Homemade Pizza Dough

Believe it or not, up until a few months ago I had never really baked a day in my life. Sure I dabbled with a few cookie recipes over the years but I always found myself returning to the good old ‘break and bake’s’. And sure I could make one hell of an apple pie but my crust was always store bought. And why on earth would anyone hassle with making homemade biscuits when you can get them from one of those groovy cans that pop when you take the wrapper off? All this changed this past November when my Aunt sent me the recipe for my Great Grandmother’s pie crust.

Since I moved away from the frozen tundra, also known as upstate New York, when I was only five I don’t have too many memories of back home. However there was one thing I could always count on, Aunt Ellie’s killer pies. And it wasn’t just the filling she put in there, it was the crust…buttery, a little salty and that killer flake that no store bought crust could ever compare to. Unfortunately I’m not here to share a pie recipe, I have been sworn to secrecy and I am pretty sure the family would disown me if I posted it, but what I realized when making that crust was ‘what is all the fuss about?’

For years I dreaded baking, it was too scientific for me. Different types of flours, precise measurements and don’t even get me started on the whole letting dough rise thing…it just seemed like way too much work. But after spending enough time in the kitchen, sampling one recipe after another I realized they would never be truly amazing until every part of it was homemade. So that meant having a go to red sauce for pastas, my own chicken stock for soups and now my own dough for pizzas!

The best part about this dough is it only needs an hour to rise so you can have homemade pizzas fresh out of the oven in less then and hour and half. As for how you cook your pizza a quick search online will give you a ton of different suggestions. You can throw them on the grill, toss them in the oven or cook them in a cast iron skillet. I choose the skillet method because I wanted that extra crispy crust but if you prefer one over the other please share your thoughts in the comments below. Either way, homemade pizzas are a great way to get the entire family in the kitchen sharing ideas and spending time together!

Homemade Pizza Dough
Yields enough for 3 to 4 medium pizzas, or one half sheet pan

1 ¼ cup warm water
1 packet (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large measuring cup add the yeast, water, sugar and olive oil and mix well. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. In a large bowl add the flour creating a well in the middle. After 10 minutes add the yeast mixture to the well you made in the flour and gradually bring the flour in from the sides of the bowl with a fork. Toss in the salt and keep mixing until the dough comes together. Continue to knead the dough by hand until you have a smooth, springy dough.

Wash out your bowl and dry thoroughly. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the bowl and make sure that the bottom and all sides are greased. Transfer your dough back to the bowl, turning once to ensure it is evenly coated with the oil. Cover with a damp towel and transfer to a cool oven to rise for 1 hour.

Lightly flour your counter and transfer the dough on its surface. Gently deflate the dough with your hands. Cut the dough into thirds or quarters if making individual pizzas, these can be frozen for later use. If making a full sheet pan, leave the dough as is for a thicker crust or cut in half to be used for a thinner crust. Pat out the dough to your desired size.

If using the skillet method, preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat for at least 5 minutes and crank on the broiler in your oven to high, make sure the rack is at its highest setting. Let the oven heat up for a good 10 – 15 minutes. Transfer the dough to a floured cutting board and poke a few holes in the bottom. This will prevent bubbles from forming while cooking. Dress your pizza with your favorite toppings, we choose a little red sauce, fresh mozzarella, some torn basil, a couple slices of prosciutto then drizzled the whole thing with a little olive oil. Carefully slide your pizza off of the cutting board and into the preheated skillet and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from the stove top and transfer to the oven to finish cooking, another 2-3 minutes.

If using the sheet pan method, line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil and lightly oil it. Crank the broiler in your oven to high and again make sure the rack is in its highest setting. Let the oven heat up for a good 10 – 15 minutes. Dress the pizza on the pan and then toss into the oven, cooking time will very but should be no longer then 5 minutes. Keep checking to make sure the edges are nice and brown and the cheese is toasty.

Remove your pizza the oven and using a spatula transfer the pizza back to your cutting surface. Slice into wedges or squares and garnish with fresh parmesan cheese and some crushed red pepper flakes.

Ooey, Gooey Granola Bars

Alright health food nuts, this ones for you! I don’t know about you but I whole heartedly adore granola, whether is big, gooey bars for a mid day snack or crumbled up in my yogurt for breakfast it’s something I pretty much eat on a daily basis. Only problem is, majority of the stuff tastes like cardboard and the brands that are half way decent cost and arm and a leg. I don’t know about you, but these days I’m saving every penny I can get my hands on so thus began my mission…to create homemade granola bars that aren’t just budget friendly but flavor packed as well. Yes my friends, this is what granola is supposed to taste like!

This is probably the most adaptable recipe you can find out there, and where you can get your creative juices flowing! Experiment each time you make these with different types of nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, etc. Let your mind run wild and make a different batch each week! Also important to note is that these bars freeze wonderfully.

Ooey, Gooey, Granola Bars
Makes 10 bars

1 2/3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (now don’t go out and buy a bag of oat flour, simply put 1/3 cup of oats in the food processor or blender and process until finely ground)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
3 cups of dried fruits and nuts (my mix is 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1 cup dried cranberries, ½ cup sunflower seeds and ½ cup of semi sweet chocolate chips)
1/3 cup peanut butter (or almond butter or nutella, whatever you have on hand)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons of melted butter
¼ cup of honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (I use honey)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9x9 baking ban with a piece of parchment paper making sure the ends go all the way up the walls of the pan, then coat the pan with non stick cooking spray. This will help easily remove the bars from the pan once they are cooled.

Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl, including the dried fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl combine the peanut butter, vanilla, melted butter, honey or maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of corn syrup and water then whisk until well incorporated. Toss the wet ingredients in with the dry and combine until the ingredients are well coated and the mixture is nice and crumbly. Spread mixture into prepared pan and press firmly. I cover mine with a piece of plastic wrap first so as to keep the mixture in the pan and not all over my hands.

Pop the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the edges are nice a brown. Don’t be afraid to get a little color on these, it’s a sign that your nuts are getting nice and toasty…just make sure you don’t go too far and burn them. I find 40 minutes works perfect for my oven. The middle will seem a little under done when you take them out but don’t worry, they will firm up as they cool.

Now this is the hard part because they smell so good, let the bars cool in their pan on a cooling rack completely. This means at least 2 hours. However after about 30 minutes you can grab the edges of your parchment and lift the bars out of the pan to continue cooling. You want your bars to be completely room temperature before cutting into them, in fact I even pop mine into the fridge for a good 30 minutes just to be sure. Using a serrated knife, cut into desired sizes, if they start to crumble they’re not completely cool pop ‘em back in the fridge and try again in 15 minutes.

To store wrap bars individually in wax paper or stack in an airtight container. For us Florida folks I recommend keeping them in the fridge cause of all the humidity but those in cooler climates should be fine with leaving them out.