Thin Pizza Crust

It's been a while since I posted to any of my blogs. Life seems to always get in the way :) Over the weekend, while working on replacing flooring in our playroom/den that abuts the kitchen, I made this recipe for thin pizza crust. It was a big hit. I made one pizza with leftover fajita-seasoned chicken breast (shredded), black beans (smashed) as the "sauce" and co-jack cheese and the other was a traditional "cheese" (with tomato sauce and mozzarella) for my daughter who prefers "plain" pizza. We enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share the recipe with you all! So first are my notes which are followed by the recipe.  Enjoy!

This recipe is based on one from King Arthur Flour. I adapted it to use semolina flour like my chef friends do (you can pick this up at HEB from Bob's Red Mill or online from King Arthur Flour).

 I followed the directions for resting in the refrigerator overnight by placing the dough ball in a large ziptop bag.  Make sure you leave it open a tiny bit for the gasses to escape or your bag may explode! 

After refrigerating overnight, I divide the dough into two balls and rolled/hand-stretched to the desired size/shape. Make sure you stretch the dough using your knuckles instead of fingertips to keep from tearing.

 I did not use a greased pan or parchment paper but instead sprinkled a flat cookie sheet (no edges) with some extra semolina (or could use cornmeal) and then put the crust on that to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheated. The semolina/cornmeal allows you to just slide the pizza off the cookie sheet and onto your pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, you can just bake it on the cookie sheet as is, but the stone definitely is worth the investment if you bake much pizza or bread for that matter!

 The first pizza I baked straight from it's raw state with toppings on (because I neglected to read the directions!) for 12-14 minutes and it was very good, but the second pizza I par-baked following the directions to bake then top and bake again and it was definitely much crispier. Make sure to allow the pizza to rest on a cooling rack for at least 5-10 minutes or your toppings may just slide right off :)

This crust was perfect! Crispy on the bottom but not tough from overworking, stretched perfectly by hand and had nice flaky layers to it. YUM!

Thin Pizza Crust (or Crackerbread)


3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Toppings:
seeds, herbs and salt
OR
pizza seasoning; tomato sauce, cooked meats, vegetables, and cheeses of your choice


Dough: Place ingredients in your bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Process on "dough" cycle. 


Bake as directed below. Or refrigerate dough for up to 2 days; this step will develop the crust's flavor.


Divide the dough in half (or in thirds, for cracker-thin crust).


Shape each piece into a 10" to 14" circle or rectangle (thicker or thinner crust), and place each on a piece of parchment paper or greased pan.


Allow to rise for 30 minutes or so, covered, while preheating the oven to 475°F.


To make cracker bread, spray the dough with Quick Shine or brush it with garlic oil; and sprinkle with assorted seeds. Or top any way you choose. Bake for 12 minutes, till brown and crisp. For the crispiest pizza, bake the crust for 8 minutes, until set, before topping with sauce and cheese; then bake for an additional 4 minutes.

Make Your Own: Easy Bake Oven mixes

This year for Christmas we're giving my niece an Easy Bake Oven...Now, the cost of the Easy Bake isn't in the oven itself, but in all those little packets of mix. In addition to the oven and one of the add-on kits, I decided to make up a bunch of mixes for her to use. So here are the five mixes I've made... Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, Chocolate Cake mix, White Cake mix, Chocolate icing mix and White icing mix. All five have labels with the directions on them right on the container so no need to hunt up directions. And each container makes at least 8 batches, so there's plenty to work with.  I'm posting both the recipes for the mixes and the Word document with the labels in it here if you should want to use them for your own gift or personal use... Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Three of these recipes are from the Budget 101 website and a couple are my own versions of other mixes...

EZ Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar -- packed
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients, stirring to blend. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or a couple of knives until it is a coarse meal texture. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.  

 

To Use:
1/2 cup cookie mix
2 teaspoons water

1 tsp butter (optional)

Blend well. Let sit 5 minutes. Form into 1/2" balls. Place onto ungreased pan and press down slightly to flatten out.

------

EZ Bake Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir with a wire wisk until blended.  With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. 

 

To use:

 

1/3 cup chocolate cake mix

4 tsp water

Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth.  Pour mixture into greased and floured Easy Bake cake pan. Bake in Easy Bake or preheated 375F oven for 12 to 13 minutes.

-----

 

EZ Bake Chocolate Frosting Mix

2 cups confectioners sugar -- sifted
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.

To Use:
1/3 cup chocolate frosting mix
3/4 tsp. water

 

In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting.

-----

EZ Bake White Cake Mix

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine sugar,  flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir with a wire wisk until blended.  With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. 

 

To Use:

1/3 cup white cake mix
4 teaspoons water

Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth.  Pour mixture into greased and floured Easy Bake cake pan. Bake in Easy Bake or preheated 375F oven for 12 to 13 minutes.

 

-----

EZ Bake White Frosting Mix

2 cups confectioners sugar -- sifted
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.

To Use:
1/3 cup white frosting mix
3/4 tsp. water

 

In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting.

Enjoy!

Dirty Snowballs

Dirty Snowballs

 

 
If you've been reading this blog, you know that I've been playing along with GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction's Holiday Recipe Exchange. This week there were two chances to play with two different themes. The first theme, Comfort Food, I blogged about my macaroni and cheese recipe. The second theme this week is a repeat of a previous theme...BUTTER!  

Now, those of you who know me personally know we do not keep margarine in our home. We ONLY use butter, and yes, we keep BOTH kinds (salted and unsalted) on hand. The only time I really use salted butter though is for eating straight up, like for bread and butter, or for using on things like grilled cheese sandwiches, waffles, etc. The rest of the time I use unsalted. In my way of thinking, I can always add salt to a recipe, but I can't take it out :) 

So for this round of the BUTTER theme, I decided to go with a dessert since that is my favorite thing to cook :) Last BUTTER round you may recall, I shared my recipe for Buttery Potato Rolls. This time I'm sharing a brand new recipe, fresh from my kitchen, which combines the best of two of my favorite kinds of holiday cookies...meltaways and Mexican Wedding Cookies (sometimes called Russian Tea Cakes). This recipe has the tender, flakiness of the meltaway with the nutty goodness of the wedding cookie. Add to that the yummy taste of a hot butter rum and you've got a winner! In thinking of a name for these cookies, I came up with Dirty Snowballs.  They reminded me of when I was a kid and you'd get some sand in your snowball when the snow wasn't real deep... thus, Dirty Snowballs.  They turned out better than I had hoped and I certainly hope some of you will give them a try.  

Now, if you're a dough-eater like me, please don't be disappointed when you taste the dough... It is NOT a sweet dough and it DOES have a strong rum/alcohol taste when raw, but when the dough is baked off and rolled in powdered sugar, these cookies are light, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth, balls of goodness! So give them a shot! You won't be disappointed!

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.

Dirty Snowballs
Recipe By     : Christi Brogan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans -- or use pecan meal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup confectioners' sugar -- divided
1/4 cup spiced rum -- like Captain Morgan
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Using a food processor, chop the pecans until very fine, almost a pecan meal consistency.

Consistency of pecans after chopping

Combine flour, pecans, cornstarch and spices in a bowl. Place 1/3 cup of the confectioners sugar and the butter in the workbowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture. Add the rum and vanilla and beat to throughly combine.

Chill dough in freezer for 30 minutes to re-harden the butter.

Dough ready for the freezer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make balls of the dough approximately 1 tbsp in size and  place each 1" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden, about 15 minutes.

Lightly golden in color

Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Gently toss warm cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 weeks.

A Dirty Snowball

Crumbly, sweet and flaky - YUM!

Yield:
  "2 1/2 dozen"

Comfort Food Extreme: Homemade 5-cheese Mac n Cheese

Homemade Five Cheese Mac 'n Cheese

 So here we are with the SIXTH entry in GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction's Holiday Recipe Exchange... And this week the theme is comfort food.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset.

In my world, nothing says comfort food like a hot bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese, with a nice crunchy top crust and noodles that aren't overcooked nor undercooked but JUST right. There are lots of recipes out there for macaroni and cheese and lots of ways to dress up the basic mac, but in my opinion, nothing says comfort like the traditional mac and cheese that I love to make for my family. My little girl absolutely gobbles it down. In fact, it's her most requested meal. I use five different types of cheese in my mac n cheese, the fifth one only appearing in the topping. You can use the five types I've listed here, which are my basic go-to cheese choices, or you can change out any of them for cheeses of your choice. I oft-times find myself short on one or more of these and use what I have on hand. I only have two pieces of advice when it comes to swapping out cheeses. First, make sure they melt! Don't choose a cheese like feta or queso fresco which don't melt well. And second, if choosing a stronger flavored cheese like a blue, use half the amount of that cheese and up the amounts of the other cheeses to keep it from overpowering the dish. Other than that, swap away!  Here's the basic recipe:

Christi's Homemade Baked Five-Cheese Mac 'n Cheese

1 1/2 pounds elbow macaroni -- cooked to al dente

1/2 large sweet onion -- diced

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika -- sweet

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder -- Coleman's brand preferred

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk -- can use 1-2% but whole makes it richer
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese -- grated
4 ounces medium cheddar cheese -- grated
4 ounces Swiss cheese -- grated
4 ounces Velveeta -- diced
1/4 cup bread crumbs -- for topping
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan -- for topping

If your pasta is not cooked, start your water boiling now and your pasta and sauce will be ready at about the same time. Cook your pasta for 1 minute less than you normally do as it will bake and soften a bit more in the cheese sauce in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grate the cheddar and swiss cheeses on the large side of your box grater. Cut the velveeta into 1" cubes. 

 

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until starting to turn golden. Mix flour with spices. Add flour mix, whisking to form a roux.  Will be clumpy/thick.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until it smooths out and starts to smell a little nutty. Add milk, 1 cup at a time, whisking to incorporate throughly before adding more. 

 

Let this come just to a boil, then turn heat down to medium low and add cheeses slowly making sure to melt each addition before adding more. Add velveeta last to help smooth it all out. Combine cheese sauce mix with cooked macaroni noodles. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray (helps clean up later!) then dump in mac n cheese. Top with bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese. 

 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.  

This makes a large batch, perfect for freezing. I serve some for dinner, then package remainder in "meal sized" portions in the freezer for later use. Or you can also be really bad and try out Alton Brown's Next Day Mac and Cheese "Toast"...  To reheat thawed mac n cheese, bake at 350 until heated through. 

YUM!!!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

 

And now for the next entry in the Holiday Recipe Exchange with GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction... This week I decided to go the easy route and start with a recipe from a fairly reliable source... Martha Stewart! I know Martha gives some folks the frights, but I've found her recipes to usually be worth repeating... This one in particular I've tried in the past and found them absolutely addicting, so I decided I'd share my take on her recipe for Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies. This cookie is like a cross between a snickerdoodle (owing to the cream of tartar) and a cup of hot chocolate with a little bit of chile heat added in for fun. They come out of the oven slightly crispy but still chewy and wonderful! If you enjoy this recipe, then come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.

 

 

Santa would LOVE a plate of these cookies!

Mexican Hot-Chocolate Cookies

Original recipe source: Martha Stewart.com

Adaptations by me!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (the darker the better)

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar, divided

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (homemade if possible!)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly ground ancho chile

  

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  

Pepper prep: Take your ancho chile pod and break it open, removing all the seeds and the stem. Place the flesh of the chile in your food processor or, if you're like me and have a dedicated "spice grinder" (aka coffee bean grinder that's been re-purposed for spices), use that. Just be sure you don't use your regular coffee grinder for this or you're next cuppa joe may be on fire! Grind the pepper until it's in powder form. If, like me, your pepper is a little too soft (ie. not dry enough) grind enough for this recipe and then let the rest dry out for another use. Put 1/2 tsp of this freshly ground pepper in a small bowl for later use in this recipe.

Freshly ground ancho chile

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Well creamed butter and sugar takes time...don't underbeat it!

Scrape down side of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat to combine. With mixer on low,

add the cream of tartar, salt and baking soda, allowing each ingredient to incorporate before adding the next. Add cocoa powder next followed by the flour in small increments (so you don't wear it!)

Dough's ready to go!

In the small bowl with your freshly ground ancho powder, add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. 

The rolling mixture

 

Using heaping tablespoons (I used a #40 cookie scoop which is about 1.5 tbsp), form balls of dough and roll in chile-cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place, about 3 inches apart, on baking sheets. 

Ready to bake

Bake until cookies are set in center and begin to crack, about 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. 

  

Nicely crackled but still chewy

Enjoy this recipe and let me know if you give it a whirl! I love to get comments from readers who've tried them!

Spiced Cranberry Butter in the crockpot

At this time of year I get to thinking about food gifts from my kitchen, and about ways to use up things in my fridge so I have room for all those holiday dishes, etc.  So, along that vein, yesterday I made Cranberry Butter in my crockpot... Cranberry Butter is like apple butter, only made with fresh (or frozen) cranberries rather than apples. In this case I had some cranberries I'd frozen as well as some fresh ones that I needed to use so into the crockpot they went!  After tossing the cranberries in, I added some sweetening (in this case a combination of sugar and honey) and some spices (cinnamon, clove and ginger) and then turned the crockpot on low. It cooked all day on low, smelling up the house with it's holiday goodness, and then in the evening I removed it all to my food mill and gave it a whirl to remove the skins from the cranberries. After that I put it back in the crockpot, adjusted the seasoning (adding a little more honey and some salt for flavor contrast) and let it run overnight on the "keep warm" setting with the lid ajar to allow it to thicken up a bit more.  And so this morning we have some super cranberry butter for eating and for giving... Thought I'd share the recipe and a little pic of it for anyone interested in giving it a whirl!

Cranberry Butter in the Crockpot

2-3 lbs fresh or frozen (not thawed!) cranberries

2 cups sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, maple syrup or a combination)

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground clove

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp kosher salt

Place cranberries, 1 1/2 cups sweetener, cinnamon, clove and ginger in the crock of your slow cooker and turn on low for 8-10 hours. After this time, remove to a food mill or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to slow cooker and adjust sweetness to taste as well as adding the salt. Allow to continue to cook on low (or keep warm setting) with the lid ajar for another 4-6 hrs or until thickened to your liking. Freeze or water-bath can for giving as gifts.  Makes about 4 cups of butter or 4 half-pint jars.

Great on toast or biscuits or try it served over cream cheese with crackers for a great appetizer! Also great when turned into a "baked brie"...

For Baked Brie, you'll need 1 sheet puff pastry, 1 wheel of brie cheese, about 1/4 cup chopped nuts and the cranberry butter. Put the puff pastry sheet on a greased baking tray. Trim the rind off the wheel of brie then place in the center of the sheet. Top with chopped nuts and then spoon a couple of tablespoons of the cranberry butter overtop. Fold the puff pastry over all the enclose then put into a 350F oven until golden brown all over. Serve hot with some extra cranberry butter if desired. YUM!

TRUFFLES!

Well, here we are with entry #4 in the Holiday Recipe Exchange being conducted by GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction! This week's theme... CHOCOLATE!  Those of you who know me, know that chocolate is one of my addictions, and something I think should truly be one of the food groups! So, when I was thinking about what to make for this exchange assignment I could only think of one thing...ganache! And what better use for ganache than TRUFFLES! Every year at Christmas time I make truffles as gifts, usually with alcohol in them, but this year, since I'm unable to imbibe (because I'm nursing a 3 month old), I decided to try some other flavoring ideas to make them. I have made truffles in the past with an earl grey tea infusion and with a lavendar infusion, so I thought why not try and incorporate some of my favorite holiday flavors in this week's challenge and viola! Two versions of my favorite truffle recipe with a holiday twist! Hope you enjoy!

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Scharffen Berger.” 

Chai Gingersnap Truffles

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 stick butter or margarine, 4 tbsp

4 bags chai tea, or 4 tbsp loose leaf chai tea
2 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips -- or combination dark and semisweet
1 teaspoon  vanilla -- or rum
8 gingersnap cookies -- crushed

Have a 8 or 9" glass pie plate or baking dish, cookie sheet and paper candy cups ready. Heat cream and butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave on high heat for 2 minutes, until cream simmers and butter melts. Open the 4 bags of chai tea and dump contents into cream mixture. Allow to steep for 7 minutes. After steeping, strain tea from cream making sure to press down on leaves to extract all the cream/butter mixture. Add chocolate chips to cream mixture and microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, until completely melted. Add vanilla and whisk until smooth and creamy.

Pour into pie plate or dish and chill 2 hours until the consistency of soft fudge. Line a large cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of truffle mixture into 3/4 in. balls with gloved hands and then roll truffles in crushed gingersnaps. Refrigerate for 1 hr to firm then place each in a paper candy cup and refrigerate in a single layer in air tight containers.

Ready for refrigeration

The crushed gingersnaps look like dirt, adding to the truffle's "dirt clod" appearance

Peppermint Tea Truffles

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2 tablespoons peppermint tea -- loose leaf
2 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips -- or combination dark and semisweet
1/2 cup powdered sugar
6 crushed candy canes

Have a 8 or 9" glass pie plate or baking dish, cookie sheet and paper candy cups ready. Heat cream and butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave on high heat for 2 minutes, until cream simmers and butter melts. Put two tablespoons loose leaf peppermint tea into the butter/cream mixture and allow to steep for 7 minutes. After steeping, strain tea from cream, making sure to press all the cream/butter mixture out of the leaves before discarding leaves. Add chocolate chips. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute or until completely melted. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Pour into pie plate or dish and chill 2 hours until the consistency of soft fudge. Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar and crushed candy canes in a small
bowl. Line a large cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Roll heaping teaspoonfuls of truffle mixture into 3/4 in. balls with gloved hands. Roll truffles in powdered sugar mixture and refrigerate for 1 hr to firm up. Place each truffle in a paper candy cup and refrigerate in a
single layer in air tight containers.

Ready for refrigeration

YUM!