Poppy Stars
Preheat your oven to 250°C for the following recipes. Mix the two flours together and rub in the yeast, using your fingertips as if making a crumble. Add the salt and water, then continue working the dough, check your recipe to see if you need to add any other ingredients at this stage.
Using the rounded end of your scraper, turn out the dough. With the flat edge, divide it into 12 pieces (about 70g each) and roll them into balls, cover with a tea towel and rest for 5 minutes.
Scatter the poppy seeds onto a plate and fill a shallow bowl with water.
Flatten one of the rolls with the palm of your hand, dip the top into the water, then immediately into the seeds and press them in with your hand.
Place on your lightly floured surface, seed-side up, and then flatten a little with your hand. Using the short end of a clean credit card, make a diagonal cut across the centre of the dough – the cut shouldn’t reach the edges of the roll, but should go all the way through it to hit the work surface.
Then make two other diagonal cuts that intersect the first one equally, so that the three cuts form a star shape.
Carefully push the roll from underneath with your fingertips and turn it inside out so that the points of the star push upwards and outwards, resulting in the points being on the outside.
Place the stars on a baking tray, seed-side up, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for about 45 minutes until the stars have nearly doubled in volume.
Put them in a preheated oven, mist the inside with a water spray, and bake them for 10-12 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Winter Pizza
For the white dough:
Rub the yeast into the flour (or mix in the dried yeast if using). Stir in the salt and add all the water. Using your scraper mix well for a few minutes until the dough starts to form. Transfer the dough onto your working surface – do not flour the work surface or add more flour to the dough.
Continue to mix the ingredients by stretching out the dough and folding it over onto itself. Keep working the dough until it comes cleanly away from the work surface and is not sticky.
Form the dough into a ball, lightly flour the top and take for a final brief “walk” so that some of the flour transfers to the bottom. Lift the dough into a lightly floured mixing bowl and cover with a baking cloth. Rest for at least 20 minutes in a draught free place (a kitchen cupboard will do).
To top:
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan / 210°C static.
In a bowl, mix together the crème fraiche and the egg yolks, season and add some fresh ground nutmeg.
Top your flat bread dough with the crème fraiche mix and then dot over the onion, potato and lardons if using. Arrange the slices of cheese on top.
Bake until crispy.
