Perfect Pizza Dough

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Perfect Pizza Dough

Who doesn’t love pizza? I know we do. Once a week in our house, usually Friday nights, is pizza night. I make the dough in the afternoon while the boys are napping, enjoy a cup of tea while the dough rises (or maybe try to catch a little catnap myself!), and then I let the boys help to top the pizza before we put it in the oven.

Turning out a pizza as good (if not better) than your local pizza joint’s requires a few things: #1 – a hot oven. #2 – a pizza stone. And, #3 – practice. When I first started making pizzas at home, I had a really hard time rolling out the dough. They’d tasted great, but were severely mishapen. I think that was my problem; I was rolling, not stretching with my hands and letting the dough do all the work.

After a couple of attempts I was producing perfectly round pizza doughs, and all was right with the world. It’s a rarity for us to order a pizza out anymore; partly because there aren’t any decent pizzerias in our small town, and also because they’re just so dag-gone fun to make at home!

If you haven’t found the perfect pizza dough recipe yet, look no further. Using bread flour is the key to a crispy, chewey crust. And, it’s a dream to work with! Let the pizza delivery guy pass your house by next time you’re craving pizza, and make it at home. I’m sharing my recipe for homemade pan pizza next week, so make sure to check in then!

Perfect Pizza Dough

1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast mixture, as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with clean kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough relax for 20 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500? F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

Source: adapted from Baking Illustrated, via Annie’s Eats

Recipe Roundup: Gift Ideas

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Christmas is rapidly approaching, and the list of who I want to give “a little something” to continues to grow. That’s why over the years I’ve turned to making homemade gift baskets. To me, there is nothing more special than a gift from someone’s kitchen. So, here’s a few of my favorites that I wanted to share with you guys!

Cinnamon-Raisin Swirl Bread

Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread – I find myself baking this loaf to enjoy for breakfast weekly. Kicks the pants off of anything you’d buy in the store. And, who wouldn’t be tickled with a home-baked loaf of fresh bread for a gift?

Chiotle-Honey Roasted Peanuts

Chipotle-Honey Roasted Peanuts – love the sweet and spicy combination on these guys. Packaged up in a cute little tin, they make a great gift. Beware though, they’re addicting!

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Granola

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Granola – everyone loves a fresh, healthy start after the Holidays. Some homemade granola is a great way to help them get kick-started!

DIY Strawberry Vodka

DIY Strawberry Vodka – a bottle of vodka. Some strawberries. 1 week. That’s all you need to make this vibrant strawberry vodka at home. Wonderful in cocktails, on it’s own – this is a great way to warm up a cold winter’s night!

Pimento Cheese

Homemade Pimento Cheese – it always astonishes me when people say they’ve only had pimento cheese from a jar. Do them a favor, and make this! It’s perfect for any Christmas party or buffet.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Homemade Caramel Sauce – and last but certainly not least, caramel sauce. There isn’t much that I don’t put this stuff on – it really is just glorious. This was my first year getting familiar with making caramel in my kitchen, so I’m looking forward to including this in my gift baskets this year!

I hope you guys are having as much fun getting ready for Christmas as I am. Looking forward to menu planning for the Holidays this week, then get started on all my baking. Look for a cookie roundup here sometime in the next week or so. Happy Holidays!

Cherry Hazelnut Fudge

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This was actually my first attempt at making fudge, and I must say – I hope I didn’t set the standard too high with this one. I can’t thank Annie enough for sharing it last week. When I saw it, I knew I had to make it pronto. I mean, what’s not to love? Nutella. Cherries. Hazelnuts. Chocolate. Then, a sprinkling of salt to finish it all off?

It was everything that I thought it would be. Rich and decadent, with a toastiness from the hazelnuts, and a wonderful tart bite from the cherries. And smooth! If you’ve never made fudge before, this is a great recipe to try. I think the addition of the Nutella really makes the smoothness part of the equation foolproof. I know this one will definitely be going in my goodie gift baskets this year!

Nutella Cherry Hazelnut Fudge

1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup Nutella
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt flakes, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 250? F.  Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes until lightly toasted.  Transfer the hazelnuts to a clean kitchen towel.  Fold half of the towel over the top of the hazelnuts and roll them around gently to help remove the loosened skins.  Transfer the skinned hazelnuts to a cutting board and chop coarsely.

Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil and grease lightly with butter.  Set a heatproof bowl over a pot with a few inches of simmering water to make a double-boiler. In the bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, chocolate, Nutella, butter, and salt.  Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fully melted and smooth.

Remove the bowl from the heat.  Add the toasted hazelnuts and dried cherries to the bowl and fold in until combined.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.  After cooling for a few minutes, sprinkle the top lightly with additional sea salt.  Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 3-4 hours.

Use the foil to lift the fudge from the pan.  Remove and discard the foil.  Use a large chef’s knife (warming the blade helps to get clean slices) to slice the fudge into 64 1-inch squares.  Store in an airtight container.

Source: Annie’s Eats

Steamed Lobster

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Every day, I thank the sweet Heavens for this place I call home. Within a 20 minute drive I can procure some of the freshest seafood imaginable. Shrimp, crabs, fish, oysters, clams – even lobsters. And, I don’t go to some fancy supermarket to get them. Most of places I go to buy my seafood are little run-down shacks, ran by the waterman themselves.

Seaside Lobsters in Atlantic, VA is one of those places. They’re only open a few afternoons a week, but there’s nothing like having Jon stop on his way home from work to pick up a couple of big lobsters to have for dinner, for around $25. They run about $8 a pound, which is unbelievably reasonable. They also often have “culls” or one-clawed lobsters for even less, around $6 a pound. Which are great for recipes that just include meat – lobster rolls, anyone?

Needless to say, I love to support my local waterman. Those guys are out there working in the blistering cold and heat – all year long, to put food on our tables. The Eastern Shore wouldn’t be what it is today without them, as so much of our local economy relies on the seafood industry – and has for hundreds of years.

Steamed lobster couldn’t be easier, or more special. It’s a perfect decadent dinner for a special evening like Christmas or New Year’s. And, it takes only 20 minutes to cook. Paired with simple sides like a baked potato and salad – a meal like this gives you more time to spend with the family around the Christmas tree, and not in the kitchen slaving over a stove.

Steamed Lobster

2 (1.5-2 pound) live lobsters
4 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1 lemon, quartered
1/2 cup butter, melted

Pour the water and vinegar into a large stockpot, place a steamer basket inside, and cover. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.

Place the lobsters inside the steaming basket and recover. Steam for 15 minutes. Remove cover and let steam for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the lobsters to a platter carefully using a pair of tongs. Serve with the lemon wedges and melted butter for dipping.