Pizza School at Craft & Dough

Part of Sheffield's well-respected The Milestone group, Craft & Dough has got tasty pizza nailed. Add to that an improving beer selection and a cracking brunch menu and you're onto a winner. There are three sites across the city, and we were invited along to the Ecclesall Road venue (sure to be massively popular with the incoming student population) for the launch of their Pizza School events.

On a balmy Wednesday evening we strolled down and were greeted with a welcome drink, both going for Abbeydale Brewery's Rango Mango, a refreshing mango Berliner Weisse. The event was held in the upstairs space, with 8 of us in attendance - the perfect number, we all agreed, to allow everyone to get fully stuck in and have a good chat with the chef as well as each other. Our tutor for the evening was Jack, who as well as being a top notch pizza master is also a passionate pastry chef, creating all manner of delicious desserts too (which we'll definitely be going back to sample!).

After a welcome nibble platter featuring an array of cured meats, fresh bread, and chargrilled artichokes, it was onto the work. After being supplied with a very fetching disposable apron each, we combined our flour, oil, water and yeast (all pre-measured separately for us) and got our hands sticky diving in to create the dough. As soon as the mixture was kneaded enough to form a rough ball, it was time to add the salt, followed by a further ten minutes of kneading, provoking a little competition within the group of who could get the springiest dough! It was then revealed that our dough needed 6 hours to rest, which meant we were able to take our homemade version back with us to use another time (ours is happily sat in the freezer ready for a nice night in!) to be replaced by some that Jack had prepared earlier - to the relief of some of the group! After stretching the dough out into something that vaguely resembled a circle, it was time to add the toppings.

We were definitely spoilt for choice - a problem Jim overcame by chucking a bit of everything on. Laura was a tad more selective, going for beef brisket, balsamic onion, and honey roast parsnips with rosemary. Each ingredient had clearly had time and care taken over preparing it, and all meats are sourced locally. As it was such a lovely evening, we were able to cook our pizzas on the terrace (in bad weather, the larger oven in the main kitchen would be used). The only downside to this was that the outdoor oven could only cook one pizza at a time, but with a small group we didn't see this as a major problem, particularly as we were all chatting away throughout, thanks to the relaxed atmosphere created to Jack and the team. And the pizzas were definitely worth the wait!

The Introduction to Pizza courses will be run monthly and cost £20 per person which includes all your ingredients, the tuition of one of Craft and Dough's friendly chefs, and a drink. A lot of fun, a good value event, and one we'd definitely recommend. Just dress prepared to get covered in flour...

Big thanks to Jack and the Craft & Dough team!

Cheers,

Jim and Laura

Craft & Dough

New to the growing restaurant scene developing in Kelham Island (arguably Sheffield's most up and coming area) is Craft & Dough, a pizzeria and bar which is part of The Milestone Group, who own a variety of artisanal eateries in the Sheffield region. We've been meaning to go down since the opening last month, and had heard tons of hype, so couldn't wait to try it out.

We popped in for lunch on a Friday, and were instantly struck by how busy it was, with a mixture of families, couples, and professionals all tucking in. The atmosphere is cafe-esque, with the smell of fresh coffee and bread filling the room, and quite open, minimalist decor. The smaller fixtures and fittings add interesting touches, including light fittings made from crystal decanters which hint at the level of finesse available on the drinks menu. The open kitchen adds sociability to the venue and it was great to be able to watch the chef creating our pizzas while we waited.

A great selection of drinks are available - most apparent are the beers, of which around 50 are available, but there also looked to be a good variety of gins and whiskies - the emphasis here on world whisky with Macallan the only single malt Scotch on offer, which is a refreshing change to the usual selection.

We've decided to take part in the Tryanuary initiative this month (look up #tryanuary on twitter) and so went for beers we've not sampled before. From the extensive range we chose Big Ben Brown Ale, a 5.8% offering from Thwaites' Crafty Dan microbrewery, and Founders All Day IPA (4.7%). The Big Ben was crisp but malty, with very apparent flavours of crystal malt, whilst the Founders was just full to bursting with aromatic fruitiness, providing a really tasty passionfruit hit. Both were good choices which worked well with the food.

And so, on to the pizza. We went for a Tandoori (tandoori chicken, raita, chilli, mango salsa and Bombay mix) and a Crafty Cuts, with braised ox cheek, pepperoni, balsamic red onion, mozzarella, oregano, and parmesan. Both were scrumptious - generously portioned, with true care shown in the preparation of all the ingredients. Particularly noteworthy were the delicious red onions on the rich and sumptuous Crafty Cuts, with the balsamic glaze providing a real pop of flavour, and the Bombay mix on the Tandoori which is completely original and added a whole new dimension to the already full-of-flavour pizza. Laura ended up with mango and mint all over her face and could not have cared less. 

It was also great to see that the ingredients include fresh veg which is grown on their own site, Furnace Hill. Another little touch which just shows the attention to detail that the Milestone Group never cease to provide.

Overall, a fun place to go just for a drink, with something interesting available whatever your tipple, but an even better one to go to for dough. Good value, nice vibes, attentive service, and you'll leave with a full happy tum - can't say more than that.

Cheers,

L&J