Two recipes worth keeping close — a weeknight pizza dough and the iconic street bagel of Kraków. Both are yeasted, both are simple, and both reward a little patience at the proofing stage.

---

🍕 Pizza Dough

A simple, reliable dough for a thin-crust pizza with slightly puffed edges. The low-gluten flour keeps the base tender rather than chewy.

---

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
15 g	Dry yeast
¾ cup	Milk
1½ cups	Low-gluten flour
2 tbsp	Olive oil
1 tsp	Salt
1 tsp	Sugar
to taste	Oregano, basil

---

Method

1 — Mix the dry ingredients Put the flour in a bowl. Add salt and a pinch of dried oregano and basil. Mix to combine.

2 — Activate the yeast Gently warm the milk until just tepid. Stir in the sugar and dry yeast; leave for 10 minutes until the mixture turns frothy.

3 — Bring the dough together Pour the yeast mixture into the flour bowl and begin kneading, adding the olive oil gradually as you work.

4 — Knead until smooth Continue until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to a lightly floured board and roll out to a fairly thin disc — leave the edges slightly thicker so they puff up in the oven.

5 — Top and bake Spread tomato sauce over the base, scatter cheese across the sauce, then add toppings on top of the cheese. Bake in an oven preheated to 220 °C (430 °F) for 10–15 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.

💡 Tip: Keep a close eye in the final minutes — the difference between perfectly charred edges and a burnt crust is only 60–90 seconds.

---

🥯 Kraków Obwarzanki (Bagels)

“Obwarzanek must be pre-cooked or parboiled, hence the name. But it is an exceptionally perishable pastry because it tastes best when purchased the same day. We bake the most of them in spring and autumn seasons, when daily we are able to make even 10 thousand!”

— A Kraków baker

The obwarzanek krakowski is a protected regional product and a street-food icon of Kraków. Its defining feature is the parboiling step — a brief dip in sweetened boiling water before baking — which gives it that characteristic chewy, glossy crust.

---

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
10 g	Fresh yeast
2 tsp	Sugar (for the dough)
1 glass	Milk
50 g	Flour
2	Eggs
1 tsp	Salt
3 tsp	Butter
2 tsp	Sugar (for the boiling water)

---

Method

1 — Activate the yeast Mix yeast with a small splash of the milk and a pinch of sugar. Set aside until frothy.

2 — Beat the eggs Whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar and a pinch of salt.

3 — Knead the dough Combine flour with the yeast mixture and the rest of the milk; knead thoroughly. Towards the end, add the melted and cooled butter and continue kneading until smooth. Cover and leave to rise.

4 — Shape Divide into pieces. Roll each into a long sausage and form a ring, pressing the ends together firmly. Leave the shaped rings to rise again.

5 — Parboil Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 2 tsp of sugar dissolved in it. Drop in the risen rings — they will sink first, then float after ~3 minutes. Remove when they float.

6 — Bake Place on a baking sheet greased with butter. Bake at 180 °C for ~30 minutes until golden brown.

⚠️ Note: The double rise (before and after shaping) and the parboiling step are both non-negotiable. They are what distinguish an obwarzanek from an ordinary bread roll.

---

🐟 Aussie Pacific Cod Stew

A bright, quick Pacific cod stew with cherry tomatoes, olives, grapefruit, and herbs. It comes together in one pan and keeps the fish tender while the sauce reduces around it.

---

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
4 portions	Pacific cod
2 tsp	Extra virgin olive oil
to taste	Salt or Vegeta
to taste	Cracked black pepper
2 large cloves	Garlic, minced
1	Onion, finely sliced
1 cup	Cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup	White wine, or 2 tbsp apple vinegar
1	Grapefruit, juiced
1/3 cup	Pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp	Fresh parsley and coriander

---

Method

1 — Sear the fish Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Season the cod with salt or Vegeta and cracked black pepper, then sear until golden, about 3 minutes. Carefully turn the pieces over and reduce the heat to medium-low.

2 — Build the base Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3 — Simmer the stew Add the cherry tomatoes, white wine or apple vinegar, grapefruit juice, and olives. Simmer gently until the cod is cooked through and the sauce has reduced slightly. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

4 — Finish and serve Spoon the sauce over the cod and serve immediately, scattered with the parsley and/or coriander.