with a generous amount of cinnamon. Enjoy!

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Keywords: greek honey cake, melopita, ricotta cake, honey cake

The post Greek Honey cake (Melopita Sifnos) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

What is Lamb Stifado (Greek Lamb stew)?

Stifado dishes are classics of Greek cuisine that use a combination of onions, tomatoes and vinegar as the base with different seasonings to add more flavor.

Originally, the dish came from the Venetians in the 13th century but didn’t include tomatoes as they weren’t known in the country at the time. But adding tomatoes is now common and makes the dish even more delicious.

Traditional stew: Ideal for colder nights, this is a great comfort food.
Use lamb or other meat: You can swap the lamb for other meats that you enjoy.

What you’ll need to make lamb stifado the traditional way

One of the key ingredients in a stifado dish is the onions and I like to use pearl onions for it.

Pearl onions are small, round onions that are most commonly used in dishes like stews, slow-roasted meats or mashed potatoes. They have a mild flavor and tender texture; however, they can be tedious to peel because of their small size.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of peeling pearl onions yourself, frozen and canned versions are widely available on store shelves.

As an alternative to fresh or frozen pearl onions, shallots make an excellent replacement. Shallots have a more complex flavor than plain onion and tend to add sweetness and depth to recipes.

Greek Lamb Stew Key Ingredients

Lamb: You’ll want 1.5kg or around 53 ounces of lamb for the recipe, ideally with bone in to cut into large portions.

Sauce: Pearl onions, garlic and tinned tomatoes make the base of the sauce with tomato paste, white wine vinegar, olive oil and seasoning with rosemary, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks plus a little sugar.

Key Preparation Tips

There are three main steps involved with this Lamb stifado recipe:

1. Prepare the lamb
2. Make the sauce
3. Cook the dish

Prepare the lamb

Start by preparing the lamb to cut into large portions. Add to a bowl and season with salt and black pepper.
Take a frying pan on high heat and add 4 tbsp olive oil then saute the lamb until sealed and browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan, set to one side and cover it.

Make the sauce for Lamb stifado

Peel the pearl onions and add them to the pan from the lamb, saute them until caramelized. Try to avoid stirring too much so the onions don’t break apart, shake the pan as much as possible.

Add the chopped garlic, rosemary, allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, tomato paste and sugar and continue to cook.
Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan.

Add the canned tomatoes and water and gently stir everything together then add the lamb.

Cook the dish

Place a lid on the pan and once it starts to boil, turn it down to a medium heat. Cook for around 2 hours, although check regularly as it can take as little as 1.5 hours if the lamb is on the small side.

Keep checking the sauce (see tips below) then serve with some feta cheese and crusty bread.

How do you stop the sauce from drying out?

When it comes to making Lamb stifado, or any other type of tomato-based sauce, the key is to keep its consistency just right. The good news is that stopping the sauce from drying out is relatively easy – but requires some vigilance as you cook.

Firstly, it’s important to check if water needs to be added regularly before the dish starts to dry out; adding boiled water can produce a nice balance of soupy and thicker texture.

To make sure that your sauce doesn’t become too runny, remove the lid near the end of cooking time. By doing this you make sure that there’s enough evaporation so you aren’t left with an overly liquid end result.

Remember that even after taking it off the heat, the remaining liquids will continue to reduce over time as it slowly cools down as well – so don’t leave your stifado unattended for too long.

As long as you keep these simple tips in mind, you won’t have any problems making a delicious and well-balanced tomato sauce!

Variations

While the most popular option for this recipe is lamb, you can also make it with goat if you enjoy that meat. Other variations include beef stifado, pork or even rabbit stifado.

Making ahead of time and storing

You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat them on the stove. Some people even say that the dish is better after the first day as the flavors have had more time to blend together!

Serving suggestions

Something simple like crusty village bread works well with this stew or you can add some roasted potatoes or a Greek salad. Other options include orzo pasta or egg noodles.

Lamb Stifado recipe (Greek lamb stew)

(87 votes, average: 4.84 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 portions
• Category: Main
• Method: Stew
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

If you are searching for proper Greek comfort food then Lamb Stifado will be perfect! This Greek lamb stew is easy to make and is ideal for those cooler evenings when you want a hearty, warming dish.

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Ingredients

• 1.5kg lamb, bone in, cut in large portions (53 oz.)
• 700g pearl onions, peeled (25 oz.)
• 2–3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsps tomato paste 
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes (14 oz.)
• 6 tbsps (80g) white wine vinegar 
• 6–7 tbsps extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary 
• 5–8 allspice berries (or ground allspice)
• 1–2 cinnamon sticks 
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper 
• 800ml-900ml water (3-4 cups)

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  Beef Stifado recipe (Greek beef stew)

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Instructions

1. To prepare this delicious Greek lamb stifado (lamb stew) recipe, start by preparing the lamb. In a large bowl add the meat and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Place a large frying pan over high heat. Add the olive oil (4 tbsps) and the lamb and sauté over high heat, until browned on all sides and sealed. When done, remove with a slotted spoon, place on a platter, cover and set aside.
3. Peel the baby shallot onions.
4. Place a pot over high heat. Add the remaining olive oil and the pearl onions and sauté until caramelised. 
5. Add the chopped garlic, allspice berries, rosemary, cinnamon sticks, sugar and tomato paste and sauté.
6. Pour in the vinegar and deglaze. 
7. Add the canned tomatoes and water and stir. At the end add the sautéed lamb. 
8. Place the lid on. A soon as it comes to a boil, lower the heat down to medium and cook for approx. 2 hours. 
9. While the stifado is simmering, check if it needs some water; you don’t want it to dry out. If it does, pour in some boiled water. On the contrary if your sauce needs more thickening towards the end of cooking time, then remove the lid and let it boil to evaporate. 
10. Serve this delicious lamb stifado with crusty bread and feta cheese. Enjoy!

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Keywords: greek lamb stew, lamb stifado

The post Lamb Stifado recipe (Greek lamb stew) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

So read along to discover my mouthwatering recipe, step by step photos and tips and tricks to make this little delight to perfection!

What is Cheesecake Baklava?

Baklava is a traditional dessert that is made with filo pastry, chopped nuts infused with aromatic Greek spices and soaked in a sweet syrup made with honey. It is a classic Greek dessert but its flavours also make for a great cheesecake idea.

So I took my traditional baklava recipe, deconstructed it to its key elements and flavours and recombined them to create this beautifully creamy cheesecake! It is light, airy, aromatic without being overly sweet. In other words, it is the perfect baklava cheesecake!

• Inspired by a classic: The cheesecake has all the key flavors and textures of a Baklava. The crunchiness of the phyllo, the aromas of Baklava spices, the nuttiness of its base, together with that deliciously light honey syrup that brings it all together!
• Easy to make: There are a few ingredients needed to make this but they are all things you’ll find in most stores and the recipe is super simple to follow.

Baklava Cheesecake Key Ingredients

To make your Baklava Cheesecake you’ll need:

1. For the baklava base: This combines digestive biscuits with a mix of nuts, ground cinnamon and cloves as well as butter to bind it together.
2. For the cheesecake layer: Full fat cream cheese is the basic ingredient with some double cream added along with runny honey and lemon juice.
3. For the syrup: The syrup for the Cheesecake baklava is made from sugar, orange zest, lemon juice and runny honey with a little ground cinnamon.
4. To top it off: Finally, butter, filo pastry and mixed nuts are used to top the baklava cheesecake.

Tip: You can also add a splash of orange blossom water if you can get it. It adds a beautiful floral element to the syrup but if you aren’t a fan of floral flavors, you can simply leave it out.

Key Preparation Tips

There are five main steps involved in making this Baklava cheesecake recipe:

1. Make the cheesecake base
2. Make the cheesecake layer
3. Make the Baklava syrup
4. Make the topping
5. Assemble the cheesecake

Make the cheesecake base

Transfer the biscuits to a plastic freezer bag and hold the top securely. Bash the biscuits with a rolling pin until they are reduced to crumbs.

Next, add the nuts to a food processor and blitz under finely chopped. Add with the biscuit crumbs to a bowl and stir.

Melt the butter and mix it with the biscuit and nuts mix then stir in the spices and salt.

Take a 21cm / 8 inch tin with a loose bottom and spray or brush with a neutral oil or cooking spray. Line the base and sides with parchment paper then press the biscuit mixture firmly into the bottom. Pop in the refrigerator to chill while making the cheesecake layer.

Make the cheesecake layer

Add the cream cheese, honey and lemon juice to a bowl and beat together until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk the cream until stiff. Fold into the cream cheese mixture, one-third at a time until it is thoroughly combined.

Scrape the cheesecake mix on top of the base, ensuring you reach all of the corners and the mix is as smooth as possible. Pop in the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours or ideally overnight.

Make the Baklava cheesecake syrup

Combine the sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp water, orange zest, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the honey and orange blossom water, if using, to the pot. Leave it cool fully.

Make the topping for the Baklava cheesecake

To make the baklava cheesecake topping, warm the butter in a small saucepan until it is completely melted. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F.

Add parchment paper to a baking tray then roughly tear up a sheet of filo pastry and add to it. Once the butter has cooled enough to touch, pour it over the filo pastry and mix to coat it with your hands, making sure the pastry doesn’t form into clumps.

Bake until the pastry pieces are golden, usually around 10 minutes. Roughly chop the nuts.

Assemble the Baklava Cheesecake 

To make the cheesecake, use the spring release on the tin then grab a fish slice or similar utensil and slide it off the metal bottom, removing the parchment paper as you do. Then place the cake onto a serving platter and remove the parchment paper from the side.

Tip: If the cheesecake looks a bit rough around the edges and you want to smarten it up, take a palette knife and run it under hot water for a few moments. Dry it off and use it to smooth any rough edges.

Finish by spooning the syrup over the top then scatter the nuts and add the filo pastry shards, giving the Baklava cheesecake as much height as possible.

Variations

If you can’t get digestive biscuits or just aren’t a fan, Graham crackers make a great alternative for the cheesecake base.

Also, you can use frozen filo pastry for this recipe and allow it to defrost completely before you cook it. Don’t be tempted to substitute it for puff pastry or other styles of pastry as it simply won’t work properly.

Making ahead of time and storing

Ideally, finish the baklava  cheesecake when you are ready to serve it. Otherwise, the syrup will soak into the cake and it will not have the same flavor impact as when it is fresh.

You can store the leftover cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You may want to save a little syrup to add on top, freshening it up when you come to serve.

Serving suggestions

This Baklava cheesecake is ideally served on its own with a side of traditional Greek Coffee! However if you want to make it more glamorous, you could add a little whipped cream on the side or a big scoop of some vanilla ice cream.

Similar recipes to try

If you love a traditional syrupy greek desert, the below recipes are made for you! Enjoy!

• Traditional Greek Baklava Recipe with Walnuts and Honey
• Chocolate Baklava
• Greek baklava rolls recipe (Saragli)
• Chocolate Souffle in Baklava Pouches recipe
• Galaktoboureko with Kataifi (Greek Custard and shredded phyllo pie)
• Homemade Kataifi recipe
• Greek Ekmek Kataifi recipe (Custard and whipped cream pastry with syrup)
• Greek Yogurt Cake Soaked in Syrup Recipe (Yiaourtopita)
• Karidopita/Karithopita recipe (Greek Walnut Cake with Syrup)
• Greek Ravani / Revani recipe (Coconut cake with syrup)
• Traditional Greek Galaktoboureko recipe (Greek Custard Pie with Syrup)
• Loukoumades recipe (Greek Donuts with Honey and Walnuts)
• Orange cake with syrup – Portokalopita
• Samali – Semolina cake with mastic syrup 

Cheesecake Baklava recipe

(84 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 55 minutes (plus at least 8 hours chilling time)
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 8 portions
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

Everyone loves Baklava but sometimes you want to go a little further with your dessert. That’s where this simple Cheesecake Baklava recipe comes in! It has all the flavors and textures of a Baklava but is also combined with the best parts of a cheesecake.

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Ingredients

For the Cheesecake Baklava Base

• 100g digestive biscuits (3 1/2 oz)
• 80g mix of almonds, pistachios and walnuts (2 3/4 oz)
• 80g butter (2 3/4 oz)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• a pinch ground cloves
• a pinch of salt

For the Cheesecake Baklava Layer

• 400g full fat cream cheese, at room temperature (14 oz)
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 200ml double cream, at room temperature (heavy cream or whipping cream) (7 oz)

For the Syrup

• 30g granulated sugar (1 oz)
• zest of 1/4 orange
• squeeze fresh lemon juice
• pinch ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp runny honey
• splash orange blossom water (optional)

For the Topping

• 25g butter (3/4 oz)
• 2–3 x sheets filo pastry
• 35g mix of almonds, pistachios and walnuts (1 1/4 oz)

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Similar recipes you may like!

• 

  Chocolate Souffle in Baklava…

• 

  Karidopita/Karithopita recipe…

• 

  Homemade Kataifi recipe!

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  Greek Ravani / Revani recipe…

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Instructions

For the Cheesecake Baklava Base

1. To make this delicious cheesecake baklava start by preparing the base first. To make the base, transfer the biscuits to a plastic freezer bag and, holding the top closed securely, bash into crumbs with a rolling pin. Blitz the nuts until finely chopped in a food processor, and transfer both mixtures to a bowl, stirring until combined.
2. Gently melt the butter and mix it into the biscuit mix, followed by the spices and the salt.
3. Spray or brush a 21 cm / 8 inch loose bottomed tin with neutral oil or cooking spray and line both the base and sides with baking parchment. Press the biscuit mix firmly into the bottom to create an even base. Chill while you make the cheesecake layer.

For the Cheesecake Baklava Layer

1. Beat together the cream cheese, honey and lemon juice with a wooden spoon until smooth. 
2. In a separate bowl whisk the cream until stiff. Working in thirds, gently fold the cream mixture into the cheesecake mix until uniform. 
3. Scrape the cheesecake mix onto the base, making sure you get it in all the corners, working to get the mixture as smooth and even on top as possible. Chill for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight.

For the Syrup

1. To make the syrup, combine the sugar with 1 1/2 tbsp of water, the orange zest, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and the cinnamon in a small saucepan. Set over a medium high heat and stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey and orange blossom water, if using. Leave to cool completely. 

For the Topping

1. To make the baklava topping, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius / 350 fahrenheit, and gently melt the butter in a small saucepan.
2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and roughly tear the filo sheet onto it. Once the butter is cool enough to touch, pour it over the filo and mix it all together with your hands, scrunching and separating the filo pieces to cover the sheet in rough shards. 
3. Bake for 10 minutes until the filo pieces are golden. Meanwhile, roughly chop the nuts. 
4. To assemble the cheesecake, carefully remove the spring release on the tin and using a fish slice carefully slide the cheesecake off the metal bottom and remove the sheet of baking parchment underneath. Transfer to a serving platter, removing the parchment around the sides of the cheesecake. 
5. Spoon the syrup over the top of the cheesecake, before scattering with the nuts and arranging the filo shards on top, trying to give it as much height as possible. Enjoy!

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Keywords: cheesecake baklava, baklava cheesecake, baklava cheesecake recipe

The post Baklava Cheesecake recipe appeared first on My Greek Dish.

So go ahead, read along to discover how to make it to perfection with my delicious recipe, step by step photos, tips and tricks, variations and ingredient suggestions!

What is Greek Orzo Salad?

Greek Orzo Pasta salad is a traditional dish that is used as a side for parties, gatherings and even as a light mid week dinner! It is a simple recipe that can be adapted to whatever vegetables you have around the kitchen but is usually made with tomatoes, cucumber, onion and olives.

• Easy to make: There’s just a short preparation time and a little cooking needed to make this recipe. Then simply chill it and it will be ready to serve.
• Use up ingredients: Once you’ve tried it the traditional way, mix up those ingredients for a great use-up recipe.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad Key Ingredients

There are a few key ingredients needed to make this salad recipe:

1. Orzo salad: As well as the orzo pasta, you’ll want some cherry tomatoes, red onion, English cucumber and Kalamata olives to mix in. Season with olive oil, fresh basil and dill.
2. For the dressing: A simple dressing made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, a little lemon zest and oregano works perfectly.
3. To finish: As well as salt and pepper, adding some cubed feta is always my favorite option.

Tip: Use good quality Greek dried oregano here for the best results as some of the big-name brands tend to be very dry. If you can’t get Greek oregano, the next best would be a quality Mexican oregano.

Key Preparation Tips

There are three main steps involved with making this orzo salad:

1. Cook the orzo pasta
2. Prepare the dressing
3. Make the salad and finish

Cook the Orzo pasta

Boil up your kettle full of water and, at the same time, heat some olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the orzo and cook until it starts to color, stirring regularly.

Then add the boiling water from the kettle with a teaspoon of salt and cook for 10-12 minutes until just tender and al-dente.

Drain the orzo and rinse it under a cold tap until the water flowing out of the pasta is clear. This will cool the orzo down, stopping it from cooking any further and preventing it from getting too soft and soggy.

Finally, set aside to drain any extra moisture, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Make the dressing for Greek Orzo salad

For the dressing we keep it nice and simple using classic and earthy Greek flavours. Just make sure you use good quality and fresh ingredients!

My favourites are some extra virgin olive oil, a little red wine vinegar to add some acidity, lemon zest for some delicious freshness and of course some Greek oregano. In a small dish, combine all the ingredients together, season and whisk to combine.

Prepare the Orzo feta salad

Prepare the salad ingredients by quartering the cherry tomatoes, peeling and finely chopping the onion and cucumber and cutting the olives into quarters. If you find red onion is a little sharp in flavor, run it under the cold water tap before adding it to the salad mix.

Pour the orzo pasta into a large mixing bowl and add the salad vegetables. Roughly chop the fresh herbs and add them to the mix as well. Pour in the salad dressing and toss.

Stir in the cubed feta and gently stir so your feta doesn’t break apart. Taste and if needed, season with some more salt and pepper before serving. Just be careful not to add too much salt as both the feta and olives are usually quite salty on their own.

Tip: For maximum flavour, allow your salad to marinate for about an hour before serving so that the orzo absorbs the sauce.

What is Orzo?

If you’ve ever eaten orzo before, it is easy to confuse it with rice due to its shape! However, Orzo is, in fact, pasta and you can find it at the grocery store alongside other shaped kinds of pasta.

Flavor wise, Orzo tastes mild, making it the perfect match for pasta salads like this Greek Orzo Salad, but also it is a wonderful pairing for soups and even risotto-like dishes.

You’ll also find whole wheat orzo, much like most kinds of pasta. If you want to increase the fiber and protein in this dish, use the whole wheat variety instead.

Can I Use Another Type of Pasta?

While there’s something just perfect about orzo for this recipe, you can swap it for other types of pasta if that’s what you have. Spiral, bowtie, penne or even macaroni pasta will work the same, just use the same weight. You could even test something like a cheese-filled tortellini but use double the weight listed.

Variations

Many traditional Greek recipes will use green bell peppers in this dish but it is a controversial flavor in our house! So we left it out but if you want to add some, finely chop one pepper and add it to the salad. They will add some extra crunch to the orzo salad together with some additional freshness.

Finally, you could also add artichoke hearts which will add some delicious tenderness to the dish or some salad greens such as spinach or arugula.

Making ahead of time and storing

You can keep the pasta salad in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. If it feels a little dry when you take it out, mix some olive oil into it to refresh it.

Can You Freeze Greek Pasta Salad?

While you can freeze pasta salads, some of them don’t freeze as well as others. It all depends on the components in the dish.

In general, if you use raw crisp vegetables such as cucumbers or tomatoes, I don’t suggest freezing them since they won’t work well when frozen.

Therefore, this dish is best eaten fresh, rather than frozen. Alternatively, wait to add the veggies until after it’s thawed!

Serving suggestions

You can serve the dish as a side salad, where this recipe will make around 8 portions. It works well alongside burgers, chicken souvlaki, beef souvlaki, pork souvlaki and of course chicken gyros and pork gyros as well as other side dishes such as briam (mixed roast vegetables).

Finally, you can make this into a more substantial meal by adding something like some grilled shrimp or shredded chicken to the recipe once you have made it. Serve it with some homemade crusty bread for a simple and filling meal.

Other delicious Greek salads

If you love my Greek orzo pasta salad, then you’ll also love my following handpicked recommendations!

1. Delicious Greek Lentil Salad Recipe with Feta cheese (Fakes Salata)
2. Refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad recipe
3. Grilled Halloumi and Roasted Vegetables Salad Recipe
4. Traditional Greek Salad recipe (Horiatiki / Xoriatiki)
5. Greek Pasta Salad recipe
6. Potato Salad (Greek Patatosalata)
7. Greek chickpea salad 

Greek Orzo Salad (Orzo feta salad)

(113 votes, average: 4.58 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling time)
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 as a main, 8 as a side
• Category: Salad
• Method: Boiled
• Cuisine: Greek
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Greek Orzo Salad with feta cheese is one of those super simple dishes that take just so little effort to prepare! Short cooking time, little preparation and you will have a delicious light meal or side dish in 30′!

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Ingredients

For Greek orzo salad

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• a kettle of boiling water
• 300g orzo (1 3/4 cups)
• 400g cherry tomatoes (14 oz)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 English cucumber
• 2 handfuls Kalamata olives
• 30g fresh basil leaves (1 oz)
• 15g fresh dill (1/2 oz)

For the orzo salad dressing

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• zest of 1 lemon

To season and decorate

• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 180g cubed feta (6 oz)

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  Refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad recipe

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Instructions

1. To prepare this delicious Greek orzo salad recipe, start with cooking the orzo pasta. Boil the water in the kettle. At the same time heat the olive oil over a medium high heat in a large saucepan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the orzo and cook, stirring often until the orzo starts to color. Fill the pan with boiling water, stir in a of teaspoon of salt and cook the orzo for 10-12 minutes, until just tender and al-dente.
2. Drain the orzo and rinse under a cold tap until the water running out the pasta runs clear. Set aside to drain away any excess water, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta sticking to each other.
3. Meanwhile, quarter the cherry tomatoes, peel and finely chop the onion and the cucumber, and quarter the olives.
4. Transfer the cooked orzo to a large bowl and stir in the salad vegetables. Roughly chop the fresh herbs and add those too.
5. To make the dressing, in a small bowl combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, lemon zest, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Stir this into the orzo mixture.
6. Add the cubed feta and stir carefully, making sure the cheese pieces don’t break up too much. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed, and leave to stand in the fridge for roughly an hour before serving to allow the orzo to soak up the dressing. Enjoy!

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Keywords: greek orzo salad, greek orzo pasta salad, orzo feta salad

The post Greek Orzo Salad (Orzo feta salad) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

So go ahead and discover how to make it to perfection with my delicious recipe, step by step photos and tips and tricks below! 

What is Kreatopita (Greek meat pie)?

Kreatopita is a traditional Greek meat pie that you’ll traditionally find made in the villages across Kefallonia. They may not look like the fanciest of pies, but they are packed with so much flavour! They are also easy to make and can be a great way to use up some cuts of meat that you have in your freezer. This pie is a:

• Two meat pie: A traditional pie that uses two different portions of meat in the filling.
• Rustic favorite: It may not look the most spectacular but there’s so much taste involved!

What you’ll need to make Greek Meat Pie the traditional way

You can use any combination of meats such as lamb, pork, veal or beef in the pie but it is always traditional to use at least two different types. I would avoid pairing veal and beef as these can taste quite similar so you’ll loose out a bit on the flavor!

When selecting your cuts of meat, I find that shoulder works best for both lamb and pork as it contains a bit more fat than the rest, which gives the pie a more intense flavor as well as they are pretty cheap to get!

Finally, traditionally, Carolina rice is used in the pie but this isn’t always widely available outside Greece. So instead go for white basmati rice in the dish as it works just as well! If you do spot Carolina rice, then by all means, give it a try instead.

Greek Meat Pie Key Ingredients

The traditional Greek Meat pie (kreatopita) needs just a handful of ingredients to make:

1. Meat: You’ll need 2 cuts of meat for this recipe with my favourite ones being diced lamb and diced pork.
2. For the pie filling: You’ll need some onion and garlic together with tomatoes, tomato paste and white wine. Finally the white basmati rice helps to give it extra bulk.
3. Meat seasoning: I love using some dried marjoram along with fresh mint and flat leaf parsley to season my filling. You could also use dried oregano if you don’t have marjoram but because it is stronger, use only 3/4 tsp.
4. Pie crust: I’ve opted to make my pie with puff pastry but you can also make it using your homemade phyllo. To finish off your pie you’ll need an egg to egg wash it and (traditionally) some kefalotyri cheese or, if you can’t find this, some halloumi cheese.

Key Preparation Tips

There are three main steps to prepare this Greek meat pie:

1. Prepare the meat
2. Make the pie filling
3. Finally, assemble the pie

Prepare the meat

To make the pie filling, heat a large heavy-bottomed, lidded saucepan or casserole over a medium high heat with olive oil.

Brown the meat in batches, lowering the heat as needed to avoid burning bits on the bottom of the pan, and set it aside.

Tip: If your pan is not a non-stick type or not well seasoned you may get some bits of burnt meat on the bottom of the pan. If the brown patches are excessive, move the meat to another pan with a fresh splash of olive oil otherwise they may spoil the flavor of the pie filling as it will taste burnt!

Make the pie filling

Start by reducing the heat to medium low – you want the sauce to simmer, not boil! Fry the finely chopped onion with a little salt and the fat leftover from the meat until they have softened, caramelised and started to brown. This usually takes about 6-8 minutes. Then peel and crush the garlic and add to the onion, cooking for another minute.

Then proceed to stir in the tomato paste and took for a minute or two to release the tomato flavor. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and cook again until they start to break down then mix in the dried marjoram (or oregano if you’re substituting).

Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, let it simmer for a bit until it reduces by half then add 200ml or 3/4 cup of water and bring to the boil. Finally reduce the heat to low, add the lid on and simmer for an hour or so until the meat is tender.

Once done cooking, add the roughly chopped fresh herbs (parsley and mint) to the mixture, add the uncooked rice, stir then leave it to cool to room temperature. The rice will cook with the residual heat from the meat sauce and will soak up all its delicious juices! Once you are happy the pie filling is cooled, add more salt and pepper if needed.

Tip: Before adding the rice, if your sauce looks too dry, add a splash of water, bring it to a boil, remove from the heat then add the rice.

Assemble the Greek meat pie

To assemble your kreatopita, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit and grease a large square baking dish (about 22 cm/9 inches square) evenly with some butter.

Split the puff pastry into two parts, one slightly larger than the other. The smaller one will make the pie lid while the bigger one is for the pie base.

Flour your surface, then roll out the larger pastry block into a square that comfortably lines the bottom of your dish and leaves a few centimetres or 1/2 an inch over the filling line. Use this to line the dish, pushing gently into the corners with your fingers.

Proceed to spoon in the cooled filling. Lightly beat an egg and use this to brush the exposed edges of the pastry. Sprinkle some of your grated cheese evenly across the pie filling.

To make the lid, roll out the smaller block and add it to the top of the pie, pressing down to seal the pastry where you added the egg.

Trim off any excess and brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Cut two small holes in the centre so steam can escape as it cooks.

Finally, cook in the oven for 1 hour or until the pastry is golden. Leave your kreatopita to cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Can you use filo pastry?

You can definitely use homemade filo pastry for your pie! Feel free to give it a go using this easy homemade phyllo recipe. However, if you are not the most confident in working with pastry, use ready made puff pastry. It tastes great and it is also a huge time-saver! 

Finally, don’t worry if the block of pasty you’ve bought is a little different in size than in the recipe below. Just follow the measurements as a rough indication of what is needed to cover the dish and adapt for your own bakeware.

Making ahead of time and storing

I find it easiest to make the pie filling the day before I want to make the pie. Pop it in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the pie. Just take your filling out of the fridge, prepare your pastry, assemble and bake as per the recipe below.

If you have leftovers, let them cool and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days. Just reheat in the oven before serving.

Finally if you want to freeze the entire pie, its best to do this before baking it. Assemble but don’t glaze with egg, cover with plastic wrap and some foil then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely overnight then cook in the oven as directed.

Serving suggestions

As the main course, Greek meat pies are perfect with something like a tabouli or Horiatiki Greek salad. You can also enjoy it as a light meal on its own!

More delicious Greek Pies!

If you love a traditional Greek pie, the below recipes are made for you! 

1. Greek Chicken Pie Recipe (Kotopita)
2. Traditional Greek Leek Pie Recipe (Prasopita)
3. Spanakopita Recipe With Homemade Phyllo (Authentic Greek Spinach Pie)
4. Mini Spanakopita Triangles Recipe (Spanakopitakia / Greek Spinach Triangles)
5. Greek Feta Cheese Pies Recipe (Tiropitakia)
6. Spiral-Shaped Greek Cheese Pie Recipe (Kichi Kozanis)
7. Traditional Zucchini Pie Recipe With Feta Cheese (Greek Kolokithopita)
8. Traditional Tiropita Recipe (Greek Cheese Pie With Feta)
9. Delicious Little Cheese Pies! (Pitarakia Milou)

Greek Meat Pie (Kreatopita)

(88 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus cooling and resting time)
• Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours
• Yield: 6 portions
• Category: Sides
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

If you are looking for a classic Greek meat pie, then this recipe for Kreatopita will be just what you need! Combining two different types of meat, it is a traditional, rustic pie you would see in villages across parts of Greece

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Ingredients

For the Greek meat pie filling

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 325g diced lamb (11 1/2 oz)
• 325g diced pork (11 1/2 oz)
• salt
• 1 brown onion
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried marjoram 
• 200ml white wine (3/4 cups)
• 50g white basmati rice (1/4 cup)
• handful flat leaf parsley
• handful fresh mint
• butter, at room temperature 

To assemble

• 500g block puff pastry (1 lb 1 1/2 oz)
• 100g kefalotyri or halloumi cheese (3 1/2 oz)
• 1 egg

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Instructions

For the Greek meat pie filling

1. To make the filling for this traditional Kreatopita, heat the olive oil in the bottom of a large heavy bottomed, lidded saucepan or casserole dish set over a medium high heat. Salt the meat well and fry the meat in batches until well browned, adjusting the heat if necessary to make sure you don’t get burnt bits on the bottom of the pan. Set the meat aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium low. Finely chop the onion and gently fry it along with another pinch of salt in the fat leftover from the meat for 6-8 minutes until the onion has softened and started to brown. Peel and crush the garlic cloves and add them to the onion, cooking for a further minute until aromatic. 
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute or two until slightly caramelised. Roughly chop the tomatoes and stir them in too, cooking for another few minutes until they start to break down. Add the dried marjoram. 
4. Add the wine and allow to reduce by half. Add 200ml / 3/4 cups water, and turn up the heat to bring the filling up to a boil. Reduce to low, clap on the lid and leave to simmer for an hour, until the meat is tender.
5. Roughly chop the herbs and stir them into the pie filling, along with the uncooked rice. Leave to cool to room temperature.
6. Check the seasoning of the cooled pie filling, adding pepper and more salt if necessary. 

To assemble the Greek meat pie

1. To assemble the Kreatopita, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit and liberally butter your deepest square baking dish roughly 22 cm / 9 inches square.
2. Divide the puff pastry block into two, one half slightly smaller than the other to make the lid. 
3. On a well floured surface, roll the larger pastry block out into a large square, large enough to comfortably line the dish with a few centimetres / at least 1/2 inch to spare above the filling line. Use this to line the dish, using your fingers to push the pastry into the corners.
4. Spoon in the filling. Lightly beat the egg, and brush the exposed edge of the pastry along the top.
5. Grate the cheese and sprinkle it evenly across the top of the pie filling. 
6. Roll out the second block of pastry and top the pie with it, pressing down to seal the pastry along the egg wash line and trimming off any excess. Brush the top with egg wash and cut two small holes in the middle of the pie to allow steam to escape. 
7. Bake for 1 hour until the pastry is golden. Leave to stand for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!

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Keywords: Greek meat pie, kreatopita recipe, Greek meat pie puff pastry

The post Greek Meat Pie (Kreatopita) appeared first on My Greek Dish.

So try it out and be amazed by the freshness of all the ingredients adding a Mediterranean twist to your plate!

I must admit this Greek beef biftekia with lemon potatoes recipe is one of my top 5 favourite family meals. (I make it almost every week!) Everybody loves it and it’s really easy to make. And for those occasions that I want something extra in them, I stuff them with feta cheese like my greek burgers stuffed with feta cheese and burgers layered with feta cheese. And when in the mood for a burger, they go great with my delicious burger buns!

Tip: make 2-3 batches of the burgers so you can store them in the freezer wrapped in cling film or in airtight bags. When needed you can defrost them and have an effortless meal!

How to make traditional Greek Bifteki (baked beef patties)

1. Greeks enhance the flavor of their bifteki (burgers) with herbs, like oregano, spearmint and parsley, which give a unique taste.
2. The key, of course, is to get some good-quality minced meat. You can either go with beef or a combination of beef and pork or lamb (a little fat is necessary for extra flavour!)
3. Knead the mixture thoroughly until all the herbs and spices penetrate the meat. 
4. Using some grated ripe tomato and red wine vinegar will make the patties fluffier.
5. Sometimes bifteki can become a little bit heavy. To avoid this, a little trick is to sauté the onions and garlic before adding them in the ground meat mixture, so that the aromas are more gentle and discreet.

How to cook the potatoes

For this recipe you can use either potatoes, cut in wedges or baby potatoes. We make a quick marinade with olive oil, lemon juice, mild mustard, minced garlic, oregano, thyme and water and toss the potatoes to coat them. Then we bake the potatoes in the juices.

In Greece when preparing Greek Biftekia it is almost a rule to add the potatoes in the same pan with the patties, so that they get all the juices and aromas from the meat.

The main drawback is that the potatoes are not that crispy as when baked on their own. So it’s up to you to decide if you want to sacrifice a little crispiness for extra flavour.

Greek Bifteki (baked beef patties) with potatoes

(145 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 60 min
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 10 medium patties
• Category: Main
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Greek

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Description

Greek baked bifteki (beef patties) with lemon potatoes! A staple dish in every Greek household! Juicy, well seasoned minced beef, infused with the flavours of parsley, garlic, onions and oregano, paired with lemon roast potatoes.

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Ingredients

For the beef patties

• 1kg minced beef (35 ounces)
• 1 ripe tomato, grated
• 1 red onion, grated
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 4 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tsps salt
• 1.5 tsp freshly ground pepper

For the potatoes

• 1 kg potatoes, cut in wedges (or baby potatoes)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 50 ml olive oil
• 100 ml water
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme

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Instructions

1. To prepare this Greek beef bifteki (patties) recipe, add in a large bowl the minced beef along with the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly with your hands. If the mixture is too sticky add some more breadcrumbs (or some water if it is to dry), till the mix is solid. If you have the time, it is better to knead the mixture for about 10 minutes, until all the ingredients combine.
2. When done, put the mixture for the burgers (bifteki) in the fridge to rest for about 10 minutes.
3. Form the mixture in flat round burgers.
4. Preheat oven to 180* C (350* F).
5. If using large potatoes, cut the potatoes into wedges. In a large bowl add all the ingredients for the potatoes and whisk to combine. Add the potatoes and toss to coat.
6. Transfer the potatoes and the marinade to a 30×40 cm roasting pan. Spread them out in the pan and bake for 20 minutes.
7. Once the potatoes are partly cooked, place the patties over them. Bake covered with aluminum foil for 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes.
8. Enjoy!

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Keywords: greek burger, greek bifteki, bifteki, greek burger with lemon potatoes, bifteki with potatoes, burger with potatoes, greek burger with potatoes

The post Greek Bifteki (Baked beef patties) with lemon potatoes appeared first on My Greek Dish.

Over the years I’ve tried many homemade pizza dough recipes but none of them managed to give me that delicious soft crust and thin and crusty base. Most turned out to be either totally flat, tasting like cardboard or raise uncontrollably, becoming more of a bread than a pizza.

So after plenty of experimenting, I’ve put together this ultimate guide for the perfect easy pizza dough recipe with all my secret tips explained in detail. Try it and you will enjoy the best home made pizza ever!

What makes a good homemade pizza dough? Start with the flour!

There are a few tricks that I’ve found to making the perfect pizza dough. The first one is to match the flour strength to the texture you would like your pizza to have.

If you want a pizza that has an extra crispy base and strong texture use strong bread flour. The added protein in the that type of flour will firm up the dough and give your pizza that extra strength. On the other hand, you prefer your pizza to have a slightly softer edge, use plain flour, which has less gluten and will make the dough more tender.

Secondly, the best ingredient to use for pizza dough is the right type flour. What I’ve seen from my trips to Italy is that traditional pizzerias always use finely milled flour.

Their pizza flour, also known as 00-tipo, has a powder like consistency that sits somewhere in between a finely ground semolina and icing sugar. This traditional Italian Pizza flour is both soft in texture and with high protein and gives the dough that distinctive Italian texture. You can get a large bag from your local Italian deli, supermarket or just have it delivered from Amazon.

My personal favourite is a the Caputo 00 Tipo red flour, and with amazon free shipping on a large 25kg bag, I couldn’t be happier!

If you want your dough to be slightly softer, I would strongly recommend the Caputo 00 Tipo Blue flour, which has slightly lower protein content and more elastic gluten.

If you don’t have any at hand, don’t worry. Substitute it with plain bread flour and take it through a sieve to aerate it. It may take a little longer to knead and prove but it will work just fine if you’re in a pinch.

Semolina – the miracle ingredient for the perfect dough recipe!

Finely ground semolina is arguably the biggest secret ingredient when making homemade pizza dough. What is semolina? It is made from durum wheat, the same type of wheat used to make pasta.

Semolina is high in protein and has a much tougher texture than flour, feeling almost gritty to the touch. When you use it in a pizza dough, adds a wonderful chew to the crust as well as extra flavour.

Also I love spreading out semolina to my kitchen counter when stretching the finished dough ball. This gives my homemade pizza dough that little extra crisp on the base and edges that my kids love.

Should you use Olive Oil in your easy pizza dough?

One of the most debated topics for pizza aficionados is whether to use olive oil in the dough or not.

Traditionally in Italy you will almost never find pizza dough with olive oil added to it. But what most hardcore no olive oil fans won’t tell you is that a traditionally made pizza is baked in a wood fired oven at over 370C/700F and that the dough is left to prove overnight.

But unless you have a pizza oven at home you will need olive oil in your dough. That is because your pizza dough will need some help to compensate for the lower cooking temperatures. That is where the olive oil comes into play. Olive oil will prevent your sauce from sagging your pizza dough, making it crispier and easier to bake at the conventional oven temperatures.

How to make pizza dough at home the easy way. Hint: use your bread maker or stand mixer.

The biggest timesaver when making an easy pizza dough is to use a bread maker or a stand mixer. Most bread makers are also excellent pizza dough makers as they have a big enough bowl to hold enough dough for 3-4 people, do all the kneading for you, but also control the proofing time and proofing environment.

All you have to do is throw the recipe ingredients in the bread machine, set it to the pizza dough setting and let it finish its cycle. After about 45 minutes to an hour your dough will be ready to use and you will have literally put no effort in making it. This is literally the easiest pizza dough you can ever make!

A great alternative to a bread maker for an easy pizza dough, is to use a stand mixer. It will do all the stretching and kneading for you taking away the strain from preparing a strong dough. It will also save you time and energy in the process. You only need to keep an eye on it for the dough to proof. In my pizza dough recipe below I’ve given you steps for both a bread maker and a stand mixer.

How to cook pizza in an oven?

The last part to making the perfect pizza dough is cooking it. Unless you have a wood fired oven, there are two tricks to make the perfect pizza at home.

Firstly, turn your oven on its maximum temperature a good 30 minutes in advance of you cooking your pizza. I turn my oven on right before I let my pizza dough prove. This will let your oven soak the heat in and raise its temperature as high as possible.

Secondly invest in a pizza stone or a pizza crisper tray. If you use a pizza stone place it in the oven from the moment you turn it on. This will allow your stone to soak the heat in and assist in your pizza cooking evenly underneath.

If you use a pizza crisper tray then keep it outside the oven and use it to assemble your pizza on. You will recognise the pizza crisper tray from its round shape, metal construction and holes on the underside. These holes are what make all the difference, as they let air and heat circulate underneath your pizza base, cooking it to perfection.

Can pizza dough be frozen?

Pizza dough is very versatile and can be easily frozen. There are three things that you need to do to freeze your pizza dough successfully while saving time when it comes to using it again.

The first one is to let it fully rise before freezing it. Freezing your pizza dough does not kill off the yeast so you could freeze it before it had a chance to rise. But it is a great timesaver to freeze it after it has risen. Remember, it will take time to defrost the dough and the least you want is to wait even longer for the yeast to warm up and start acting again!

The second trick is to divide the dough into portions, flatten them out and use a ziplock bag to store them in. If you leave your pizza dough in a big ball it will take a lot longer to defrost so planning a little bit ahead will save you time when you come to use it.

To defrost your pizza dough just take it out from the freezer and leave it in the zip lock bag on the counter for about 1 to 2 hours till it is fully thawed and starts expanding.

I hope you find as much pleasure in preparing my pizza dough as I have! Let me know in the comments below what you thought of it!

Looking for some topping inspiration? Take a look at my feta cheese pizza recipe! Pizza lover? Then don’t forget to take a look at this delicious boat shaped pizza brought by the Greeks who lived by the Black Sea almost 100 years ago!

Easy Homemade Pizza Dough for Beginners

(752 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)
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• Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
• Prep Time: 55 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 75 minutes
• Yield: 2 pizzas
• Category: Mains
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Italian

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Description

A super easy pizza dough recipe that rivals even the best Italian restaurants! After plenty of experimenting I have put together this super simple pizza dough recipe for you to enjoy.

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Ingredients

• 3 tsp yeast
• 330g lukewarm water (10.5 oz)
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 2.5 tsp table salt
• 450g strong bread flour or 00-tipo pizza flour (14 oz)
• 50g fine semolina (3.5 oz)

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to its maximum temperature or 260C/500F on the fan setting.  Place your pizza stone in the oven, if you have one.
2. In a bowl mix the lukewarm water and the sugar using a fork or a whisk. Add the yeast and stir till its fully dissolved. Let it rest for about 10 minutes or until it just starts to froth.
3. In your bread maker bowl or your stand mixer bowl add the flour, the semolina and the salt. Stir with a fresh spoon till the ingredients are combined.
4. Add the olive oil and the yeast, water and sugar mixture in the mixer bowl or bread maker bowl.
5. If you are using a bread maker, set it to the pizza programme. It should last for 45 minutes and have kneaded the dough twice and prooved it. The pizza dough should be ready to use once the programme is done.
6. If you are using a stand mixer, install your dough hook and turn it on at slow speed till the ingredients combine. Then turn up the speed to about a third and let it knead the dough for 5 minutes. If the dough is too firm add two tablespoons of water. Continue kneading for another 10 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky and have separated from the bowl.
7. Remove the dough from the hook and let it proof in the stand mixer for 15 minutes.
8. Reinstall the hook and knead it for a further 10 minutes on 1/3 speed. Once done remove the dough from the hook, shape it in large ball and cover it with a splash of olive oil. Place it back in the bowl and cover it with cling film. Let the dough proove for another 20 minutes. The dough should have proved by about 1/3 of its size.
9. Remove the dough from the bowl or your bread maker.
10. Shape it into two round balls with the palm of your hands. Sprinkle some semolina on your kitchen counter and push the dough in the centre with your palm. Spread it out using your palm, lifting the dough from the counter and flipping it over every other time. Take care to leave a thicker crust on the outside of your pizza to get that wonderfully raised crust when baking.
11. If you are using a pizza crisper tray place the dough on it and season with your favourite tomato sauce and toppings. If you’re using a pizza stone place the dough on some parchment paper and season with your sauce and toppings. Take the pizza stone out from the oven and put the edge of your pizza on it, gently unrolling the parchment paper underneath till its fully on the stone.
12. Place in the oven and let it cook for approximately 20 minutes or till the edges have browned.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/2 pizza
• Calories: 448 kcal
• Sugar: 1.5g
• Sodium: 935.6mg
• Fat: 9.6g
• Saturated Fat: 1.4g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7.5g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 77.9g
• Fiber: 3.6g
• Protein: 11.8g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: Italian pizza, pizza dough, homemade pizza dough, easy pizza dough

The post Easy Homemade Pizza Dough for Beginners appeared first on My Greek Dish.