Soda Bread Pizza with Blue Cheese, Squash & Caramelised Onion
My Nannie often used to make a pizza like this for us, though she called it a ‘scone pizza’ rather than a ‘soda bread pizza’. She always put tomato sauce, grated cheddar and sometimes pineapple and ham on top. And, let me tell you, it was delicious! This was Northern Ireland in the 1980s - we weren’t overrun with pizza places and Villa Italia in Belfast was the height of sophistication. Not everyone knew how to make a 48 hour fermented sourdough pizza base or had their own pizza oven in their back garden. Simpler times! But I think this is still a really great alternative to make pizza when you are a bit more pressed for time or energy. And a great recipe to make with or for kids.
It comes together in about 15 minutes if you have the toppings prepared and then bakes for 30-35 minutes. My autumnal topping suggestion here is caramelised onions, roasted squash (or pumpkin), Stilton-style blue cheese and sage - but this is a great way to use up all sorts of fridge leftovers such as roasted veg, boiled potatoes, odds and ends of cheese.
I suggest using good quality flour (you can replace up to have the plain with wholemeal and still get a great result and more nutrients) as it such a big component in the dish. And if you are doing this version with blue cheese then do seek out the excellent Young Buck made by Mike Thompson in Northern Ireland.
I made this on Ireland AM recently - hence the photos below - and it was a big hit with the presenters and crew.
Makes 1 pizza to serve 4 people
For the base:
2 tablespoons olive oil
500g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
400ml buttermilk
20 sage leaves (10 finely chopped and 10 reserved for the top)
For the topping:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
100g grated cheddar or mozzarella
150g stilton-style blue cheese (I use Young Buck)
300g roasted pumpkin or butternut squash in slices or small chunks
Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Line a deep 30x20cm baking tray with baking parchment and drizzle over two tablespoons of olive oil.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small saucepan or frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced red onion with a generous pinch of salt and cook, uncovered and stirring frequently for 20 minutes until soft and starting to colour, add the brown sugar, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes until caramelized. Set aside to cool until ready to use on the pizza.
Sieve the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl add the salt and whisk to combine. Stir in the chopped sage. Make a well in the centre and pour in most of the buttermilk. Using a wooden spoon or your hands quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a firm but slightly sticky dough, if it is dry and floury add the remaining buttermilk.
Put the dough into the prepared baking tray. With clean and slightly damp hands gently press the dough out until it completely covers the baking tray in an even layer. Working quickly sprinkle over the grated cheddar and caramelised onion, then arrange the roasted squash or pumpkin on top and sprinkle over the blue cheese. Finally arrange the whole sage leaves on top and drizzle over the remaining olive oil using your finders or a pastry brush to spread it over the sage leaves particularly to stop them burning. Put the pizza in the oven immediately.
Bake for 15 minutes at 200°C and then turn down to 180°C and bake for another 20 minutes until golden. Serve with a crisp green salad.