Apple Onion Puff

Whenever I see a picture of food and it has puff pastry in it, I always want to eat it immediately.  Unfortunately, I had a bad experience with puff pastry when I accidentally set fire to my boyfriend’s oven.  It was a minor fire, but his housemates were not too pleased about the failed experiment and I haven’t used puff pastry since.  I decided to try to start forgiving puff pastry by using prepared sheets of it instead of making it myself. I wanted to make little appetizer bite for New Year’s Eve and puff pastry seemed like the simplest way to do that.  I just put a few things on top that I thought sounded good and baked them according to the directions.  It was very simple and, I’m proud to say, there were no fires.

I wanted these to be a more savory than sweet so they would be a nice little appetizer instead of dessert.  I used onion, cheddar cheese, and apple on top of a square of puff pastry.  These little bites would be great for a party as an appetizer.  They are flavorful and can be eaten easily as finger food.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry (I got mine from Trader Joe’s)

1/2 red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium apple

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili powder

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 15-20 minutes

Servings: 18 3″x3″ squares

Cooking Instructions:

If using frozen puff pastry, remove from the freezer to begin defrosting.  Cut the onion into thin slices.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic powder, and chili powder.  Saute the onions until they are soft and browning.  Remove from heat.  Slice the apple into thin slices.  Cut the puff pastry into 3″x3″ squares.  If using  Trader Joe’s puff pastry sheets, this would be 9 squares per sheet.  Gently press the tines of a fork around the inside of the squares leaving about a half inch margin.  Preheat the oven to whatever temperature specified by the puff pastry instructions (I baked mine at 400°F).  Place a small portion of the onion in the middle of each square topped with a slice of apple and followed by about a tablespoon of cheddar cheese.  Place the squares onto a lightly buttered cooking sheet using two if necessary. Bake for the time specified (mine said 15 minutes, but I baked them for about 20 minutes total).  Allow to cool and then enjoy!

Ciabatta

I recently tried to make focaccia bread.  It was delicious so I decided to try to make other sandwich breads too, like ciabatta.  I looked at the recipe for ciabatta and saw that you needed something called a “biga” that you had to prepare a day in advanced.  “Nope, not for me.  Too advanced,” my brain said.  Then Adventurous Holly (who made her appearance after sampling the skittles vodka) impulsively decided to start the biga.  I’m now going to take this moment and thank Adventurous Holly.  This ciabatta was delicious and not as difficult as I thought it would be.  So, thanks, Adventurous Holly.  The lesson I learned is one you can too:  Making ciabatta is like making any other bread, but you start it much earlier than normal.

There are many breads that require starters like the biga for ciabatta.  Sourdough is probably the most well known.  In my searchings about biga, I found that a biga is used to make the bread chewier and add some flavor as well.

Making a biga is really simple.  It only sounds intimidating because it’s a weird word and requires planning.  It’s easy to plan though.  If you have a day off, start the biga the night before.  The biga takes 5 minutes to set up at the most so it isn’t a big deal.  I promise it’s fine.  The bread is so delicious, it’s worth the little bit of extra effort

This bread had the perfect light fluffy interior and a perfect crunchy outside.  I had never had homemade ciabatta and it’s infinitely better than store bought. I think the main difference is the crust.  This crust has a great texture and has that crunching sound you want to hear when you bite into ciabatta.  Perfection in bread.

Recipe: (original here, but I found this to be confusing and I hope I can clarify things here)

Ingredients:

Printable Version

Biga:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup water

1/4 tsp yeast

Dough:

1/4 cup water (plus extra if dough is dry)

2 tbsp olive oil

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp nonfat dry milk

1 tsp yeast

Active time: 25 minutes

Inactive time: 20 hours

Servings: 12 servings

Cooking Instructions:

Start the biga about 12-15 hours before you want to begin making the bread.  In a bread machine or an electric mixer combine the ingredients for the biga.  Mix until fully combined (about 5 minutes).  If using a bread machine, set to dough and then stop once combined.  Allow to rest for 12-15 hours.  It will rise a bit and then start to sink.  This is when you want to use the biga.  The biga will big liquidy and bubbly.

To start the dough, combine the biga and the other dough ingredients into the bread machine pan or the electric mixer bowl.  If using a bread machine, set to dough cycle and start.  If using an electric mixer, use a dough hook and a low setting to mix for 5-8 minutes and then let rise for 1 hour.  The dough should be sticky and tacky.  It should not be liquid, but it should be close.  Add water or flour as necessary.  Whenever you handle the dough, wet your hands with water or oil to prevent it from sticking to you.  Half way through the rising time turn the dough over in the pan or bowl.  This will be tricky because it’s so sticky, but just do your best.

Cover a cutting board in plastic wrap and cover the plastic wrap with oil.  Cover two cookie sheets with oil (I only had one and all my bread baked into each other.  Bad call, use two).  Remove the bread from the bread machine or mixing bowl after the rising cycle is complete or it has risen for 1 hour and place on the cutting board.  Divide the dough into 6 equal parts for large sandwich rounds or 12 for smaller sandwich rounds.  Place half on one cookie sheet and the other half on the other cookie sheet.  Shape the dough by pushing and pulling the edges of the dough until it is shaped how you want.  It won’t be perfect, so don’t try.

Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.  Uncover and (with wet fingers) poke holes gently into the dough.  This will give it a more rustic look.  Recover with freshly oiled plastic wrap and let rise for another hour.  Preheat the oven to 425°F.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the baking sheet and turn off the oven.  Place the bread back in the oven and crack the oven open while it cools.  Allowing the bread to bake this way will create a crunchier crust (maybe take one out to munch on while the rest crisp up).  Remove from oven and enjoy.  And don’t forget to go for second helpings!

Crumbly Pepperjack Garlic Bread

Yes, this is another cheese bread. This one is my boyfriend’s recipe, and it’s also everyone’s favorite.  I don’t know how he got so lucky.  He makes one thing and it’s a hit, while I have to fail a few times before I get a success.  This bread is soft and cheesy and will be gone before you know it.  If you’re bringing it to share, you should make two loaves so you have one when you get home because you’re going to want it

This bread is really easy and quick to make.  No kneading required and no rise time.  This would be a great loaf for people who want to start baking.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2-1/2 tbsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp salt

3 cups flour

1 cup shredded cheese (I used pepperjack, but cheddar has also been successful)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

1-1/2 cups milk

1/4 cup canola oil

1 egg

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 55 minutes

Servings: Makes 1 9″x5″ loaf (serving size in nutrition facts is 1/8 of the loaf)

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine all the wet ingredients (milk, oil, egg) in a small mixing bowl. Combine all the dry ingredients (baking powder, salt, flour, cheese, sugar, and garlic powder) in a larger mixing bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just moistened (until there are no more dry spots of just flour, but no more). Pour into a 9″x3″ bread pan and spread out until even.  Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the knife comes out clean.  Let cool on a wire rack  for 5 minutes.   Eat and don’t forget to go for second helpings!

 

Whole Wheat Breadsticks

First of all, I’d like to thank people that have been pinning my posts on Pinterest.  It’s a great way to spread the recipes around, and I want you to know that I appreciate it.  I will be pinning all of my recipes on my board here so if you want to re-pin those pins, that’s fine.  If you don’t know what Pinterest is, you should click here.  It’s a useful tool for finding new ideas and sharing yours.  Now on to the story and recipe!

This week, my boyfriend’s mom had us over for a soup night.  I was in charge of bringing bread.  I, of course, brought made the favorite crumbly bread (recipe to come!).  As it was baking, I thought, “How are we going to dip a crumbly bread into soup?  This makes no sense.  It will fall apart into the soup!”  So I decided to make some breadsticks to go along with the other bread.  One to dip and one to eat on the side.  It turns out that these are PERFECT for a delicious hot soup.  They are strong enough to scoop chunky soups and soft enough to soak up creamy soups.

 

I actually didn’t use my bread machine to make these breadsticks.  I know you all are very surprised since I have a mild bread machine addiction.  I wanted to make sure I was doing it right so I found a useful video to help me with my kneading.  My dough was stiffer than in the video, but it was still a good reference tool.  I ended up adding a little more water to my dough so that I could knead it more easily.  I added about a ¼ cup more than what I have listed below.

 

Recipe:

Printable Version

Ingredients:

1 cup water (plus extra if needed)

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups wheat flour

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic powder (optional)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

Makes: 16 breadsticks

Cooking Instructions:

Stir the yeast in the milk and water until mostly dissolved in a large mixing bowl.  Add the honey and salt and continue to mix until the yeast and honey are completely dissolved.  Stir in both types of flour and mix until a ball of dough forms.  Add more water if the dough is extremely stiff (again, I added about ¼ cup).

Remove from the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until you can gently press on the dough with two fingers and have the indentations stay.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.  Roll the pieces out until they are about an inch around.  Grease a cookie sheet lightly and place the breadsticks on the sheet.

Melt the butter and add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder to the butter.  Brush the butter mixture over the breadsticks.  Preheat the oven to 400ºF and let the breadsticks rest while the oven preheats.

Once the oven preheats, bake for 20-25 minutes.  Check after 15 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet and let cook on a wire rack for a few minutes.  Enjoy immediately or reheat in the microwave and serve with soup. Don’t forget to go for second helpings!

Pita (or Pitta)

This post is part 2 in a series leading up to the greatest stuffed pita of all time.  The first recipe was piquillo pepper hummus and the last is stuffed pita.  This hummus is amazingly and so simple.  If you have time to make these pitas, you have time to make the hummus.  You really need to try it.  You’ll thank me.  The second recipe is for pita.

Pita bread is common in the Mediterranean area and is used as a pseudo spoon to scoop dips or sauces.  It’s puffed up and has  a pocket in the middle that makes them perfect for  stuffing with sandwich like ingredients.  The possibilities are endless when you have a pita.  Whatever your favorite sandwich is, you can turn it into a stuffed pita and make it even better.  Although making any kind of bread takes time, the out come is amazing and I would recommend this recipe.

Recipe for the Pita (Pitta):

Printable version

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 tbsp olive oil

3 cups all purpose flour, plus some for sprinkling

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp yeast

Active Time: 30 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hours 45 minutes

Makes: 15- 4″ pitas

Cooking Instructions:

Using a bread machine place all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order specified by your manufacturer.  If you aren’t sure, it’s common to place them from wet to dry (the order that I have them listed).  Set to dough.  Add water if the dough appears too dry (I added about a teaspoon of water and my dough was perfect after that).  If you do not have a bread machine, mix the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook or by hand and knead for at least 10 minutes.  Let rest in a warm area for 1 hour.

When the dough cycle (or resting time) has finished, divide the dough into 15 equal parts.  For larger pitas, divide the dough into fewer parts.  Shape each part into a ball. Cover the balls with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  If you have a baking stone place it in the oven to preheat as well.  Roll each ball into a circle or an oval about 1/4″ thick (very thin).  Cover again with a damp paper towel and let rest for 15 minutes.

Move the pitas to the stone or place on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or until they are puffy and lightly browned.  I had to bake mine in parts so make sure that you give your oven time to reheat from opening and closing the door.  Transfer the finished pitas to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy with hummus, stuffed, or plain.  And don’t forget to go for second helpings!

English Muffins!

More bread!  Also, two posts in a week!  Also also, english muffins are very photogenic.

I got the idea to make english muffins from my favorite bread book that I posted about yesterday.  The recipe in the book called for fresh yeast and different kinds of flour that I didn’t have so I went online looking for a different recipe.  I found one on a flour company’s website and decide to use it to make these muffins. They were so much fun to make and were very delicious as well.  I had one (or two…or three….) yesterday and another for breakfast this morning.  They toasted well and were perfect with jam and peanut butter.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup lukewarm milk (nonfat)

1/2 large egg, lightly beaten (more on this below)

1 tbsp butter

2 cups of all purpose flour (plus extra for

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp instant yeast

yellow cornmeal, not in dough only for sprinkling

Active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 2 hours

Servings:  Makes about 15-3″ english muffins

Cooking instructions:

Place all the ingredients (except the cornmeal)  in the bread machine following the instructions specific to your machine.  As I’ve said before, mine says to put in the wet ingredients followed by the dry ingredients, but machines vary.  If your machine is like mine you can just put the ingredients in the order I’ve listed the above.  I had some issues getting just 1/2 of the beaten egg so I ended up adding a little extra egg.  My dough ended up being very sticky so I added about 1/2 cup of flour.  I’m not sure if this is just because I failed at using 1/2 and egg or if this is a common problem. Set the machine to dough and let it run its course.

Once the cycle is complete, remove the dough on a surface sprinkled with cornmeal.  Roll the dough out until it is about 1/2″ thick.  Imperfection is fine, but the different thicknesses will cook slightly different so just be aware.  Cut the dough using a 3″ circle.  I don’t have cookie cutters (no idea why) so I ended up using a brandy sniffer.  It worked pretty well.  Reroll the remaining dough and cut again.  Cover the muffins with a damp paper towel and allow to rise for about 20 more minutes.

Heat a griddle to a low-medium heat.  Sprinkle cornmeal on the griddle. Place the muffins on the griddle cornmeal side down.   Each side should take about 3 minutes to brown.  If your muffins are browning too fast or too slowly, adjust the heat as necessary.  Once both sides are browned, remove the muffin and allow to cool (if you can!) on a wire rack.

To get the “nooks and crannies” that are in classic english muffins, just cut the edge of the muffin with a serrated knife and tear the muffin open with your fingers.  Spread on whatever topping you want or eat plain. And don’t forget to go for second helpings!

Onion Cheese Bread

Last post I hinted that I would be making pasta for my next recipe.  If you read the title, you may realize that this isn’t pasta.  That is because I epic failed at making it.  Pasta and I aren’t talking for a while.  Especially the stupid butternut squash ravioli kind….  The problems first started when I ran out of all purpose flour in the middle and tried to add some whole wheat flour to substitute.  This trick, which normally works well in bread recipes, did not work at all.  The pasta was weird and chewy and looked very frightening.  No good.  I’ll try again, but I moved on and made some bread instead.

This bread was pretty good and made a huge loaf.  I’ll definitely be making it again soon.  I’m experimenting with my camera and different lighting techniques so I don’t have many pictures that turned out well, above is one I really liked.

I got this recipe from a book that I literally have not been able to find anywhere.  I got it on clearance at Borders for my boyfriend a couple of years ago as a present and I have been looking for one for myself ever since then.  He eventually just gave it back to me, but there was a sad time when I didn’t have the book or it’s delicious recipes.  I think that it’s this one but there’s another book by the same name.  It’s very confusing.  Either way, I have the recipe with my modifications below.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

4 to 4-1/2 cups flour

2-1/4 tsp yeast

1 tsp mustard powder

2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

2/3 cups lukewarm milk

2/3 cups lukewarm water

1 tbsp butter, melted

Active time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 2.5 hours (in the down time I made my own light box)

Servings:  Makes 1 humongous loaf

Cooking instructions:

Saute the onions in the olive oil until they begin to brown.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  In a bread machine pan,* combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter and 1/2 cup of cheese, following the instructions from your machine.  Mine have always said to put in the wet ingredients the the dry ingredients, but I guess that’s not always the case.  Set to dough. The dough should not be sticky so you should add more flour until you can touch the dough without it sticking to you.  Add about 1/8 of a cup at a time and allow it to fully mix in before adding more.  I added about another 1/2 a cup.

*If you don’t have a bread machine you can use a stand mixer or your hands.  Just combine the wet ingredients together.  Then combine the dry ingredients.  Mix them together and knead for about 10 minutes adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky.  Allow the dough to rise for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, knock it back.  Divide the dough into roughly 20 equal parts.  I did this by first dividing it in half, then quarters, then attempting to divide those into five somewhat equal parts.  It’s ok if it’s not perfect because it’ll make the bread look more interesting.  Spray a 10×5″ bread tin with cooking spray or oil.  Shape the 20 parts into balls (again, it’s ok if it’s not perfect).  Place half of the balls into the bottom of the tray.  Brush the tops of the balls with half the butter.  Put the remaining balls on top.  Top those balls with the remaining butter.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm spot for about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top until it has reached your desired cheesiness level (Side note:  cheesiness is a real word.  I totally thought I made it up).  Bake for 40 minutes.  If the loaf is still not done as determined by a knife or toothpick, cover the top with tin foil to prevent browning and bake for however much longer in 5 minute increments.  I had to bake mine for 55 minutes total.

Remove from the oven and let cool.  You can slice the bread or pull off the balls you rolled up.  I went the tear off route like pull apart bread.  It was super yummy.   I dipped mine in leftover carrot soup and it was so delicious. This would be a fun bread to bring to a party and share with many people because you can tear off bits and enjoy it with many people.

Asiago Bagels (with high altitude adjustments)

Wait!  Don’t panic!  These are actually really easy!  Now to resume with the regularly scheduled blog.

I guess I lied last week when I said I would always post on Wednesday.  With Thanksgiving and my boyfriend’s birthday, things got a little busy.  I’ll try again next week (I got a pasta roller during the sales for Black Friday and I’m very excited to use it).  In other news, I’m back with my family in Colorado!  Things have been great with lots of food, laughs, and overall a good time.  I have a younger brother and sister that were both home too so the whole family is here.  Tomorrow I get to see my brother dive for the first time since I moved to Phoenix.  I here he’s gotten really good.  It’s always fun to watch him flip and twirl in the air; it’s so elegant.  Everything is going really well (except I miss my kitty and my boyfriend!).

AGAIN, I PROMISE THESE ARE EASY.  Sorry, that felt necessary.  Ahem.  Anyway.

Before I moved to Phoenix, I was mildly obsessed with making bread.  So, my brother and sister both requested I make bread, specifically Asiago bagels.  I couldn’t say no.  Below is the recipe and how I made them.  Since I’m near Denver now, I made some adjustments for high altitude (more water).  As always, the nutrition facts are at the bottom of the post.

Recipe

(makes 8- 3″ bagels)

1 cups warm water (plus 2-1/2 tbsp for high altitude)

3 cups flour

1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese  (Next time I’m planning on using 3/4 cups to make them a little cheesier.  Feel free to do whatever you like.  You can even omit the cheese and make plain bagels.)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 packet or 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

water for boiling (about 3 quarts)

3 tbsp sugar to add to boiling water

cornmeal to sprinkle on baking sheet

1 egg white for topping

extra Asiago for topping

Add the first 6 ingredients to the bread machine pan (water, flour, cheese, salt, sugar, yeast) and set to dough or remove after the second kneading.  You can also mix the ingredients yourself by doing a slow knead for 10 minutes,  knead quickly for 20 minutes,  let rise for 1 hour in a warm area.

Remove the dough from the bread pan and separate into 8 equal parts.  I did this by rolling it into a log of approximately uniform length and then cutting it into quarters and then halving the quarters.  They still didn’t end up very equal, but they were all delicious.

Roll each piece into a roll.  Stick your thumb in the center of the roll to make a hole.  Spin the bagel around your finger to widen the hole.  Set the bagels under a wet paper towel for about half an hour.  Bring the water for boiling to a boil and add the sugar.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place the bagel into the boiling water for 30 seconds, flip, and let it  boil for an additional 30 seconds.  Pull the bagel out and set it on a dry paper towel.  Do this for all 8 bagels.

Sprinkle the cornmeal onto a baking stone or baking sheet.  Transfer the bagels to the baking stone/sheet.  Check on the bagels at 20 minutes and add an additional 5 minutes until golden brown (as my sister put it “bagel colored”).  I ended up baking mine for 25 minutes

Set on a cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes.  These taste good warm, but I think they taste even better after they cool for a long time (maybe an hour).  They get that chewy bagel texture that I love.  Enjoy these bagels and do not forget to always go for second helpings!

Sugar Free Banana Bread (and review of a no calorie sweetener)

Most people have their typical banana bread recipe that they always go to when they want banana bread.  I got this one from my mom.  It’s the banana bread I had growing up.  I was surprised to see that it required 2 cups of sugar to make 2 loaves of the delicious treat.  “I’m never going to be able to have this banana bread!” my mind complained.  I went to the store to get the rest of my groceries and spotted some no calorie sweetener for baking.  Since I was really craving banana bread, I decided to try it out.  It’s just the off brand Kroger kind, so it was cheaper.

So, in addition to the recipe and how to make the bread, I’m going to review the no calorie sweetener I used.  The recipe and nutrition facts are still here and just them is the review.  I won’t lie to you, even with the zero calorie sweetener, this bread should still be thought of as a desert type bread.  It has a lot of oil in it.  It’s super delicious, but not especially healthy.

As a side note, the mini loafs would make a great holiday present for coworkers or other acquaintances.    The mini loafs are very quick to make and come out amazingly delicious.  Minimal effort for maximal reward is the best way to go.

Recipe

1 cup canola oil
4 large eggs
6 very ripe (almost all brown) bananas, mashed up.
2 tsp baking soda
1-1/4 cup whole wheat flour (can use regular white flour if you want)
1-1/4 cup white flour
2 tsp salt
2 cups baking sweetener (kroger brand)

Servings: Makes 2 large loafs or 6 mini 3X6″ loafs

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Baking time: 50 for the large loafs, 25-30 for the small loafs.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Mix the banana mash with the eggs and canola oil and mix well.  I mixed by hand, but using an electric mixer will help ensure that all the bread has no banana chunks in it.  In a separate bowl, combine both types of flour, sweetener, salt, and baking soda.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix again.  Grease two 9″ x 5″ or 6 mini 3″ x 6″ bread pans with left over oil.  Pour about half of the mixture into each of the pans.  Put in the oven for about 50 minutes for the large loafs or 25 minutes for the mini loafs.  Check with a knife or toothpick to ensure that they are done.  Baking times will vary especially you have very large bananas or one pan didn’t get as much batter as the other, so be sure to watch them carefully after 45 minutes or 20 minutes.  Once the knife comes out clean, let them cool for a little bit.  Enjoy.

This bread was super yummy.  Even my kitty wants to have a bite (I gave him a little bit to see if he liked it and he wouldn’t leave me alone afterwards!).

Nutrition facts:

Servings Per Recipe: 16 (2 loaves of bread with 8 slices)
Amount Per Serving:

Calories – 245.9

Total Fat – 15.4 g

Saturated fat – 1.5g

Cholesterol – 46.3 mg

Sodium – 466.1 mg

Total Carbs – 25.1 g

Dietary Fiber – 2.5 g

Sugar – 5.5 g

Protein – 4.2 g

Review:

The bread was AMAZING!  Complaints I’ve heard about using an artificial sweetener instead of sugar is that baked goods don’t brown as well.  As you can see from the pictures, the bread browned beautifully.  The baking time was a little longer than I expected, but I’m not sure if this was due to the sweetener or being at a different altitude than normal.  Either way, the bread was sweetened perfectly and the texture was fine.  I would use this sweetener all the time if I had to.  One draw back is that it was fairly expensive, especially when compared to regular sugar.  It was about $5 for this small bag which has a little bit more than 4 cups in it.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

I love pizza.  I think that pretty much everyone loves pizza.  The major problem with pizza is that it’s too delicious and has about a zillion calories.  I tried to create a pizza dough that you can use with any toppings that’s healthier than a frozen pizza or take out but just as yummy.   At first, I was just using regular flour, but I thought today that I’d try to make it a little healthier by making it whole wheat.  It turned out really well!  It didn’t taste different from the white crust and it’s healthier.

Do you know why whole wheat items are healthier for you than white items?  This is a little bit of biology so if you are scared of science, you can just skip this paragraph and get right to the recipe.  If you want to know, read on.  While they can have the same amount of calories, whole wheat items have a lower glycemic index (GI) than white.  This means that  it takes longer to break down the carbohydrates and release glucose (sugar) into the blood stream.  Then your pancreas doesn’t have to work as hard to make insulin to break down that glucose so you are less likely to get diabetes later.  Basically whole wheat = less diabetes.  Hooray!

Enjoy this pizza, and don’t be worried about going in for second helpings.

Special tips are in italics.  Nutrition facts are at the bottom.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

1-1/3 cup lukewarm water (warm to touch, but not too hot)

1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour (if you don’t have this, you can use all purpose flour)

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

3 tsp active dry yeast

Prep time: 30 minutes

Inactive time: 1.5 hours

Servings: Makes 4-12″ pizzas.  1 serving = 1/2 pizza

If you have a bread machine, put all the ingredients in the pan.  Most suggest doing it wet first then dry and yeast last.  You can just dump them in the pan in the order that I listed them above and that should work.  If you don’t have a bread machine then here’s what Bobby Flay has to say about the matter in his pizza dough recipe on foodnetwork.com (this is the recipe I started with).  Or you could just do what my bread machine does: slow knead for 10 minutes,  knead quickly for 20 minutes,  let rise for 1 hour in a warm area.

After your dough has risen remove it from the pan or bowl and knock it back (punch it a little).  Now would be a good time to preheat the oven to 450°F.  Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.  Roll or pat each part into a ball.  I find that patting by holding it in one hand and hitting it with the other it works better than rolling it.  Maybe I’m a bad ball roller, but patting it works for me.  If your dough is a little dry at this point, moisten your hands with a little water and then work with the dough.  Next, I use a rolling pin and try my hardest to flatten it into a circle.  I always seem to mess this up.  My pizzas are lopsided.  As long as the dough is an even thickness, then it should be fine.  Roll up the ends a little to make a crust if you want.  At this point I recommend putting the extra pizza dough in the freezer.  I separate the crusts with some wax paper so they don’t stick and then put them in a ziplock bag.

Now top the pizza with sauce, cheese, and whatever goodies you want.  If you want part of it to be veggie and part of it to be meat, you can do that since you’re making it yourself!  So convenient, isn’t it?  And you know that no one is going to mess it up.  I did a red sauce I bought from Fresh & Easy, mozzarella cheese, sliced crimini mushrooms, and turkey on half.  If you use mushrooms, you will end up with water on your pizza since the mushrooms dry out and leak a little.  Don’t worry, you can just dab it off.   Sprinkle some more corn meal on a pizza stone or a baking sheet and place your pizza on the stone/sheet.  Place in the oven for 15 minutes.  Let the pizza cool before you cut it.  Seriously.  Pizza burns hurt.

Now you can enjoy your awesome creation.

Nutrition Facts

8 Servings (1 serving = ½ pizza, crust only)

Amount Per Serving:

Calories  –  282

Total Fat  –  8 g

          Saturated Fat  –  1 g

Cholesterol  –  0 mg

Sodium  –  585 mg

Potassium  –  51 mg

Total Carbohydrate  –  47 g

          Dietary Fiber  –  4.5 g

          Sugars  –  0.6 g

Protein  –  7.4 g