Pizza Night

Just a basic, simple crust! Nice texture and sturdy enough to support toppings. It's hard to go wrong with homemade pizza! Continue for recipe.


Easy Pizza Dough

2 1/4 cup bread flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
2 T olive oil
2 t yeast
1 cup warm water

Mix sugar, oil, yeast, and water together and let sit for 5 min.
Add flour and salt and kneed for several minutes.
Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Divide dough into 2 portions, shape into a loose ball, and let rest, covered, for 3o min.
Roll dough out on floured surface and bake!
Easy!

Continue......

Calzones

Well, calzones sounded really great today. I had leftover ricotta that needed to be used and so I whipped these up for lunch. But I decided to make a semolina dough that ended up being way too bready for the amount of filling that I used. Oh well, they smelled wonderful!! I definitely prefer thin, light crusts for more traditional calzones. Next time!

Type rest of the post here

Continue......

Pizza Napoletana

Ok, I love pizza. :) This is yet another crust recipe and another trial from The Bread Baker's Apprentice. The dough was allowed to ferment overnight and thus, the flavor of this dough was really nice. However, I didn't care for the consistency. While the edges of the crust were ok, it was very thin and chewy in the center. I used part all-purpose, part bread, and part whole wheat flours. For my next dough, I'll try an overnight rest using part semolina flour. It was a good pizza though--herbed goat cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil--how can you go wrong? Continue for Pizza recipe.

Pizza Napoletana
from The Bread Baker's Apprentice

20.25 oz. hi-gluten, bread, or all-purpose flour, chilled (I used: 9.5 oz bread, 2 oz wheat, and 8.75 oz all-purpose, put in freezer 30 min. to chill)
.44 oz salt
1 t instant yeast
2 oz olive oil
14 oz water, ice cold

Semolina flour for dusting

Stir together the flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer. With a large spoon, stir in the oil and water until the flour is all absorbed. If mixing by hand, work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass. Do this for 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. If using an electric mixer (as I did), mix on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, until smooth and sticky. Dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky.

Sprinkle flour on the counter and transfer the dough. Prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment and misting with oil. Cut the dough into 4-6 equal pieces. Sprinkle flour over the dough. Flour hands, lift each piece, and round it into a ball. Transfer dough to the sheet pan. Mist with oil and cover with plastic. Rest in the refrigerator overnight or up to 3 days (or freeze).

Remove dough balls from refrigerator 2 hours before making pizza. Dust counter with flour then mist with oil. Place the dough on top of the counter and sprinkle with flour; dust hands with flour. Gently press the dough into flat disks and 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with flour, mist again, and cover with plastic. Rest for 2 hours.

45 minutes before baking, place a baking stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible.

Dust a peel with semolina flour. make the pizzas one at a time. Flour your hands, and stretch dough by bouncing (I ended up rolling out my crusts directly on parchment).

Lay dough on the peel. Lightly top it with sauce and toppings. Slide pizza onto stone and close the door. Bake 5-8 minutes.

Continue......

Semolina Rolls with Pizza and Ham and Swiss Filling

I love these homemade hotpockets! They're great to send for lunches for the week. I usually make several fillings so we don't get tired of having the same thing everyday. This recipe comes from King Arthur's Baker's Catalouge. I really like the semolina flour. It's just a bit different than my pizza dough recipe but similiar. I love the way the cheese oozes out of the rolls while baking, leaving a crispy cheese crust.

For this batch, I made a pizza filling (sauce, Italian cheeses, and pepperoni) and a ham and swiss roll with a sweet garlic mustard that I brought back from Peju Winery in Napa. But you can fill them with anything. I think a spicy chicken and peppers mixture would be great--next time! My only suggestion would be to make them smaller. They are really too big for me. Maybe make 10-12 instead of the 8 that the recipe specifies. Continue for recipe.

Semolina Rolls with Pizza Filling
King Arthur

Packing school lunches calls for organization. Our filled rolls are perfect; they're filling and satisfying. They can be made in advance and they don't need to be heated. We give you our basic recipe for semolina bread. You can also use your own white, wheat or rye bread recipe. The pizza filling is a hit with all generations.

1 teaspoon sugar or honey
2 cups room temperature water
1 tablespoon granulated yeast
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 cups semolina flour

Dissolve the sugar or honey in the water and add the yeast and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour. Let it sit for 10 minutes to give the yeast a chance to get going.
Add the salt and the semolina flour, then the remainder of the all-purpose flour, a half cup at a time, until the dough has formed a shaggy mass.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it, adding more flour as necessary, until the dough has formed a smooth and satiny ball.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap.
Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size. Punch the dough down.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces (or 10-12). Roll each piece into a rectangle 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. If the dough is being recalcitrant and it is contracting, it is telling you that it needs a little rest. If you let the dough sit for a few minutes, you will find that it is much more cooperative.
Place filling on the dough and leave a border of at least 1/2 inch. (Liquid fillings like spaghetti sauce or mustard need to be used in scant amounts so that they don't boil out of the rolls.)
Roll up lengthwise.
Brush the edges with the egg wash and pinch to seal shut. Pinch the ends shut and fold them underneath the roll.
Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Egg Wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Beat the egg and the water together. Add the salt and beat.

Let the rolls rest and rise until they are swollen, 30 to 45 minutes; don't let them double in size. Preheat the oven to 375°F while the rolls are rising. Brush the rolls with the remaining egg wash.
Slash the rolls diagonally about 1/2-inch deep. Keep the slashes on the top of the rolls so that the cheese doesn't ooze out during baking.
Bake the rolls for 25 to 35 minutes. When the rolls are done, they will be browned and should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Let cool before eating. The melted cheese is hot!

Some Other Favorite Fillings: tuna fish salad and cheddar cheese; ham and Swiss and Dijon mustard; turkey and provolone and honey mustard; Reuben: pastrami, Swiss, Russian dressing*, and mustard; and corned beef and Swiss. *Mayonnaise tends to ooze; make your tuna salad a bit dry.

Nutrition information per serving, semolina bread alone (1/8 of recipe -- 1 roll, 149 g): 280 cal, 1 g fat, 9 g protein, 59 g complex carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 2 g dietary fiber, 802 mg sodium, 114 mg potassium, 3 mg iron, 144 mg calcium, 81 mg phosphorus. Nutrition information per serving, semolina bread with pizza filling (1/8 of recipe -- 1 roll, 228 g): 519 cal, 20 g fat, 22 g protein, 62 g complex carbohydrates, 3 g dietary fiber, 82 mg cholesterol, 1653 mg sodium, 268 mg potassium, 1 mg vitamin C, 4 mg iron, 303 mg calcium, 237 mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from King Arthur Flour's Baking Sheet, Vol. III, No. 8, Sept.-Oct., 1992

Continue......

Pizza Sauce and Basic Pizza Dough

I really just love pizza. The house always smells amazing when they're baking. And today I made my own sauce, adding to the wonderful aroma. Pizza making is so simple, and so much better for you than pre-packaged pizza. It's fun to play around with the toppings or customize each slice for the varying tastes of your family. My husband is a strict pepperoni lover whereas I love everything on mine. We can enjoy two totally different meals, each to our liking, baked at the same time.
Tonight I made a basic crust--just flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil. It's a sturdy, bready crust able to withstand the weight of several toppings. It was ok but low on flavor. I definitely prefer my semolina crust or a thinner, herbed crust with a bit a sugar added to the dough. I topped one with pepperoni, Robert's standard, and one with tomato slices marinated in a balsamic/red wine vinaigrette. Continue for recipes.












Pizza Sauce

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 28oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 smaller cans)

1 large tablespoon tomato paste

Herbs: 1 t thyme, 1 t basil, 1 t rosemary, 1/2 t oregano (or 1 T fresh herbs)--these are just estimates; feel free to throw in seasonings to your taste--I always throw in large "pinches" and usually side with thyme.

large pinch of sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Fry onion and garlic until softened.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 min, or until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick pulp.

Let sauce cool a little and then puree in the blender. (I like my pasta sauce thunky but prefer a smooth pizza sauce--this is optional though.)

Basic Pizza Dough

For one pizza:

1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 t salt
1 t yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 T olive oil

Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to mix. Stir in the yeast.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Pour in the water and oil and mix with a spoon to a soft dough.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover.
Let rise in a warm place about 1 1/2 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 425.
Gently deflate the dough, knead, and shape into a ball.
Roll dough out and place on baking sheet or pizza peel.
Push up the dough to make a rim or a twisted border.
Brush or spray pizza lightly with olive oil (use garlic oil or chili oil for a nice flavor).
Top with desired toppings/sauce.
Bake for about 15 min, or until crust is golden.

Continue......

Garlic Cheese Stromboli

How can anyone not love stromboli? Delicious! This recipe came from The Bread Bible by Beth Hensberger. The bread was really lovely. It had a tender texture and sturdy crust. I liked the garlic and mozzarella filling in the roll--it is a perfect combination for an Italian meal. Next time, I will try one with pizza sauce also. Yum!! This is a definite keeper! Recipe to come.


Garlic Cheese Stromboli

Continue......

Semolina Pizza Dough

This is a great pizza dough! Today I made half artichoke heart/red onion and half pepperoni for Robert. The crust is soft, dense, and just a bit chewy. I really like it. It's very sturdy and handles toppings well. It's also quick to make and only requires a one hour rising time. The high-protein semolina flour really gives it a nice texture. It's a nice combination of flours. Continue for recipe.

Semolina Pizza Crust
from Laila Pallai

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (KA)
1/2 cup semolina
1 T active dry yeast
1 T sugar
1 t salt
2-3 T olive oil
1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix all ingredients together.
Knead on floured counter for about 3 min.
Place in oiled bowl, cover, and let rise 1 hour.
Preheat baking stone and oven to 400 degrees.
Divide dough into 4 portions. (keep covered)
On floured counter, roll out dough into 10 to 12-inch rounds.
Transfer to semolina-covered pizza peel.
Spray lightly with olive oil; Brush on sauce; top with toppings.
Slide pizza onto hot baking stone and bake 10-15 min.

* If you don't use all of your dough, you can put remaining dough into well oiled baggies and refrigerate for a day or freeze.

Continue......

Italian Easter Pie

According to the King Arthur Flour's website, this savory pie is traditionally made on Good Friday and eaten on the day before Easter, celebrating the end of Lent. But it's a great recipe to make throughout the year as well. The double-crusted pie/pizza is filled with a salad-like mixture of ham, hard-boiled eggs, eggs, ricotta, and parmesan. The crust dough has a nice sweetness that complements the stuffing. It is brushed with an egg/sugar wash that lends an additional touch of sweetness that is nice with the saltiness of the ham. I love it!

A different version of this pie, Italian Easter Meat Pie, doesn't use hard-boiled eggs and the meat, prosciutto, ham, pepperoni, and salami, is left in cubes instead being chopped finely in the food processor. This richer recipe uses more ricotta, parmesan, and mozzerella, resembling a stuffed shell filling. Sounds good! I'll try it in calzone-form!

These pies are great to have around for overnight guests or as an addition to a brunch. The recipe makes 2 large pies so it feeds a lot. Leftovers are great cold, at room temperature, or, as my husband prefers, heated. I like grabbing a slice to-go for weekday morning breakfasts. This is a favorite recipe! Continue for recipe.

Italian Easter Pie

**I usually make my pies free-form, but you can also bake in a deep-dish pie plate. This dough would be nice to use for calzones too. Total prep/baking time for these pies is about 3 hours--a little longer if you make them in a pie plate. I like kneading this dough by-hand as opposed to the mixer.

**It's really important to use nice ham for this recipe, as it is the major ingredient in the filling. I like brown-sugar ham--of course, it's sweet--but any good quality ham is fine. Another note, don't add more ricotta than is called for. It makes the filling too watery.

Crust 5 cups Mellow Pastry Blend OR 4 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons instant yeast 2 tablespoons sugar 5 tablespoons King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver (optional, but very helpful) 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 cups warm water Filling 1 dozen large eggs 1 pound good-quality, tasty ham about 6 ounces ricotta cheese 1/3 cup grated Parmesan salt, pepper, and chopped fresh parsley, to taste Glaze 1 large egg yolk 3 tablespoons sugar

Dough: Mix and knead together all of the dough ingredients--by hand, in a mixer, or in a bread machine--till you’ve made a soft, smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow it to rise for 1 to 2 hours, till it’s doubled in bulk. Filling: Hard-boil and then peel 6 of the eggs. Finely chop and combine the boiled eggs and ham; a food processor works well here. The ham and eggs should be very finely chopped, though you don’t want them turned to mush. Combine the ham and boiled eggs with the raw eggs, ricotta, and Parmesan. Add as much parsley as you want, and season to taste with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Assembly and Baking: Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll two of the dough pieces into rounds about 13 inches in diameter, and place them on lightly greased 12-inch pizza pans, cookie sheets, or into two 9-inch pie plates (for a thicker pie). Spread the filling evenly onto the two bottom crusts, covering the crusts to within an inch of their edges. Roll out the other two pieces of dough, and place them atop the filled crusts, gently stretching them, if necessary, till the filling is completely covered. Seal the crust edges together firmly. Using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, cut a 1-inch hole in the very center of the top crust. Make the topping by whisking together the egg yolk and sugar till the sugar has dissolved. Paint each crust with some of the topping, using a pastry brush or your fingers to spread it around as evenly as possible. Allow the pies to rest while you preheat your oven to 350°F, about 15 minutes. Bake the pies for about 25 minutes (55 to 60 minutes, for a 9-inch deep-dish pie), until they’re a deep, golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and place them on a rack. Allow the pies to cool, and serve warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers. Yield: Two 12-inch-or-so pies.

Nutrition per serving (1/8th of a pie, 143g): 280 cal, 10g fat, 15g protein, 32g total carbohydrate, 5g sugar, 0g dietary fiber, 190mg cholesterol, 710mg sodium.

Continue......

Pizza Dough

I tried a new pizza dough recipe today from the new blog A Year in Bread, posted as Kevin's Pizza Dough. With 3 rises, the entire process took about 4 hours--not too bad for a lazy Saturday afternoon. The dough was very smooth and easy to work with. The result was a bready dough with a nice texture and yeast flavor. I tend to prefer thinner, crisper crusts but this was a nice change. The crust is sturdy and able to support more toppings. I think it would be great for a "supreme" pizza. Next time, I will add a touch more honey and just a tiny bit more salt. Overall, a very nice and easy dough to work with, but definately has a pronounced yeasty flavor.

Continue......