2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon Pizza Dough Flavor (optional, but tasty)
1 tablespoon King Arthur Easy-Roll Dough Improver OR Baker's Special Dry Milk OR nonfat dry milk
3 cups (11 ounces) King Arthur Italian-Style Flour or All-Purpose Flour*
3/4 cup (6 ounces) lukewarm water
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) olive oil
*Substitute King Arthur 100% Organic White Whole Wheat flour for half of the Italian flour, if desired.
Mix all of the ingredients to make a soft, supple dough. Knead for 5 minutes, divide the dough in half, cover with lightly greased plastic wrap, and let rest and relax for 15 minutes (or for up to an hour or so; work it into your schedule as you see fit).
Grease two 12" squares of parchment paper. Use your greased fingers to press each piece of dough on the parchment into an 11" to 12" circle about 1/8" thick. Brush or spray the crusts with olive oil, and let them rest for about 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 450°F (with a pizza stone inside, if you have one).
Place the crusts with their parchment directly on the stone, or onto a baking sheet. Bake till they're just starting to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with your favorite toppings-we've used pesto, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella here-and bake for an additional 6 minutes, till everything's warm and bubbly. Yield: two 12" thin-crust pizzas.
To make grilled pizza: Be prepared to grill your pizza within 15 minutes of shaping it; you don't want it to rise too much. So, make sure your barbecue grill is heated (or cooled) to medium-hot by the time the dough is ready to grill.
Set the rack 3" to 4" above the fire. Take one circle of dough, on its parchment, and swiftly but carefully turn it (dough down, parchment on top) onto the grill. Peel off the parchment.
After 1 minute, turn it over; it should be stiff enough to turn quite easily (if not, your grill isn't hot enough). Layer with toppings. This is not the time to pile on the meat, cheese, veggies, etc. Since the pizza will be cooking very briefly, it's better to top with just a minimal amount of stuff: thinly sliced veggies, a thin layer of cheese, etc.
Bake an additional 5 minutes or so, with the cover on (if your grill has a cover), or until the filling is hot and the cheese is melting. Adjust the temperature of the grill if the bottom is browning too quickly. And, move the pizza around on the grill if one side or the other starts to get too brown on the bottom. Repeat the grilling process with the other pizza.
Review: If I can help it I will try to make these every time we have burgers or cold cuts in the future. They were so easy to make and the end result is just fantastic. They have the right taste and the right texture for burger or a sandwich. I tried to keep track of the time when I started (about 8:30ish am) and the time I finished (just before Noon) to see how long they really take me to make. This way I know if I can squeeze in making them before our next bbq. Check out the link above to the recipe because on that page they give you some tips on making these. Also they give you a great way of how to shape them which I am going to try next time to see if I can get them to be more even in shape. This one is a keeper for sure!
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) lukewarm water
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons honey, molasses or maple syrup
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat Flour
1 tablespoon King Arthur Whole-Grain Bread Improver, optional
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, chopped*
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped*
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
*A quick whirl in the food processor does the job nicely.
To prepare the dough: Combine all of the ingredients, and mix them till you have a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead till fairly smooth. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.
Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch bread pan. Cover the pan with a proof cover or lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for about 1 hour, till it's crowned about 1 inch over the rim of the pan.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking. Yield: 1 loaf.
Review: In the book's recipe it mentions something about using a bread machine...the one above which is from the website does not. I asked the baker's hot-line about it and they said it was ok to use the bread machine which is what I did. So from that sense it is a very easy bread to make because you just put all the ingredients into the machine and let it do it's work on the dough cycle. I used molasses this time because I knew out of the three choices that is what Mike would want but next time I might use honey instead. It was a great tasting bread and very yummy when I made a tuna sandwich with it but I felt it needs a tiny bit of sweetness which I think the honey might give it. I think this one is a keeper and I would love to see if I could make it into mini loafs because it reminds me of something you can get at restaurant that brings mini loafs to the table.
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour OR Mellow Pastry Blend
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cinnamon chips
cinnamon-sugar, for topping
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beating till smooth. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour, covered, then stir in the baking powder and cinnamon chips.
Spoon the batter into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon-sugar.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until it tests done; a cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Note: Don't slice the bread while it's hot! It'll slice much better when it's completely cool. Yield: 1 loaf.
Monkeying Around Bread
Black and White Biscotti King Arthur Flour
| 1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan |
| 2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies. |
| 3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth. |
| 4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth. |
| 5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips. |
| 6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan. |
| 7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving. |
Bread hot out of the oven
Glamour shot outside in the natural light.
English Muffin Toasting Bread| 1) Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast in a large mixing bowl. |
| 2) Combine the milk, water, and oil in a separate, microwave-safe bowl, and heat to between 120°F and 130°F. The liquid will feel very hot (hotter than lukewarm), but not so hot that it would scald you. As a reference point, the hottest water from your kitchen tap is probably around 120°F (unless your tap water is so hot that it burns you). |
| 3) Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. |
| 4) Beat at high speed for 1 minute. The dough will be very soft. |
| 5) Lightly grease an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal. |
| 6) Scoop the soft dough into the pan, leveling it in the pan as much as possible. |
| 7) Cover the pan, and let the dough rise till it's just barely crowned over the rim of the pan. When you look at the rim of the pan from eye level, you should see the dough, but it shouldn't be more than, say, 1/4" over the rim. This will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour, if you heated the liquid to the correct temperature and your kitchen isn't very cold. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F. |
| 8) Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 20 to 22 minutes, till it's golden brown and its interior temperature is 190°F. |
| 9) Remove the bread from the oven, and after 5 minutes turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. Let the bread cool completely before slicing. |
I am not authorized to give out any details of what goes into the recipe because it is a family secret. Believe me if I was allowed to give it out I would because I took pictures of the whole process from beginning to end. Mostly for myself because Mama doesn't cook using measurements...it is a little bit of this and what you need to around out that...mixed with years and years of experience. I figured if I took pictures of what we did I would have a reference point to go back too. 
We made them on Tuesday and Mama was going to shape them on Wednesday. Tomorrow we are going to go back to cook and eat them. I always knew the reason we don't get this too often is because it is a long processes. After making them with her and I only did one part you realize how much time goes into them. I think this is like one of the traditional some families have where everyone gathers around to make Chinese dumplings or raviolis or something like that.
Pan Cubano
| Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment. |
| 2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy. |
| 3) Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts, and the egg; scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. |
| 4) Add the flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed until the mixture is evenly moistened. |
| 5) Place the 3/4 cup sugar in a large plastic bag, or in a shallow pan. Scoop the dough by tablespoonfuls into the sugar, rolling them in the pan or gently shaking them in the bag to coat them with the sugar. |
| 6) Place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2" between them. |
| 7) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges of the cookies will just barely begin to brown. |
| 8) Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely. |
One thing I love about March is the holiday St. Patrick's Day. It always inspires me to make some Irish Soda Bread. This year I decided to make King Arthur's American Style Soda Bread. Sorry no pictures. Mike wanted to start eating it 5 minutes after it came out of the oven.
Irish Soda Bread, American Style
4 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 1/2 cups raisins
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients; set aside. In another bowl, cream together the butter or margarine, eggs and sugar till light and fluffy.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients alternately with the milk. Stir in the caraway seeds and raisins.
Spoon the batter into a greased deep (9 x 4-inch round) cake pan or springform pan, or a deep angel-food or tube pan. Bake the bread in a preheated 325°F oven for about 1 1/2 hours (less in a tube or angel-food pan), or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool on a wire rack. Yield: 1 sweet, moist, crumbly-textured loaf.
My Review: I didn't have a deep 9x4 round cake pan so I used to 9x4 loaf pans. It was easy to make and very tasty. Since it had a generous amount of butter in it and you need to spread any one. I though this recipe tasted great and is very moist, but I kind of like the dry version a little more. This came out more like a cake than bread. But I would make it again.
