Perfecting Pizza At Home

If you are somewhat adventurous in the kitchen 

I highly recommend making homemade pizza.

It's really fun and actually really easy 

and perfect for dinner in the summer time

I tried 3 or 4 different recipes and finally figured out how 

to make great dough that's perfect every time

I like a thinner dough 

with a nice chewy well browned crust

This recipe is an adaptation of "Now or Later Pizza"

 from the King Arthur website

but here is what I discovered along the holy grail of pizza making....

It's all about the flour! 

The secret is to use a "00" flour (dopio zero)

which is more finely ground that the typical bread flour we find here in the US

I found this beautiful flour imported from Italy on Amazon

It is a bit more pricey than regular flour but I think well worth the money.  

You won't be using it every day (unless you are a pizza fanatic)

so it goes a long way if you just use if for pizza 

Here is an interesting blog post about this flour if you are curious

The second ingredient is adding Semolina flour

I purchased this brand form the same Italian supplier but semolina is widely available and 

Bob's Red Mill is also excellent

This third ingredient is defiantly optional but does add something to the flavor 

which I can't really explain.  

It's sort of like a sour dough/cheese/garlic flavoring 

You can get this from King Arthur Flour 

and it costs about 9 dollars

It lasts quite a long time too

OK soooooo

You will also need 

Yeast

Salt

Olive oil

&

water

pretty simple list

I make my dough by hand with the help of a 

batter spoon thingy (sometimes called a Swedish Wisk)

in a large mixing bowl

I will give you the entire recipe at the end of the post 

but quickly take you through the process

The 00 flour is on the left and the semolina on the right

They are both super fine flours and mix together beautifully

Combine the flours and the pizza flavoring

add in the yeast

some olive oil and the salt and combine well

the dough will start to pull together really quickly 

when it looks lumpy but well hydrated you are ready to knead

I like using the semolina for my bench flour but what ever is nearby is fine

When you dump out your dough you can quickly combine

and start to shape 

to begin kneading

Dust your hands too 

Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is soft and well formed

I try not to over knead this dough 

and leave it a bit rough looking

Put your kneaded dough into a plastic container like this Cambro

Tightly seal and let rise for 1 hour

It won't really double in size at this point...but just wait!

Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours or up to 36 hours

I have been making the dough once per week 

and usually use it about 3 days after I have made it

This is what it will look like after a few days

Awesome!

At this point I divide the dough either in half or in quarters

Use now or use later

It also freezes great 

Watch this to get inspired....I dare ya

Here's the recipe:

1 3/4 cups Italian "00" flour

1 1/4 cups Semolina flour

1 Tbl Pizza dough flavoring

1 tsp yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbl olive oil

1 1/2 cups water

next post....fire up the pizza oven

xo

kelley

The Daily Bread

 The smell of fresh bread!

just one of the many things that I love about cooking...the smells
bacon...coffee...bread...cookies

but who has time to bake!?

not me or at least that is what I thought

 until I came across this recipe

  "no knead" bread 

boy was I skeptical...

I read about it
I heard about it

no can't be true

so I tried it
yes dear friends, it is awesome

In a bowl combine:

3 cups of bread flour

1 1/2 tsp yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

that's it

 I use plastic Cambro containers which have 

side measurements
so you can see how much you started with 

and how much the bread has risen

 I happen to love this weird mixing gadget from King Arthur flour 

It is designed just for things like this 

 Dump all of the ingredients in your plastic container

mix well

the dough will be messy and shaggy looking

but don't worry

cover and set aside for at least 6 hours or up to 12 depending on the temperature

You want the dough to double in size at the very least
it usually gets to the top of the container

I have been mixing this up first thing in the morning
 baking it just before dinner

when you are ready:

heat your oven to 450 degrees

lightly grease ( I use Pam) the interior of a cast iron or very heavy lidded pot

and place it in the oven while the temperature is rising

gently dump out the bread dough onto a  well floured surface

the dough will be  very sticky and you need to flour your hands too

form it into a round shape and cover with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap

and let the dough rest for 30 minutes

gently place the dough into your (now very hot) cast iron pot with the cover on

and bake for 25 to 30 minutes

 remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes 

 they bread will have a nice hollow sound when you tap on it 

and should register about 190-200 degrees internally

 this is how it looks....truly amazing

really crusty with a beautiful soft interior

 let the bread cool and then enjoy

this is so easy and it is seriously delicious!!!

I will try a sourdough version this weekend and see how it comes out

have fun in the kitchen!

bake and be happy

A Snake Bite

It's that time again....peak orange season

 This year the orange orchard is incredible....

the fruit is literally pulling the branches to the ground 

and every tree is in full blossom....what an incredible smell

crazy wonderful

so what to do with all of that orange juice?

I'm not much of a mixologist 

but I love tea and especially tea with lemonade

not long ago I ordered an "Arnold Palmer"

from a little cafe and the server said:

"do ya see any golf courses around here?...it's called a snake bite up this a way"

oops

really

?

So here is my version of a 

Snake Bite

using 

OJ

Mix together:

a nice large pitcher of your favorite ice tea 

(make about 4 quarts)

Add:

4 or 5 tea bags of 

Coconut Chai Tea

(I use Zhena's Gypsy Tea which you can find at Trader Joe's

or use a tea that has a lot of spices like Constant Comment)

let this sit overnight in the fridge

When ready to serve/drink:

add 4 cups of freshly squeezed orange juice 

to your pitcher of ice tea

 fill some nice large glasses 

about half full with ice

now you can drink this

"as is"

but to add some 

BITE

to your drink

I like to top it off with a shot of 

Captain Morgans Spiced Rum

I stick a big slice of lime on a wood fork

(you can find these bamboo disposable forks at Target and most grocery stores)

float the shot of rum on the top of the tea

and swizzle with the lime slice

ENJOY

La Brea Bakery Knock Off

The La Bakery in Los Angeles was started in 1989 by Nancy Silverton.  She started baking bread primarily for her then husband and partner, Mark Peel,

 who owned the restaurant next door called Campanile

Campanile is now closed but La Brea Bakery continues to live on 

and the bread and other yummy bakery goods 

can now be found nation wide.

I love the bread but I really really love the granola and so does my family.

The granola sells for around $7 dollars for a small package and it lasts in our house about 2 days.

So I decided to try my hand at making granola and getting as close as I could to the La Brea Bakery recipe.

I will take you through the steps and you can jot down the ingredients if you are a granola lover too.

It is a really easy recipe!

start with two really large bowls...

one for the dry oatmeal stuff and the other for the dried fruit 

which is added in at the end

mix together:

7 cups uncooked rolled oats

7 oz unsweetened flaked coconut

1 cup stabilized wheat germ (you can leave this out if you want)

add:

1 cup whole almonds 

( you can chop if you like but La Brea uses whole almonds)

1 cup sunflower seeds

mix the dry mixture well and set aside

 now we add a few things to bind the granola together and sweeten it up

in a measuring cup mix together:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

1 Tsp salt 

1 Tbl vanilla extract

I add about 1 tsp of salt too 

but you don't have to

I put the liquid in the microwave for 1 minute to warm up the ingredients 

and make it easier to combine with the oats

 slowly pour the syrup over your oats, a little at a time,

 mixing thoroughly to coat until well combined

I like to add a little cinnamon too 

about 1 to 2 tsp 

during this mixing process

Heat the oven to 250 degrees and prepare your baking sheets for toasting the granola

my preference is to use 4 small 1/2 sheet pans lined with parchment

It is easier to turn while baking in the smaller pans 

and I think they brown more evenly...

but use what you have

bake for 90 minutes 

turning the mixture about every 20 minutes 

to brown evenly

my oven runs hot so I try not to over bake this 

which you can easily do if you venture too far from the kitchen

low and slow baking is better for even toasting

now here is where you can get creative

you need about 5 cups of dried fruit to finish off the granola

here are my favorites:

1 cup raisins

( la brea uses golden but I like the dark raisins)

1 cup cranberries

1 cup chopped dates

I doubt the original has dates but they are great in this recipe

1 cup chopped plums

I buy these little pre chopped plums which are great

and finally 1 cup of any other dried fruit of your choice

I have tried 

cherries, apricots and mango

and they are all really good

or you can double up on something else, just get to a total of  5 cups of dried fruit

by the way...while this is baking away your entire house will smell like a freshly baked oatmeal cookie

just an added bonus!!!!

your granola should look 

golden toasty brown

Now you add the dried fruit to the baked oats

 I mix mine in a really huge salad bowl with my handy salad tongs...hey what ever works right?!

You need a really large bowl because you end up with around 

18 cups or 4 1/2 pounds of granola!

When it has cooled 

I transfer some to a big jar and set it out near our coffee station 

this is great for snacking too!

this makes a ton of granola

so the rest I package up and pop in the freezer

my granola breakfast is usually:

nonfat plain yogurt 

some strawberries, raspberries or blueberries 

and a big scoop of granola

mine never looks quite this pretty but tastes delisch

via

yum!

give it a try this weekend and see what you think!

happy cooking

~kelley~