Author: Stone Bake Oven

The Stone Bake Team were lucky enough to be invited down to BakeHouse 24 in Ringwood to enjoy a masterclass in bread making. As we are all huge foodies here at Stone Bake HQ, we jumped at the chance to spend an afternoon baking delicious sourdough breads, ciabattas and bagels. 

BakeHouse 24 was started up by ‘partners in life, business and crime’ Jo and Pete. They opened their doors on Saturday 19^th September 2015 after deciding to make the move down from London. Head baker, Pete, worked in a popular bakery in East London and wanted to bring back all his knowledge of bread to his hometown of Ringwood. They take pride in producing delicious baked goods and specialise in traditional sourdough methods to produce the finest breads, pastries and cakes using locally sourced and organic ingredients.

The day began at 11am- we were all ready and raring to go!  We firstly enjoyed a quick introduction from Pete and Jo discussing a bit about their business, however it wasn’t long before our aprons were on and we were mixing up our first batch of dough. We started with the 24sour dough, which is a staple at BakeHouse 24, then moved onto our ciabatta, bagel and baguette dough.

Before we knew it, lunchtime had arrived and Pete was showing us his favourite tomato pizza sauce which was tasty, super quick to whip up and involved no cooking! We were then each given a ball of sourdough and began stretching it out to make our pizza bases to top with the delicious tomato sauce. Our pizzas then went straight into their ovens and once cooked, we generously scattered them with fresh rocket, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and Parmesan.

Once we were all nice and full, we continued with our bread making by adding in the final ingredients and gently kneading them. We then transferred them to a proofing basket, shaped each loaf and finally placed them onto baking trays to proof. Whilst our dough was proofing the team stopped for a quick coffee break, which was accompanied by a delicious BakeHouse24 sweet treat- a personal favourite of ours was the salted caramel tart!

The final part of the day was spent putting our loaves into the ovens. Whilst they were baking, we had the chance to ask Pete some questions about the business and why it’s so good to make your own bread (expect a future blog post on that Stone Bakers!). Within no time, the timers were ringing and out came our fresh, golden bakes. The smell was divine and once they’d cooled, we bundled up all of our delicious creations to take home- we even got to take some of Pete’s sourdough starter!

It’s safe to say we all had a brilliant time at BakeHouse 24- not only did we make bread we also learnt loads of excellent tips, tricks and baking techniques. Classes are available at £80 per head and places get snapped up very quickly, so make sure you keep an eye on their website for when they release more dates. Pete and Jo were so welcoming and made us feel at ease- we would certainly recommend the masterclass to anyone that’s interested in baking or if you just love eating bread!

Visit BakeHouse 24’s website here.

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media channels. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for all of our wood fired inspiration.

Visit our website for more information and technical advice on our residential ovens. Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

Our wood fired green tea and raspberry load is the ideal after dinner treat to cook in the leftover residual heat. The matcha green tea powder gives the loaf a lovely aromatic flavour and the raspberries add a delicious sweetness.

You’ll Need

• 200g plain flour
• 5tbsp matcha green tea powder
• 2tsp baking powder
• 170g caster sugar
• 170g unsalted butter, softened
• 4 medium eggs, room temperature
• 60g fresh raspberries

Method
Fire up your wood fired oven to it’s optimum temperature and allow time for it to cool to 160-180°C. Whilst your oven is cooling, line a high heat, 2lb loaf tin with baking paper, leaving some extra overhanging all the edges to make the loaf easier to remove later. Pop to one side while you mix your ingredients.

Stir together the flour, matcha powder and baking powder in a large bowl. Next, add the sugar, butter and eggs and mix until smooth.

Finally, carefully fold in the raspberries, then pour the batter into the prepared tin.

Now you can put your loaf into your wood fired oven, place the door in place and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  Once cooked, remove from your oven and allow to cool before slicing. To serve, add a big dollop of crème fraîche. Now all that’s left is to enjoy!

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

If you are interested in our residential oven range, visit our Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages for prices, information and technical drawings. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

Welcome to our July’s edition of ‘what’s in season?’ Summer is now in full swing, which means your wood fired ovens are most likely being used on a regular basis. We want to inspire you into combining some delicious seasonal produce into your wood fired recipes. Don’t forget to let us know how you get on!

This month’s best
Cucumber

Curly Lettuce

Cherries

Fruit
Blueberries

Strawberries

Raspberries

Red Currant
Watermelon

Apricot

Peach

Veg
Carrots
Cos Lettuce

Peas

Celery

Iceberg Lettuce

Broad Beans

Spinach

Aubergine

Fennel

Courgette

Spring Onion

Watercress

Cabbage

Chillies

Herbs
Marjoram

Chives

Flat leaf Parsley

Mint

Sage

Dill

Chervil

Coriander

Turmeric

Lavender

Nutmeg

Oregano

Fish
Mackerel

Crab

Haddock

Coley

Pollack

Sea Bass

Salmon

Coley

Farmed Halibut

Turbot

Sea Trout

Lemon Sole

Monkfish

Meat
Lamb

English Veal

Please be sure to share your wood fired recipes and we will post them up as a guest recipe on our website! All you have to do is email over your photos and recipes to info@stoneovenco.co.uk, or just Facebook or Tweet us your photos.

If you think you might be interested in one of our residential ovens, visit our Primo, Mezzo and Vento pages for prices, information and technical drawings.  Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 0845 834 0252 if you have any further questions.

Don’t forget you can keep up-to-date with all the latest Stone Bake happenings over on our social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!

Mike and Pat Smith have been fantastic customers of ours for well over two years now; they are always sending us through fantastic oven pictures and delicious recipes that we can share with everyone. Here at Stone Bake HQ, we thought that it was finally time that their beautiful Mezzo oven took its rightful spot as our June Oven of the Month. We’ve always admired Mike and Pat’s brick outdoor kitchen. Not only is it wonderfully authentic but together they have created the perfect entertaining space. Thank you Mr and Mrs Smith!

Here’s what Mike and Pat had to say:

“Many thanks for your e-mail, picking our oven as “oven of the month”. 

Since having the oven it has changed the way we eat. Now throughout the spring, summer and autumn months we cook in the wood oven as often as we can, weather permitting. It has certainly taught me a lot about cooking. With the wood oven it’s not an exact science. You can’t set it at 220 degrees for an hour and then turn it down to 180 degrees for 10 minutes. It makes you much more aware of the different cooking stages and techniques, watching and testing on a regular basis.

We have now learnt how to adapt most recipes to work in the wood oven. The photos attached include many dishes cooked in the oven. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the oven.

There is nothing we love more at Stone Bake HQ than seeing our customers using and most importantly enjoying their ovens.

If you want to be in with a chance to win the title of Oven of the Month, simply send in your oven photographs and some feedback on your oven. Whether you are a new customer or purchased an oven from us a while ago, we want to hear from you. Send your photos to info@stoneovenco.co.uk – it’s as easy as that!

For more information on our residential oven range, check out the Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

For all the latest Stone Bake news & updates in the mean time be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest!

There is nothing more satisfying than creating something from scratch, especially a delicious batch of wood fired sourdough bread!

You’ll Need

• 1200g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1tsp fine salt
• 1tbsp honey
• 300g sourdough starter
• Oil, for greasing

Method
The first thing you need to do is to make the sourdough starter. In a large jar (a 1L Kilner jar is good) or plastic container, mix 100g of the flour with 125ml slightly warm water using a whisk until the batter is lump free and smooth. By using a whisk you will help incorporate some airborneyeast particles to get your starter going. Leave the lid of your jar or container slightly ajar for about an hour in a warm place, ideally around 25°C. Then seal the lid and set aside for 24 hours.

Your starter will need ‘feeding’ for the next six days. You will need to tip half of the original starter away, add an extra 100g flour and 125ml warm water and whisk well each time. Note, it is best to try and do this at the same time each day. After 3-4 days, bubbles should start appearing on the surface and it should smell yeasty and a little acidic. The time for fermentation to begin can vary between 1-5 days depending on the environment and temperature. Try to persevere for up to 6 days but if you don’t see any signs of life, or if it starts to smell unpleasant, you will need to throw it away and start again. On the 8^th day your starter should be quite bubbly and ready to bake with.

Now it is time to make your loaf. Tip 500g of the strong white flour, 225ml of warm water, salt, honey and 300g of your sourdough starter into a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until combined. If the mixture is too sticky, add a little extra flour and if the mixture is too dry, add a little extra warm water.

Once the ingredients are combined, tip onto a work surface and knead for approximately 10 minutes until soft and elastic. The dough is ready when it bounces back when gently pressed with a finger.

Next, place the dough in a well oiled, large bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Find a warm place and allow the dough to rise for about 3 hours. Note, sourdough takes much longer to rise than conventional yeasted bread.

After three hours, line a medium-sized bowl with a clean tea towel and flour it well. Tip your dough back on to a floured work surface and knead briefly to knock out any air bubbles. Roll the dough into a ball and place the dough into the medium-sized bowl with the seam facing up. Cover with some oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 6-8 hours, until doubled in size.

Now you can fire up your wood fired oven to it’s optimum temperature, allowing time for your oven to cool to 160-180°C. Next, fill a small roasting tin with a little water and place in your oven to create a small amount of steam.

Once you can see the steam building, you can place your loaf directly onto the cooking floor. Bake for around 35-45 minutes or until your sourdough is golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped. Leave to cool for twenty minutes.

Once cool, slice or tear your sourdough and serve with lashings of butter. Tasty!

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

If you are interested in our residential oven range, visit our Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages for prices, information and technical drawings. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

Stone Bake’s Wood Fired Wimbledon!

Today marks the first day of Wimbledon and we’re all big fans of the championship over here at Stone Bake HQ. There really is nothing more quintessentially British than watching Wimbledon and feasting on strawberries and cream. Put your wood fired oven to the test and create some tasty ‘strawberries and cream’ inspired desserts. We’ve given you some delicious recipe ideas below.

Strawberries and Cream Cake

You’ll Need

• 4 large eggs
• 225g butter, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 50ml double cream
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 1 punnet of strawberries, roughly chopped

Method
Firstly, fire up your wood fired oven up to it’s optimum temperature, then allow time to cool until your oven reaches around 160-180°C. Line and grease three high heat 6″ sandwich tins.

Beat the sugar and butter until smooth, then beat in the eggs one by one. Next add the flour and baking powder until thoroughly blended. Pour evenly into each sandwich tin.

Pop the tins in your wood fired oven for around 10 minutes until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Leave to cool and when ready turn out, leaving your cake tiers to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Whilst your cakes are cooling you can get on with your topping. Simply whip together the cream, icing sugar and 1/2tsp of the vanilla extract until your mixture forms stiff peaks.

Once your cakes have fully cooled, generously top each layer with cream along with your chopped strawberries. Assemble one layer on top of the other and dust with icing sugar. Voila!

 

Strawberry Muffins 

You’ll Need

• 230g fresh strawberries, chopped
• 100g caster sugar, plus 4tbsp extra
• 50g butter, softened
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 220g plain flour
• 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/4tsp ground nutmeg

Method
To start, combine the strawberries and sugar in a small bowl and set aside for 1 hour, this should create a sweet, strawberry juice. Drain the strawberries, reserving the liquid and storing separately. 

Now you can fire up your wood fired oven up to its optimum temperature, leaving to cool until your oven reaches 180-200°C.  Next, grease a 12 hole, high heat muffin tin with butter.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and the 4tbsp sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and nutmeg then stir into the creamed mixture along with the juice from the strawberries. Gently stir in the berries then divide the mixture equally between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 15 minutes in your wood fired oven, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. When fully baked, leave to cool but for 5 or so minutes, as these yummy muffins are best served warm with a dollop of mascarpone!

 

Strawberry Shortbread

 You’ll Need

• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 40g sugar
• 150g plain four, plus extra for dusting
• 300g strawberries, halved
• 6tbsp maple syrup
• ½ a vanilla pod
• 175ml double cream
• 4tbsp greek yogurt

Method
To begin, you will need to fire up your wood fired oven to reach it’s optimum temperature and allow to cool to 160-180°C. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth using an electric whisk. Next, work the flour to make a dry dough, adding a splash of milk, if the consistency seems too dry. Shape into a flat disc, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the strawberries into a pan with the maple syrup and 4tbsp water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the fruit and set aside. Increase the heat for 2-3 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Leave to cool.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 5mm thick. Using a 7cm cutter, cut out 12 rounds, re-rolling the scraps as needed. Cook, on a lined, high heat baking tray, for 8-10 minutes in your wood fired oven, until golden. Take out and leave your shortbread discs to cool.

In the meantime, whip together the cream and yogurt to soft peaks. To serve simply sandwich a spoonful of the cream, some strawberries and a drizzle of the syrup between two shortbread rounds. Delicious!

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

If you are interested in our residential oven range, visit our Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages for prices, information and technical drawings. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

This one pot wonder will definitely impress your guests this summer. The garlic, olives and tomatoes work well together to bring you those classic Italian flavours. 

You’ll Need

• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 600g potatoes, skin on, cut into 2cm slices
• 6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 200ml dry white wine
• 200ml fish stock
• 100g black olives, drained
• 1kg firm white fish
• A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method
Fire up your wood fired oven and allow to cool to a baking temperature of around 160-180°C. Put the butter in a large pan and place over the hob to cook the onion for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, potatoes and tomatoes and mix well.

On a high heat, add in the dry white wine and bubble rapidly until reduced by half. Pour in the fish stock, add the olives and combine well.

Now transfer the mixture into a large high heat roasting tin. Roast in your wood fired oven for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the tomatoes have softened.

Time to add the fish to the tin- nestle it amongst the potatoes and tomatoes. Spoon over some of the cooking juices and season to taste. Place it back into your wood fired oven and cook for a further 5-7 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

Sprinkle over plenty of parsley and serve with some fresh green veg and a batch of rustic Italian bread! Even better this recipe can be served straight from the cooking dish!

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

If you are interested in our residential oven range, visit our Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages for prices, information and technical drawings. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

This is our shortcrust pastry recipe and can be used for either sweet or savoury bakes so, you have the option to be really creative! This recipe makes roughly 300g of shortcrust pastry.

You’ll Need

• 100g unsalted butter
• 225g plain flour, plus extra for kneading
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3tbsp cold water

Method
To start, sift your flour into a large bowl to remove any lumps. Then, add in your butter and rub the flour and butter together with your fingertips. The mixture should resemble fine breadcrumbs.

Next, you need to stir in the salt and add 2-3tbsp of cold water and mix until you have a firm dough.

Stone Bake Tip: If your mixture is not holding together and is quite dry, add small amounts of water at a time until it comes together.

Once your dough is firm, knead the dough for around 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in your fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Finally, roll out your dough as required.

Stone Bake Tip: For most shortcrust pastry recipes, you will need a baking environment in your wood fired oven which is around 160-180°C.

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

If you are interested in our residential oven range, visit our Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages for prices, information and technical drawings. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.

Now the summer is officially here, we bet you can’t wait to get those wood fired ovens at the ready and start cooking some delicious pizzas.  We’ve chosen 3 of our favourite quick and easy summer pizzas to make and get those pizza parties started!

Firstly find our secret dough recipe here.

You fancy something: Fresh

Prosciutto Pizza with fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella

You’ll Need

• Prosciutto
• Basil
• Buffalo Mozzarella
• Oregano
• Chilli infused oil
• Seasoning
• Handful of rocket leaves

Firstly cover your pizza base with your sauce.  Next, tear up your basil and mozzarella, dotting it around your pizza evenly. If you like your pizza really cheesy, then a sprinkle of a grated cheese of your choice always goes down a treat. Finally add on your prosciutto, making sure you leave the fat on for great flavour and season with salt and pepper, oregano and a splash of chilli infused oil. Cook for 90 seconds and top with a handful of rocket to serve. Super fresh and super tasty.

 

You fancy something: Spicy

NDuja and Mascarpone pizza  

You’ll Need

• Buffalo Mozzarella
• ‘NDuja
• Mascarpone
• Handful of Spinach

After saucing your pizza base simply add your buffalo mozzarella, ‘nduja sausage and spinach. Next sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper and a little oregano then pop into your wood fired oven to bake.  Once your pizza is ready add a few dollops of mascarpone to serve. The perfect combination.

 

You fancy something: Healthy

Broccoli, pine nut and pesto pizza

You’ll Need

• Long Stem Broccoli (Part Boiled)
• Mushrooms
• Buffalo Mozzarella
• Pesto
• Pine Nuts, toasted for a few minutes

After saucing your pizza base dot around your buffalo mozzarella, mushrooms and part boiled long stem broccoli. To taste add salt and pepper, oregano and cook in your wood fired oven for 90 seconds. Once your pizza is cooked to perfection throw on a handful of toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of green pesto. Viola!

To discover more fantastic wood fired recipes check out our recipe section.

For more information about our wood fired oven range check out our products page.

Everyone loves pizza and our wood fired pizza rolls are no exception. The delicious combination of fresh basil, sundried tomatoes and lashings of homemade garlic butter make these hard to resist! We guarantee you won’t be able to just eat one! 

For the dough

• 250ml milk
• 10g instant yeast
• 1tsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• 500g white bread flour
• 11/2tsp salt
• 130g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 250g grated mozzarella cheese
• A large handful fresh basil
• Salt & pepper

For the garlic butter

• 100g butter
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

 

Method
Firstly, you will need to combine the milk, yeast and sugar in a mixer or large bowl. Add in the eggs, flour and salt and leave to mix for about 5 minutes.

Once your mixture has a dough-like consistency you can them turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead for 5-10 minutes until it is elastic in texture, then pop it into an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise for 2 hours.

Whilst your dough is proving you can pre-line a high heat ovenproof dish with baking paper. Once your dough has risen, roll it out onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle over the tomatoes, cheese and basil. Add some seasoning and roll up lengthwise.

With a sharp knife, slice the roll into rolls that are roughly 3cm wide and place them into your high heat dish and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.

Whilst you are waiting for the rolls to rise, you can get your oven fired up to it’s optimum temperature. Remember you will need to allow time for your oven to cool until it reaches around 180°-200°c.

Now you can place your rolls into your wood fired oven for 20-25 minutes.  Whilst your pizza rolls are cooking, you can get started on the garlic butter. In a pan melt the butter with the garlic and lemon juice. Once the rolls have turned golden brown in colour and have completely cooked through you can take them out and generously brush on your garlic butter.

Serve whilst still warm for delicious flavours!

Don’t forget you can catch up with all the latest Stone Bake news and updates on our social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest! 

If you are interested in our residential oven range, visit our Primo, Mezzo, Vento and Gusto pages for prices, information and technical drawings. Please don’t hesitate to contact the team on 01425 204985 should you have any further questions.