Homemade Pizza

Our neighbor gave us a gallon sized bag of pepperoni 

and load of mozzarella cheese. 

So, we decided to make pizza

You want quick and easy no-kneading artisan bread crust?  

We use this recipe when making pizza.

It's a breeze!

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread 

This recipe makes 4 1-pound loaves. You can double or half it. You can use a KitchenAid mixer. I mix mine by hand in a large bowl.

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups warm water 
• 1 1/2 T. yeast 
• 1 1/2 T. salt 
• 1 cup whole wheat flour 
• 5 1/2 cups unbleached flour 
• whole wheat flour to sprinkle on peel 

Mixing and storing the dough:
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit). Add the yeast and salt with the water in a 5 quart bowl.
2. Mix in remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, or kitchenAid with dough hook.
3. Cover, not airtight, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (about 2 hours) unlike traditional artisan bread, it will not hurt the dough to sit longer than this.
4. The dough can be used immediately but it will be easier to handle if you refrigerate three hours first. It can now be put in the fridge for up to 14 days.

When you are ready to bake: 
5. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (about the size of a grapefruit) piece. If making pizza - Place your ball of dough on to a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Dust with flour as needed (cooking spray is also handy) to roll-out or press-out with hands.  (After rolling, let the dough rest for just a few minutes before adding toppings.) If making bread - Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pan for 40 minutes.
6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place an empty broiler pan on the bottom rack and adjust shelves so that they will not interfere with the dough as it rises during baking (Broiler pan is not necessary for pizza.)
7. For bread, sprinkle loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before slicing.
8. Put bread in oven. Pour 1 cup HOT tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply brown and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. For pizza, I skip the hot water and I bake my pizza for 18 minutes at 450 degrees.
9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Double this recipe using The “6-3-3-13” rule: 6 cups water, 3 tablespoons salt, 3 tablespoons yeast, and then add 13 cups of flour. 

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Recipe for the perfect Artisan Five Minute Bread 

 Easy to follow instructions for mixing and storing the dough 

Your family is sure to love it!

Fresh Homemade Bread

 {LIFE Archive}

Traditional White Bread

This recipe from my daughter’s Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook (1996 edition) is my favorite bread recipe. I have made a few variations.

6 to 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar (I usually don't add the sugar)
1 tablespoons. Salt
2 packages regular or quick active dry yeast (I use 2 tablespoons yeast)
2 tablespoons shortening (I often don’t use shortening)
2 ¼ cups very warm water (120° to 130°)

Mix 3 ½ cups flour with yeast, sugar, and salt. Add shortening and hot water. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. (I use my Kitchenaid with the bread hook [for kneading] and mix on speed 2, for 5 minutes.) Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 40 to 60 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentions remain when toughed.

With shortening, grease bottoms and sides of 2 loaf pans, 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ or 9 x 5 x 3 inches.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Flatten each half with hands or rolling pin into rectangle, 18 x 9 inches, on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side, to form loaf. Press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Press each end with side of hand to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place 35 to 40 minutes or until double.

Move oven rack to low position so that the tops of the pans will be in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 425°.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with butter; cool.

Makes 2 loaves, 16 slices each. 90 calories per slice. (Loaves sliced into 10 slices – 144 calories per slice.)

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NOTE: To make my dinner rolls, I divide the dough into 24 pieces – shape into rolls and place in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake on center rack at 350° for 20 minutes. Cover lightly with aluminum foil to prevent tops from burning and bake 15 minutes more.

Cinnamon-Raison Bread: Stir in 1 cup raisins with the second addition of flour. Mix ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon. After rolling dough into rectangles, sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon water and half of the sugar mixture.

Fresh Herb Bread: Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves just before the second addition of flour.

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 Happy Baking!

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English Muffin Loaf

To Make these muffins, I used the English muffin loaf recipe (below) and cut out a couple of rounds from the dough before putting the dough into bread pans. They turned out as good as the actual English Muffin recipe.

    

I have been making this delicious recipe since 1987.

I love crunchy toasted English muffins spread with butter melting into the nooks and crannies, topped with honey or jam.

You can have the wonderful aroma a freshly baked English Muffin Loaf fill your kitchen while your coffee brews and you set your table for a pleasant weekend breakfast. Maybe you want just the fresh muffin loaf with your morning coffee or tea, or perhaps you would like an egg and maybe tater tots on the side.

However you like it, you can have it baked in a jiffy, with this easy no kneed recipe. Bread making has never been easier. If you start at 7:00 a.m. you can have fresh muffin loaf on the table by 8:20, and you really only spend the first 15 minutes mixing it up and setting it aside to rise.

English Muffin Loaf

2 Tablespoons active dry yeast

6 cups unsifted flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups milk

½ cup water

Cornmeal

Combine 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Heat liquids until very warm (120˚-130˚F) Add to flour mixture. Beat well. Stir in rest of flour to make a stiff batter. Spoon into 2 loaf pans (greased and sprinkled with cornmeal). Sprinkle the top of each loaf with cornmeal Cover and let rise in warm place for 45 minutes. Bake at 400˚ for 25 minutes. Remove immediately from pans and cool. Slice and toast or just eat it warm.

A couple of notes: I tend to let the milk get too hot, so I add my ½ cup of water after heating the milk. The dough is very sticky, so I let it set at least 5 minutes, which makes it easier to handle. I then use a large knife to cut the dough down the middle and I scoop it up by hand and plop it into the prepared pans. I warm my oven for 1 minute, turn oven off and place the bread to rise inside the warmed oven. Remove the loaves from the oven in about 35 minutes to heat oven to baking temperature.

Enjoy this delicious English muffin loaf right out of the oven, or bake it and toast it up later...perhaps for afternoon tea (Could you detect my English accent?).

♥ Hope

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Homemade English Muffins

I just love English muffins but seldom buy them because of the price.

This was my first try at making English muffins. I did not achieve the nooks and crannies that I had hoped for; however, if you us a fork to split the muffins, instead of a knife, they will have more texture. I am going to keep trying a few more things to see if I can find a solution to my problem.

Homemade English Muffins
(Roll and Cut Method)

Yields 12 to 14 three inch muffins
Prep: 45 minutes, total time about 2 hours

* 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
* 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
* 1/8 teaspoon sugar

Combine the active dry yeast, water, and sugar in a small bowl and allow it to stand until foamy, about 7 to 10 minutes.

* 2 teaspoon salt
* 1 egg
* 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups warm milk (around 95° to 100°)
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine 2 cups of flour and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Pour in the egg, milk, butter and yeast mixture. Stir with a spoon to combine. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, kneading on medium-low speed as you make the additions. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes after the last flour addition.

Place the dough inside a large greased bowl and turn the dough over so that the entire surface is coated. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

* Plain yellow corn meal for dusting

Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal. Pour the dough out of the bowl onto the surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with cornmeal and roll into a rectangle, slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. Cut muffins with a large round cutter, or with the mouth of a drinking glass.

Lightly oil a skillet and place it over medium heat. Place the muffins in the pan and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 5-7 minutes per side. (I had to cook mine on low so that they did not get too dark.)

Serve warm or split and toasted with jam and butter, or cool before placing them in an air-tight container. They will keep for 3 days air-tight or up to 1 month in the freezer.

You may use pastry rings or English muffin molds to help the muffins keep their round shape, but I tried the recipe both ways and found they did fine without the rings/molds.

English Muffins Recipe Source

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Homemade Bagels

Right now I am making bagels. I always wanted to make bagels but they seemed complicated and intimidating. A friend gave me this recipe some year ago, and it has become a favorite in my home.

A kitchenAid with the dough hook makes it easy to whip up this recipe quickly.

Homemade Bagels

Begin by mixing:

• 4 cups unbleached or bread flour
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 1 T. yeast

Add enough hot water to make all ingredients moist but not wet or sticky. Start with 1 1/4 cup and add up to 1/4 cup more as needed.

Knead for 10 minutes, or more if needed, until smooth.

Lay a sheet of wax paper on the counter and lightly spray with Pam at this point. Dump dough on a cutting board and cut into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a nice smooth ball. Then place on the sprayed waxed paper leaving space between balls.

Let dough rest 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, make a hole in the center. Poke a hole through the center of the ball, gently push the edges out to make to create a donut shape. Don't worry about the hold being too big. As the bagel rises the hole will shrink.

Let bagels rest another 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. Fill a pot about half way with water and set on the stove to boil. It should be wide and flat. Prepare baking sheets by spraying them with Pam. You will be able to fit about 6 to a standard baking sheet.

After resting period, gently flip bagel onto pancake turner and slide into boiling water. So it won’t lose its shape, you can set a pancake turner next to the bagel and then flip the bagel over onto the pancake turner.

Transfer the bagel into the water...just slide the whole thing into the water and the bagel will slip right off for you. Allow enough room for rising as they boil. You can boil 3 or 4 bagels at once. Boil 1 minute. Flip and boil 1 more minute.

Lift from pot with slotted spatula or slotted spoon and set on baking sheet.

At this point you can bake plain or add a topping.

Top your bagels with any combination of the following garnishes: poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt, or rehydrated dried onions or garlic. (Soak dried onions or garlic in water to cover for at least 1 hour before applying.) To give the bagels a nice golden color and also help the toppings stick even better, brush the top of each bagel with some egg yolk whisked up with a little water.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake 10 more minutes.

~~~♥~~~

Five Minutes a Day for Fresh-Baked Bread

You want quick and easy no-kneading artisan bread?

This recipe makes 4 1-pound loaves. You can double or half it. I mix mine in my kitchenAid, but it can also be mixed by hand in a large bowl.

• 3 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 T. yeast
• 1 1/2 T. salt
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 5 1/2 cups unbleached flour whole wheat flour to sprinkle on peel 

 Mixing and storing the dough:
1. mix the yeast and salt with the water in a 5 quart bowl.
2. Mix in remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, or kitchenAid with dough hook.
3. cover, not airtight, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (about 2 hours) Unlike traditional artisan bread, it will not hurt the dough to sit longer than this.
4. The dough can be used immediately but it will be easier to handle if you refrigerate three hours first. It can now be put in the fridge for up to 14 days.

When you are ready to bake:
5. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (about the size of a grapefruit) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pan for 40 minutes.
6. Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place an empty broiler pan on the bottom rack and adjust shelves so that they will not interfere with the dough as it rises during baking.
7. sprinkle loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross, scallop or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using serrated bread knife. Leave the flour in place for baking; tap some of it off before slicing.
8. Put bread in oven. Pour 1 cup HOT tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until deeply brown and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.
9. Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Recipe for the perfect Artisan Five Minute Bread

Easy to follow instructions for mixing and storing the dough

Your family is sure to love it!
~~~♥~~~

Drop Biscuits ~ Easiest Biscuits I Ever Made!

I grew up with this biscuit recipe. Growing up in a family of 15 children, we always had some sort of bread on the table, and these biscuits were served often.

Although this recipe uses oil, not butter, it makes spectacular, fluffy biscuits.
I have to admit; I did not appreciate biscuits until I was older. My children, however, love these biscuits!

Drop Biscuits

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon sugar (optional – I usually do not use sugar unless making these for strawberry shortcake)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup oil

Preheat oven to 400°
Mix dry ingredients. Add milk and oil. Stir lightly with a fork until just moistened.
Let sit about 20 minutes, allowing baking powder time to work…this is the trick to fluffy biscuits. Drop by forkfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. (Makes 12 biscuits) Bake 15 minutes, or until golden.

For Cheese Biscuits:
Add garlic powder and cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients before adding milk and oil.

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Bush on Top of Cheese Biscuit:

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch salt

After baking, melt 2 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the ¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes and a pinch of salt. Brush garlic butter over the tops of biscuits, using all the butter. Makes 12 biscuits.

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Cranberry Scones

So easy to make:
{Source video ~ Scones}

 ~See Recipe Below~

People exaggerate the difficulty of making scones. They are actually very easy to make.  All it takes to make great scones is light handling of the dough.

Make them for breakfast...

your family will love them!

~~~♥~~~

Scones 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

With a pastry blender or two knives, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Stir in dried cranberries.

 • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
 • 2/3 cup dried cranberries

Whisk together 3/4 cup cream and egg.

• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cold heavy cream
• 1 large egg

With a fork, stir in cream mixture until just combined. (The dough should be crumbly; do not overwork.) Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut into 6 wedges and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush tops with 1 tablespoon cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired.

 • Sanding sugar (optional)

Bake until golden, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.

~~~♥~~~