Monday, November 12, 2012

The Best Pizza Dough


I have spent years searching for a great pizza dough recipe - one that is moist and has a bit of a chewy texture, and honing it until I was satisfied. Here it is:

5 1/2 cups flour (I use bread flour but all purpose works well too.) 
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
16 gm yeast (2 packages)
1/2 cup semolina (If you don't have semolina, adjust the flour to 6 cups)

Dissolve salt and sugar in warm water. Add flour to water and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes. Add oil and yeast and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, and then on high speed for anothr 2 minutes. Dough should be tacky but not wet. Divide into 4. Roll into balls, but don't overwork because this will toughen the dough. Cover and proof overnight in fridge. Don't proof any extra balls of dough. These can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 6 months in zip lock bags. Defrost at room temperature for 3 hours or in fridge overnight.

Use my recipe for great pizza sauce! Together they make a great restaurant quality pizza. 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Brown Sugar Pound Cake



Cake
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened, plus additional for greasing the pan
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
5 eggs

1.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

2.  In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and stir with a fork; set aside. Into a small bowl, pour the milk and add the vanilla; set aside.

3.  With a mixer, beat the butter at high speed until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar in three batches then add all of the white sugar, beating after each addition. Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition.

4.  Reduce the speed to low and add half of the flour mixture and then half the milk, beating until the flour or milk has disappeared into the batter. Add the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk in the same way. Quickly scrape the batter into the tube pan and bake until the cake is nicely browned at the edges, springs back when lightly touched at the center, and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

5.  Remove the pan from the oven and leave it on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes. Loosen the cake from the pan with a table knife and turn it out onto a wire rack or plate, then leave it to cool completely. When cool, glaze with caramel glaze.


Carmel Glaze
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons of milk or Bailey’s Liquor

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. You can double the recipe if you like lots of sweetness!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Chicken Breasts in Sweet Chili Sauce




Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Thai style sweet chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 boneless chicken breast halves (or you can use an equivalent amount of chicken tenders)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Pound chicken breast to an even thickness.

In a small bowl, combine the sweet chili sauce, mustard, and lemon juice, set aside.

Season both sides of the chicken breast with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat, when foam cooks down, add chicken breast.

Cook 5 minutes on each side.

Add 1 tbs. water and shake skillet to loosen browned chicken bits.

Push chicken to one side of skillet.

Add sweet chili sauce mixture.

Shake to coat the chicken with the sauce.

Cook until the sauce is reduced to just a glaze. (30-40 seconds).

Transfer chicken to a serving dish and serve with vegetables and rice.

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