Bittersweet Chocolate and Honey Sorbet

May 19, 2016 ~ White House Red Door ~ 43 Comments

During the weeklong Patricia Wells’ cooking class, my tasks ran the gamut from braising asparagus, creating compound butters, deep frying onion rings, setting lemon panna cotta, to making an amazing Bittersweet Chocolate and Honey Sorbet, which won “Best Taste of the Week.”

This sorbet is deep, rich, and incredibly satisfying. With help from my 10yr old, it was the first recipe I recreated when I arrived home and a huge hit with my family. So easy to make, the sorbet will be a standard freezer item all summer long. Enjoy!

Bittersweet Chocolate and Honey Sorbet

Servings: 8-10
Time: 20 minutes active + 1 hour to chill, then time processing in your ice-cream maker
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*recipe adapted from Patricia Wells

Ingredients:
2 cups water
2/3 cup mild honey
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or light corn syrup)
cocoa nibs for sprinkling (optional)
chopped nuts for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions:
In a large saucepan combine water with honey, salt, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. The mixture should turn a shiny, deep brown.

Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces, vanilla extract, and syrup. Stir until chocolate is fully melted. Transfer mixture to bowl and place in freezer to chill thoroughly, about an hour.

Transfer the mixture to an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. *See note below.

Serve in chilled bowls with a garnish of cocoa nibs, nuts, or your favorite topping.

*I used my Kitchen Aid mixer’s “ice-cream maker” attachment to make the sorbet. Kitchen Aid recommends 20 minutes of processing to transform the liquid mixture to sorbet. Unfortunately, after 20+ minutes of mixing, my sorbet was still soupy. Not one to give up, I just transferred the mixture to a glass storage container and placed it in my freezer. A few hours later the mixture was frozen and we had sorbet!

In Patricia’s kitchen, I used a traditional ice-cream maker. The sorbet processed while we ate lunch and was ready to serve for dessert. Please follow your manufacturer’s instructions for specific processing times.

Water, honey, salt, and cocoa powder combined in a saucepan — Combine water, honey, salt, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil.

Whisking cocoa mixture while it simmers — Simmer for one minute, whisking constantly. The mixture will turn a shiny deep brown.

Whisking in chocolate pieces to cocoa mixture — Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces. I didn’t have a bar of bittersweet chocolate on hand, so I used bittersweet chocolate chips.

Pouring chocolate mixture into glass bowl — Pour chocolate mixture into a bowl and place in freezer to chill.

Chocolate mixture in ice-cream maker — When thoroughly chilled, transfer mixture to your ice-cream maker and process according to your manufacturer’s directions.

Scooping out the Bittersweet Chocolate and Honey Sorbet — Sorry- we dug right into this bowl, before I had the chance to take a picture… leftovers went back into the freezer for another day.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Honey Sorbet sprinkled with cocoa nibs and served in a glass dish. — The sorbet melts fairly quickly, so it’s best served in a chilled dessert bowl or glass. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs, chopped nuts, or your favorite topping. Enjoy!

Brown Soda Bread

March 16, 2016 ~ White House Red Door ~ 51 Comments

The smell of freshly baked bread, still warm, cooling on in the kitchen should be bottled and sold. Nothing is more comforting and evocative of nostalgia. This bread is no exception. There are many variations of Irish Soda Bread– some with raisins, seeds, or both; some have butter, sugar, or even an egg to make them a little richer; some with white flour, or some with whole wheat. They all share some sort of flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. This brown soda bread, made with whole-wheat flour, is the most basic version.

Throughout Ireland, brown soda bread is offered with meals- and it is incredible! I make it here at home, and though delicious, nothing compares to the bread I’ve had in Ireland. It must be the flour- the brown soda bread in Ireland is coarser and nuttier than what I’ve been able to make in my own kitchen. I am seriously considering importing a bag of whole wheat flour, just so I can experiment!

Though not an exact replica (how could it be?), this dense, chewy and hearty bread comes together quickly and is well worth making. In less than an hour, you will be enjoying a warm slice of bread, slathered in butter, with a touch of jam. It is ideal for serving alongside your favorite soup or getting you through the late afternoon slump with a cup of tea. Add it to your cheese board with cheddar and apples. It is also delicious with smoked salmon.

Brown Soda Bread

Servings: 2 loaves
Time: 45-60 minutes
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*recipe adapted from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen

Ingredients:
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 rounded teaspoons of salt
2 rounded teaspoons of baking soda
3½-3¾ cups of buttermilk

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add most of the buttermilk all in one go. Working from the center, mix with a wooden spoon and add more buttermilk if necessary. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Turn out onto a floured surface and divide dough in half. Knead each half lightly, just enough to shape it into a round loaf. Flatten each loaf to about 2 inches deep. Put into a cast iron skillet or lined baking sheet. Mark with a deep cross and bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400°F for about 20-25 minutes more, or until bottom of the bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from cast iron skillet or baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Whole-wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk — Ingredients for Brown Soda Bread- whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk

Mixing dry ingredients with wooden spoon — Mix the dry ingredients together.

Well in the center of dry ingredients — Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients.

Pour buttermilk in center of well — Carefully pour almost the entire amount of buttermilk into the well.

Mixing brown soda bread dough with a wooden spoon — Use a wooden spoon to combine the buttermilk and dry ingredients.

Brown Soda Bread dough on lightly floured surface — When dough is soft, but not sticky, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half.

Two loaves of brown soda bread dough — Knead dough just enough to form 2 round loaves about 2 inches deep.

Brown Soda Bread dough cut with deep cross on lined cookie sheet

Put each loaf in a cast iron skillet or lined cookie sheet. Cut deep cross in each.

Brown Soda Bread dough cut with deep cross in cast iron skillet

Cut deep cross in each.

Bake soda bread at 450°F for 15 minutes, then turn temperature down to 400° and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes…

or until bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Brown Soda Bread Loaves cooling on wire rack — Transfer loaves to wire rack and let cool.

Pretzel Rolls

October 21, 2015October 21, 2015 ~ White House Red Door ~ 7 Comments

Oktoberfest has officially passed… I actually just discovered that. For years I thought Oktoberfest was celebrated all month long, but a quick google search revealed that Munich has already moved on and begun planning Oktoberfest 2016.

Well, I’m not telling. Either way, it’s still October and my culinary wanderlust is craving soft pretzels, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and mustard to go with it all. Every fall, brats and sauerkraut enter the dinner rotation at White House Red Door. One year around this time, probably for Halloween, I made “witches fingers” with homemade pretzel dough. The fingers- or pretzels seemed a natural accompaniment to the brats, so I thought instead of a “finger” or traditionally shaped pretzel, why not a roll?

Have you ever had a pretzel rolls? They turn humble fillings into something special. From burgers to cold cuts to peanut butter and jelly (which my middle guy makes himself for lunch everyday), they all taste better on a pretzel rolls. They are terrific for a snack on their own or with some spicy brown mustard for dipping. White flakes of crunchy sea salt contrast beautifully with the deep golden brown chewy texture.

This recipe makes pretzel dough and while I’ve made rolls, the final form is entirely up to you. This same dough can easily be transformed into traditional pretzels, “witches fingers,” or even letters for the pre-school set. It’s entirely up to you. Remember, have fun and play with your food!

Servings: ”8-10
Time: ”45
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*adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups warm (110°-115° F) water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 ½ cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
coarse or flaked sea salt

Instructions:
Combine water, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, rolling it around so it is lightly coated in the oil used to grease the bowl. Cover with a slightly damp dish towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 50-55 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.

After the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 half sheet pans with silicone mats, or parchment paper lightly brushed with vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a large saucepan or stockpot.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled surface (I did not do this, just a regular wooden cutting board worked for me- not oiled). Divide the dough into 8-10 equal pieces. Form dough into balls- by rolling and shaping with your hands. Using a very sharp knife or pair of scissors cut an X in the top of each roll. Place each roll onto a lined sheet pan.

Place the pretzel rolls into the boiling water, one by one, for 60 seconds, flipping them at the 30 second mark. Remove them from the water using a slotted spoon or similar tool. Return to the half sheet pan, 4-5 rolls per pan. Repeat until remaining rolls are done.

Brush the top of each pretzel roll with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with coarse or flaked sea salt. Bake one batch at a time until deep golden brown in color, approximately 15 minutes, or the bottom of the bun sounds hollow when rapped with your knuckles. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Yeast is foaming. — It’s alive! The yeast is working when it starts to foam.

Adding flour and melted butter to yeast mixture — Add the flour and melted butter to yeast mixture.

Using a dough hook attachment to knead the dough. — Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Pretzel dough in a well oiled bowl. — Put the dough into a well oiled bowl, turning to coat several times. Cover and place in a warm draft free spot until doubled in bulk.

Risen Pretzel Dough — After 50-55 minutes the pretzel dough has doubled in bulk.

Pretzel dough on a cutting board. — Turn the dough out onto a cutting board or parchment paper.

Pretzel dough divided into 8 equal pieces. — Divide the dough into 8-10 equal pieces.

Raw pretzel buns on silicone lined sheet pan. — Roll and shape dough into rolls and place on silicone or parchment lined sheet pan.

Use a sharp knife to cut an 'x' on the top of each bun. — Using a sharp knife or pair of scissors, cut an ‘x’ on the top of each roll.

Dropping the pretzel bun into boiling water/baking soda mixture — One by one, use a slotted spoon or similar utensil to drop each roll into boiling water/baking soda mixture for 1 minute. Flip after 30 seconds so that top and bottom are evenly cooked. Transfer to lined sheet pan. Repeat process with each roll.

Egg washed buns sprinkled with flaked sea salt. — Brush the rolls with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse or flaked sea salt. Bake 15 minutes in a 450°F oven or until deep golden brown.

Deep golden brown homemade pretzel buns. — Rolls are done when they are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before digging in.

Pesto

September 2, 2015September 8, 2015 ~ White House Red Door ~ Leave a comment

You know how each summer there is THE song of the summer, the one that puts smiles on faces, gets toes tapping, and windows rolled down while everyone sings along? Well, this summer I have THE herb of the summer growing in my garden… basil. The three or four small plants that went into the ground in late spring have grown into a mighty basil forest, extraordinarily tall and lush. We cannot keep up with it; despite our best efforts, that is an enormous amount of caprese salad to eat!

Herb garden with basil, chives, oregano, thyme, and rosemary — This basil is out of control.

As the days grow shorter, I am only too aware of the cool weather that is sure to follow. Feeling a bit like the ant preparing for winter in Aesop’s The Grasshopper and the Ant, I’ve gone on a pesto making binge; not only preserving basil’s quintessential summer flavor at its best, but capturing a sunny moment in time. These green gems, pulled from the depths of the freezer, will bring warm memories to cold snowy nights sometime in the (not too distant) future.

Pesto is from the Italian word pestare which means to pound or crush. The English word for pestle shares the same Latin root. Traditionally, pesto is made by hand with a mortar and pestle, but in the quantities I’m dealing with the food processor is helping. No shame in that.

Some of the pesto is for enjoying now, but the majority is getting scooped into mini muffin tins, frozen, then transferred into storage containers for the freezer. The mini pesto “muffins” are just the right size to add to dishes all winter long.

And pesto isn’t just for pasta… here are some others ways to savor it.
• Potatoes- pesto and potatoes are a wonderful pair. Gently stir a spoonful of pesto into freshly boiled potatoes or mix a spoonful into mashed potatoes.
• Marinara Sauce- add pesto to your regular marinara sauce
• Dip- mix pesto into greek yogurt, crème fraiche, or sour cream for a dip
• Pizza- use pesto instead of pizza sauce on your next homemade pizza
• Sandwiches- spread pesto on your favorite crusty sandwich bread, top with sliced chicken and roasted red peppers

Those are just some of my suggestions. I’d love to hear from you… what are your favorite ways to use pesto?

Pesto

Servings: makes approximately 1 cup
Time: 5 minutes
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*recipe adapted from Marcella Hazen

Ingredients:
For the food processor-
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons lightly toasted pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
salt

For completion by hand-
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese

Instructions:
Briefly rinse basil under cold water and pat dry.

Place basil, olive oil, pine nuts, chopped garlic, and a pinch of salt into the bowl of a food processor. Process to a uniform creamy consistency.

Transfer to a bowl, and mix in the two grated cheeses by hand.

The pesto can be frozen in pre-portioned amounts to be pulled from the freezer whenever you want a taste of summer.

Basil, extra virgin olive oil, and salt are placed in a food processor. — Place the basil, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt into a food processor and blend.

Basil, extra virgin olive oil. pine nuts and salt have been blended to a creamy consistency. — Blend the basil, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt to a creamy consistency.

Parmesan and romano cheeses are added to the basil mixture. — Transfer the basil mixture to a bowl. Add the parmesan and romano cheeses.

Mixing the parmesan and romano cheeses into the pesto by hand. — Mix the parmesan and romano cheeses by hand.

The parmesan and romano cheeses have been thoroughly incorporated.

Pesto fills a mini muffin tin — Using a mini muffin tin, small portions of pesto are ready for the freezer. After freezing, transfer them to a container for long term freezer storage.

Pre-portioned amounts of frozen pesto — Wax paper separates layers of frozen pesto “muffins” for long term storage in the freezer.

Homemade Ricotta

August 26, 2015September 8, 2015 ~ White House Red Door ~ 2 Comments

This summer, we had a phenomenal family trip to London and Ireland.
While we explored the British Museum, Hyde Park, the Churchill War Rooms and the Tower of London, observed the Changing of the Horse Guard and took a spin on the London Eye, my thoughts were never too far from food. In fact, we kicked our trip off with a tour of Borough Market (I highly recommend Context Travel).

Tasting our way down the counter... — Tasting our way down the counter…

Celebrating and tasting your way through artisanal British and Irish cheeses at Neal’s Yard Dairy is a wonderful beginning to any day. Meeting and sharing ideas with farmers, spice vendors, and even a tea importer helped us connect to London in a very real way. Continuing the unofficial theme of local foods, we planned our dinners at restaurants that embrace a farm to table philosophy, locally sourcing their products based on seasonal availability. We enjoyed delicious meals at St. John, The Harwood Arms, and Tom’s Kitchen. An absolute standout at Tom’s Kitchen was the “Homemade Ricotta [with] balsamic glaze, dried herbs, grilled sourdough.” Oh. My. Goodness. This ricotta was so incredibly luscious, smooth, and creamy- yet light and airy, that only the fear of public humiliation kept me from stealing the entire dish, huddling in a remote corner, and licking the bowl clean.

Homemade ricotta with bread from Tom's Kitchen. — The inspiration- Homemade Ricotta starter from Tom’s Kitchen.

Since our return home, that ricotta has been on my mind. We have a fairly wide selection of ricotta cheese at the grocery store, but it seems unfair to compare them to what I had in London. Even the best that I can get here is good, but not Tom’s Kitchen Homemade Ricotta good. What to do? The kitchen gods spoke. Challenged accepted. I learned to make my own.

It turns out, homemade ricotta is not hard to make. In 30 minutes you can be sitting down with your own bowl of lusciousness, ready to devour, spoon in hand. Even better, you control the ingredients. No fillers, thickeners, or stabilizers needed, just four simple ingredients- milk, cream, white vinegar and salt. It’s a bit like a science experiment, so if you have kids they are going to love this. But please don’t let “science experiment” intimidate you. My nine year old is now making the ricotta on a weekly basis.

The final texture depends on how long you leave the ricotta to drain. Ten minutes yields warm, soft curds perfect for enjoying by the spoonful; twenty minutes yields still soft but slightly more spreadable ricotta, while thirty minutes or more will leave you with a firmer, drier, ricotta that holds it shape. Between 10-20 minutes of draining is my favorite for spreading on grilled bread- savory with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle of fresh herbs and a pinch of salt, or sweet with a drizzle of honey and topping of sliced berries. The ricotta that sits longer is perfect to dollop on warm pasta or pizza, either before or after it comes out of the oven.

PS- What about the whey? From 4 cups of milk/cream you will have about 1 cup of ricotta and 3 cups of whey. That is a lot of whey. Before you toss it down the drain you could…
• Replace the water with whey in pizza or bread dough recipes
• Add the whey to soups and stews
• Feed it to your chickens, pigs, etc.

Homemade Ricotta

Servings: 1 cup
Time: approximately 30 minutes depending on how long you drain the ricotta
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*recipe inspired by several sources including Serious Eats, The Kitchn and Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups whole milk (NOT Ultra High–Temperature (UHT) pasteurized)
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup white vinegar
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:
Line a sieve with cheesecloth and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Combine milk and heavy cream in a saucepan. Gently warm the milk mixture over medium heat until it reaches 180°. Remove from heat.

Add the white vinegar and salt, stirring gently once or twice to distribute evenly. Leave the milk mixture undisturbed for 10 minutes while the curds and whey form.

After 10 minutes, use a slotted spoon to transfer the curds to the cheesecloth lined sieve. Once the larger curds have been placed in the sieve, carefully pour the remaining curds/whey into the sieve. Let drain for at least 10 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached. The longer the ricotta drains, the firmer it will be.

Transfer to storage container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Enjoy as you would any ricotta, savory or sweet… in lasagna, ziti, cannoli, atop grilled bread, or just by the spoonful from the bowl!

Milk and cream heating on the stove until it reaches 180°. — Heat the milk and cream mixture to 180°.

The milk/cream mixture is curdling. — After adding the vinegar gently stir once or twice. Leave undisturbed for 10 minutes while the curds develop.

Removing the curds with a slotted spoon. — After 10 minutes the vinegar has worked its magic. You have curds and whey!

Fresh ricotta draining in a fine meshed sieve. — Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth lined sieve. Leave to drain for at least 10 minutes. The longer you leave the ricotta, the firmer it will be.

Fresh ricotta after 20 minutes of straining. — 20 minutes later…

Fresh ricotta after a few pulses in a food processor. — *Completely optional step* You could stop after draining the ricotta and enjoy as is, or for an extra creamy texture, give your freshly strained ricotta a very brief spin in a food processor.

Basil, oregano and thyme sprigs — Snip a few herbs to sprinkle on top of the whipped ricotta. Serve with slices of grilled bread for an easy appetizer or lunch.

Homemade whipped ricotta sprinkled with herbs and served with grilled ciabatta. — Lunch

Strawberries and Ricotta on Toast — Breakfast the next day…

Pizza

June 10, 2015September 8, 2015 ~ White House Red Door ~ 2 Comments

Sunday night is pizza night at White House Red Door. This is different than when I grew up; back then Friday night was pizza night. Our go to pizzeria was right next to the train station, which meant my mom could call in the order, timing it perfectly with dad’s commute home from NYC. He’d hop off the train, grab the pizza (Sicilian style for him, regular pie for us), and head home. Toppings varied from week to week based on who was eating with us, but the general drill stayed the same. Friday night was pizza.

Out of the oven, the pizza is resting before we dig in!

Just two towns over, my husband’s family (though I didn’t know him at the time) grew up with Sunday night pizza night. His mom deserved a much needed break from the daily ritual of dinner making (my husband is one of six kids!), and they had their own favorite local pizza place.

Years later, after a move to a rural town without good pizza, my mother-in-law took matters into her own hands, literally! She had an oven dedicated to pizza making installed. Lucky for me I was on hand one Sunday evening. I had never had “homemade” pizza. Well, I take that back… the only homemade pizza I had growing up was English muffin pizza. Not that there is anything wrong with that! Delicious in its own right, a personal pizza I could bake and customize all by myself. My taste memories of English muffin pizzas rank right up there with the frozen individual pot pies we had when my parents were going out for the night, leaving a babysitter in charge. Ahh… the culinary pleasures of growing up in the 70s and 80s! But I digress!

Back to my mother-in-law, homemade pizza made in a dedicated pizza oven?! Homemade dough, too?! It was an eye-opening experience; she had complete control of the dough to sauce to cheese ratios and it was faster than ordering and picking up (or waiting for delivery). But most importantly the taste was amazing! That Sunday night was a game changer for me.

The dough is ready to roll out... — The dough is ready to roll out…

But how do you make pizza without a dedicated pizza oven? The answer for us (and you) is a baking stone, a flat baking surface made of ceramic or stone, easily found in kitchen or home stores, as well as online. Our stone has been well loved; every Sunday night for the past 17 years it has been pulled out from its normal resting place among sheet pans and cutting boards and called into service. The stone is placed on a rack about 6-7 inches from the top of the oven and preheated for at least 45 minutes at the highest temperature the oven will go, for us, 550°. Adding the stone and preheating for an extended period of time allows your oven to mimic the clay or brick oven your favorite pizza place uses. Because the stone has preheated for so long, thoroughly absorbing and radiating all that heat, your crust will start cooking as soon as it hits the stone. And because you have set the stone in the upper part of the oven, the top will immediately start cooking as well. The crust and the top cooking simultaneously is key. No one wants to eat burnt cheese on raw dough, or vice versa, burnt crust under cheese that hasn’t completely melted.

After rolling, the dough is transferred to a well floured pizza peel.

My husband is terrific in the kitchen, and Sunday night is his night. Earlier in the day, I make the dough- it only takes 20 minutes- and set it aside to rise, at least 2 hours. Don’t let the thought of making dough intimidate you! No special equipment or talent is needed. If that doesn’t suit you, go buy some dough. Most grocery stores carry it; I’ve even bought dough from a nearby pizza place in a pinch.

Use your favorite store bought sauce or make your own.

But please, do try making homemade pizza. It’s fun, tasty, and may even leave you with the feeling that you don’t have to reach for the phone every time you want to have a pizza night. Finally, a special hats off to our favorite childhood pizza places, Sunrise Pizzeria and Pizza Post, upon which every slice we eat is compared.

Topped with fresh and shredded mozzarella, dried herbs, and a sprinkle of salt.

Let me know how it goes… I’d love to hear from you!

With a quick flick of the wrist the pizza is moved from the peel to pizza stone. Dinner will be ready in 8-10 minutes.

Basic Pizza Dough

Servings: 2 round pizzas, about 12 inches wide, depending upon how thin you make them
Time: 20 minutes, plus time to rise
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*adapted from Essentials of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazen

According to Marcella Hazen, “the recipes for pizza dough are beyond numbering. Although some formulas are certainly better than others, none may credibly claim to be the ultimate one. What matters is knowing what you are looking for. I like pizza that is neither too brittle and thin nor too thick and spongy, a firm chewy pizza with crunch to its crust. The dough that has satisfied my expectations most consistently is the single-rising one given below. I have never succeeded in getting the texture I like from pizza baked in pans, so I prefer to do mine directly on a baking stone.”

Ingredients:
1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
3 ¼ cups unbleached flour
extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon for the dough,
1 teaspoon for the bowl,
and some for the finished pizza
½ Tablespoon salt
A baking stone
A baker’s peel (paddle)
Cornmeal and/or flour

Instructions:
Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl by stirring it into ¼ cup lukewarm water. When dissolved, in 10 minutes or less, add 1 cup flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Then, as you continue to stir, gradually add 1 Tablespoon olive oil, ½ Tablespoon salt, ¼ cup lukewarm water, and 1 cup more flour. When putting in flour and water for the last time, hold back some of both and add only as much of either as you need to make the dough manageable, soft, but not too sticky.

Starting the dough... all you need is flour, yeast, water, olive oil and salt — Starting the dough… all you need is flour, yeast, water, olive oil and salt

Take dough out of the bowl, and slap it down very hard against the work counter several times, until it is stretched out to a length of about 10 inches. Reach for the far end of the dough, fold it a short distance toward you, push it away with the heel of your palm, flexing your wrist, fold it, and push it away again, gradually rolling it up and bringing it close to you. Rotate the dough a one-quarter turn, pick it up and slap it down hard, repeating the entire previous operation. Give it another one-quarter in the same direction and repeat the procedure for about 10 minutes. Pat the kneaded dough into a round shape.

Starting at the end furthest from you, fold it towards you, then push it away with the heel of your palm. Continue folding and pushing it away until you have rolled it up. Turn the dough one-quarter and start the procedure over again.

After about 10 minutes of kneading, the dough will be smooth and elastic. It is ready to rise.

Film the inside of a clean bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, put in the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and put the bowl in a protected, warm corner. Let the dough rise until it has double in volume, about 3 hours. It can also sit a while longer.

The dough has doubled in bulk and is done rising.

At least 45 minutes before you are ready to bake, put the baking stone in the oven and preheat oven to at least 500°. The stone should be placed on a rack that is about 6-7” from the top of the oven.

Sprinkle your work surface generously with flour. Take the risen dough out the bowl and divide in half. Set one half aside and cover while you roll out the other half. Put that half on your work surface and flatten it as thin as you can, opening it out into a circular shape, using a rolling pin, but finishing the job with your fingers. Leave the edges somewhat higher than the rest. Carefully transfer the dough to a pizza peel generously dusted with flour or cornmeal.

Put the topping of your choice on the dough, and slide it, jerking the peel sharply away, onto the preheated baking stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes, but watch carefully! Each oven‘s cooking time will vary. As soon as it is done, drizzle lightly with olive oil. Follow the same procedure with the other half of dough, or freeze it for another day.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Honey Sorbet

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Brown Soda Bread

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Pesto

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Homemade Ricotta

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Basic Pizza Dough

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