Kitchen Project #180: Semolina Flatbreads with Fried Courgettes
aka 'Alla Scapece'. A 'HOW I COOK' book special with Ben Lippett
Hello,
Welcome to today’s edition of Kitchen Projects. Thank you so much for being here.
Today, it’s all about CHEFS vs BAKERS, a book special featuring none other than Ben Lippett and his excellent debut ‘How I Cook: A Chef’s Guide to Really Good Home Cooking’. I also get to share, along with a mini KP on the topic of flatbreads, an extract from his book: Semolina Flatbreads with Courgettes alla Scapece.
For KP+, you’ll get another taste of Ben’s cooking featuring ‘Baked’ Eggs, Two Ways from How I Cook, perfect for pairing with your newly earned flatbread knowledge. Click here for the recipe.
What’s KP+? Well, it’s the level-up version of this newsletter. By joining KP+, you will support the writing and research that goes into the newsletter (including the commissioning - and fair payment - of all the writers), join a growing community, access extra content (inc. the entire archive) and more. Subscribing is easy and only costs £6 per month or £50 for the whole year. Why not give it a go? Come and join the gang!
Love,
Nicola
A Baker and A Chef walk into a Kitchen…
Are you a baker or a cook? Up at dawn with the croissants or cleaning down past midnight after last orders?
Cooking and baking can sometimes feel at odds with each other. In kitchens, pastry chefs vs. cuisine chefs is not exactly a rivalry… but the differences were always there. As a pastry chef, we’d always joke (were we joking though?) that we could all fill in for the savoury side of things if someone didn’t show up, but we’d never let a line cook on our section.
Outside of professional kitchens, I often have conversations with people who love cooking but swear they can’t bake, or vice versa. Where does this vast gulf come from? To some, baking appears rigid, exacting, unforgiving, while cooking is seen as loose, instinctive, endlessly fixable. I’ve heard before that cooking is an art and baking is a science. This has always felt a bit too strict for me.
Us pastry chefs, we’re fun too, ok? Look at all our various tools and moulds and teeny tiny scales. We, too, know how to let loose and party! And it’s savoury chefs that use tweezers all the time, not us! So, when I opened up Chef & Writer Ben Lippett’sbook ‘How I Cool: A Chefs Guide to Really Good Home Cooking’, which is out on Tuesday, I started scanning for all the things that connect him, a savoury chef (who DOES bake, but we’ll get onto that) and me, a ‘don’t make me light the bbq’ pastry chef. Turns out, there’s a LOT we agree on.
In the intro of SIFT, my deeply-rooted-in-the-world-of-baking (and since you’re reading this newsletter, I imagine you’re over here with me) debut book, I wrote that the most important lesson I ever learned was to ask why. Why did this dough behave on a cold day but collapse on a hot one? Why does butter behave one way at 15°C and another at 25°C? I suggest that, actually, baking isn’t that much to do with “natural talent” but about repetition and curiosity.
Ben Lippett’s debut How I Cook arrives at the same truth from the other side of the pass. His years in restaurant kitchens taught him that instinct comes from sheer volume: filleting fish, cooking steaks, dressing salads, night after night. In his book, he tries to bottle that “magical-but-not-magic” essence for home cooks, translating thousands of reps into delicious recipes aimed at building your confidence and instinct as you go. See, us cooks and bakers aren’t so different after all?
We sat down to discuss books, baguettes and how to distill years of brute force cooking experience into recipes for home cooks. Or, in the words of Ben, what makes a recipe ‘worth the squeeze.’
The Beginning
Like a lot of us in this peculiar industry, Ben Lippett did not plan to be a chef. During his year abroad studying American Studies, he found himself in New York, cooking tacos and Central American cuisine in a cocktail bar. It wasn’t glamorous - it never is! - but his fate was sealed – he was, in his own words, ‘obsessed’. What was so captivating, I ask? “You get to go on this little journey every time you cook,” he explains, remembering that “It all started with bread. You begin with a handful of ingredients, and an hour later, you’ve got something completely different. That closed loop is addictive.”
After returning to the UK and finishing his degree, Ben threw himself full-time into cooking. From stints in Brighton cafés to his years on the pans in Melbourne (“one of the best food cities in the world, for my money”), and finally back here to London kitchens. What sticks with him most from those years is the atmosphere. “The low hum of pressure,” he says. “From the moment you step through the door, there’s an energy that is so thick in the air you just don’t get in an office. For some people, it makes them feel sick. For others, it’s what drives you through the day.”
Working his way through kitchens and building up his skill set, Ben always favoured smaller restaurants where he could “touch more” and learn faster, rather than being siloed on one station. It was an intense education in repetition and consistency, and often, instant feedback from diners watching in open kitchens. After segueing into recipe development (he’s a legendary presence at cooking platform Mob!), building an unbelievably successful and watchable online presence of 600K+ followers, and launching his newsletter, it was time for him to distill all of these lessons into a book, ‘How I Cook’ was born. Divided into key sections, like Eggs (the ultimate coliseum for any chef), Over Fire (bbq 101), Flour & Water (all the breads), From The Pan (ft. Cheeseburgers to perfectly cooked steaks) and Sweet Things (OBVIOUSLY), it is also packed with technical information.
The book is front-loaded with Ben’s kitchen commandments, essential ingredient know-how and how to understand (thus create) flavour. It is, in many ways, the savoury sister of SIFT, a book that means to give you all the tools AND show you how to use them.
The recipes, styled by Ben and Rosie Mackean and shot by Sam A Harris (whose work you may recognise from SIFT), are page-turningly gorgeous, finding that sweet spot between aspirational and achievable; Pecorino Pain Perdu, Beer Battered Fritto Misto, Dry-Brined Chicken Legs with Sweet & Sour Peppers, Ricotta Dumplings in Cheese & Tomato Broth and Bruleed Rice Pudding with Poached Cherries, these are recipes that make you want to run into the kitchen and just start cooking.
Repetition is everything. Repetition is everything. Repetition is…
Where Ben and I really align, baker to chef, is that overlooked value of repetition. “If I cooked a fish at work, I’d do it thirty times in a night,” he explains. “At home, you do it once.” I couldn’t agree more - spending 50 hours a week shaping croissants, dividing dough and perfecting pastries means that my technique might look ‘effortless’ or easy, but it’s just muscle memory at work. We’re both aware that this can lead to a lot of frustration for home cooks. So what to do? “You can’t recreate brute-force repetition in a domestic kitchen. But what you can do - and what I’ve tried to do in the book - is distill all those repetitions into instructions and images, so readers get there quicker.”
One of Ben’s guiding mantras helps him decide whether a recipe earns its keep. “I’d ask myself: is the juice worth the squeeze? Is it worth it for the reader?” Some recipes didn’t make the cut because they asked too much for too little payoff. Others survived precisely because they challenged the cook. And this is how we landed on baguettes.
The Deal with Baguettes
As you may know from reading this newsletter, I’m very ‘pro’ making anything yourself at home. There is, however, one exception that I am steadfast on: Baguettes. Of all the breads and pastries, in all the land, it’s pretty much the only thing I won’t attempt or recommend EVER bothering to make at home. So what’s a chef doing including a recipe in his book?!
“Sure, it’s hard,” Ben agrees. “But the point isn’t just the bread… it’s what you learn along the way. Fermentation, shaping, steam. You're as much making it to eat a baguette as you are to be a better cook, you know?”
I admit I see his point and, sheepishly, acknowledge that I do have a recipe for making croissants at home in my own book. “That’s psycho behaviour” Ben laughs. Rude!
BUT… it does remind us that trying something yourself at home isn’t about perfection. It’s about appreciating the craft and technique that goes into the dishes that we love so much, even if you end up with a wonky baguette or flat croissant. It’s all about the process, not the final product - worth of your time and something to be proud of!
So, while you’ll have to order Ben’s book to get his baguette recipe (and I promise that you’ll never get one from me), I’m very excited to share another delicious recipe from the Flour & Water chapter of ‘How I Cook’ with you today.
Bread (but you never have to turn on the oven.)
When I sat down and flicked through How I Cook, I was lucky enough to have my pick of the recipes to share with you today. And I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying and tasty recipe than Ben’s Semolina Flatbreads with Courgettes cooked alla scapece.
Flatbreads are one of the oldest forms of bread, made in every corner of the world: naan in South Asia, tortillas in Mexico, pita in the Middle East. Breads made from Semolina, the high-gluten, golden grain milled from hard durum wheat, are particularly common across North Africa. Morocco’s harcha are griddled discs with a sandy, tender crumb, while in Tunisia and Algeria, semolina doughs are stretched thin, oiled, and cooked on hot plates.
Ben’s version nods to those traditions but keeps things simple: A pliable dough enriched with olive oil, rolled out and fried until crisp and golden. The semolina gives the dough a chewy texture, and when rolled out in more semolina, it yields a gorgeous, crisp outer crust when fried. If you can’t get hold of semolina, Ben suggests using all bread flour for the recipe and substituting cornmeal for frying. I tried this and can confirm it is a great idea.
The beauty of flatbreads lies in their adaptability: you can use them to mop up sauces, fold them around grilled vegetables, or sprinkle them with flaky salt and eat them hot from the pan. In How I Cook, Ben pairs the ricotta and courgettes cooked alla scapece - vegetables fried and then dressed in vinegar, garlic, and mint, a southern Italian technique that adds sharpness and depth. Though courgettes are the classic, Ben explains that you can apply the method to other ingredients: “Gather anything that can be fried and will hold its shape, and then soak up that gorgeous marinade. Pumpkin, for example, might not be the best as it becomes very mushy and tender when cooked. I'd suggest aubergines or peppers as good subs. Winter veg won't fare quite as well!”
Another good thing you could serve these flatbreads with are Ben’s “‘Baked’ Eggs, Two Ways” which you can get on KP+ now! Featuring a Tumeric Coconut Curry, as well as a Merguez Ragu and Pickled Peppers.
A mini Kitchen Project
In Ben’s flatbread recipe, he mixes, proofs and shapes the dough, then tells you, ‘chuck them in the fridge for a day or two.’ My KP spidey senses immediately tingled. I texted Ben to check if this dough was suitable for a same-day final proof and cook (it is!), so I divided the dough and cooked a few on the same day as mixing, then cold proofed the others for 24 hours, then 48 hours respectively:
Fortunately, all of these were delicious (especially eaten hot and immediately out the pan). Over time, the dough flavour becomes a bit more complex and develops a chewier texture as the gluten matures - this is why cold fermentation is a great example of how doing ‘nothing’ can sometimes be the best thing for the character of your dough. That said, I know that time is not always on our side. The cold fermentation had no real bearing on how easy the dough was to work with or how it cooked, so let this be permission for you to make this flatbread dough work around your schedule.
If you want to cook these up for today’s lunch or even breakfast, divide your dough and let it double again, about 45 minutes to 1 hour before rolling out to the thickness of a pound coin, and follow the cooking instructions in the recipe.
What about the oven?
I had a few extra dough balls and couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if this dough were cooked in the oven, like Ben’s pitta recipe (which uses all-wheat flour and is less hydrated than the semolina flatbreads) on page 156, rather than fried. I followed his pitta instructions, heating the oven to max with a tray inside, then threw in the semolina flatbread dough. Rather than bubbling, as they do when fried, the dough puffed into a giant balloon.
How intriguing: when surrounded by hot air instead of a direct heat source, the dough behaves like pitta, sealing quickly on the outside so that the steam pushes outwards in one dramatic pocket. On the frying pan, direct heat encourages blistering and bubbles to form across the surface. Same dough, two completely different outcomes. A Ben Lippett / How I Cook sponsored choose your own adventure, if I ever did see one.
Ok, let’s make Ben’s recipe! This has been extracted from his excellent debut, ‘How I Cook’, which is out on Tuesday. Make sure to get your copy for a lifetime of cooking ideas and techniques that you’ll return to again and again. Click here to get a copy.
RECIPE: Semolina Flatbreads with Scapece
Recipe extracted from How I Cook: A Chef’s Guide to Really Good Home Cooking by Ben Lippett, publishing 2nd September (HarperNonFiction, £26). Photography by Sam A Harris.
Makes 6 large flat breads
It’s good to have a flatbread recipe in the locker. These are similar in construction to the pitta breads on page 156, but have a slightly higher hydration and are gently fried in olive oil. The resulting bread is super soft, pillowy and has a lovely chewy, crunchy texture thanks to the semolina. It’s a really versatile flatbread and can be topped or served with a whole host of different garnishes.
FOR THE SEMOLINA FLATBREADS
320g water
7g instant dried yeast
8g caster sugar
400g strong white bread flour
100g semolina, plus extra for dusting
10g fine sea salt
olive oil
FOR THE SCAPECE
2–3 courgettes
½ garlic clove
15g mint
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
250g ricotta cheese
extra virgin olive oil
flaky sea salt
black pepper
Method
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast and sugar and stir to combine. Tip in the flour, semolina and salt and use your hand to mix the ingredients together, making sure all the flour is hydrated and there are no dry spots remaining.
Once you’ve formed a shaggy dough, turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 8–10 minutes. As you work the dough, notice the texture change from shaggy, to smooth but rocky, to smooth and springy. You can also achieve this in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
Rest the dough for 5 minutes then briefly knead it again for 2 minutes before shaping it into a ball and placing 3 in a clean bowl. Cover and proof at room temperature until roughly doubled in size – this will take 45 minutes–1 hour, depending on the temperature of your room.
Once proofed, knock the air out of the dough and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Form the dough into little balls [Editors Note: You can make these smaller if you like depending on your plan to serve them!] and place onto a tray dusted with semolina. Cover loosely with an oiled piece of cling film, then chuck them in the fridge and forget about them for a day or two. [Editors Note: You can make these same day, just let them proof at room temp til doubled before proceeding]
While the bread proofs, make the scapece. Use a sharp knife or mandoline to cut the courgettes into 5mm-thick coins. Preheat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a generous layer of olive oil. Once hot, working in batches, drop a handful of sliced courgettes in and swirl them around in the hot oil. Cook for 3–4 minutes, or until they’re tender, starting to brown and look a little shrivelled. Pull from the hot oil and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining courgettes.
Finely grate the garlic clove, pick the mint leaves from the stems and finely chop. Add to a medium mixing bowl along with a splash of olive oil and the vinegar. Tip in the fried courgettes and toss with the marinade. Season generously with salt and plenty of black pepper. Set aside.
When you’re ready for a flatbread, preheat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add a glug of oil, pull out a dough ball and stretch it out in plenty more semolina [Editor’s note: About the thickness of a pound coin].
Once the oil is shimmering, drop the heat to medium-low and carefully lower in the bread, laying it away from you. It should sizzle as it hits the oil. Cook for 2 minutes, shaking the pan to move the bread around for even colouration, before flipping it and cooking for another 2 minutes.
Remove and transfer to a rack to cool a little. Cook as many breads as you like. Tip the ricotta out onto a plate and dress with the fried, marinated courgettes. Serve with the flatbreads.
SHOOT FROM THE HIP: These breads work well with so many different toppings, dips and sides. Try fresh burrata, torn black olives and basil, roasted peaches, sherry vinegar and pancetta, or use them to wrap up a few Pomegranate Lamb Ribs (page 242).
NOTES: You can leave the dough balls in the fridge for up to 3 days. They’ll become funkier and more complex as they ferment, and even when a little over-proofed, they are still delicious when freshly cooked. Whip up a batch and make them through the week.
‘How I Cook: A Chef’s Guide to Really Good Home Cooking’ by Ben Lippett is out on Tuesday 2nd September. Get a copy here!
Ah damn you! I told myself so convincingly yesterday that I really don’t need any more cookbooks. And today I’m purchasing another one! Oh well.
I love the pitta v flatbread experiment!