Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

This is a shockingly easy recipe for fresh pizza dough.  I never knew it could be this simple!  You barely have to wait for it to rise at all.  The result is a thin crust, but it's tasty and has a fantastic texture.  And best of all, it's completely whole wheat.  I am going to be turning to this recipe again and again.

The recipe below makes enough dough for one large pizza, or two small.  I opted to make two - one more exotic for myself (sun dried tomato chicken sausage, artichoke hearts) and one less so for the husband (just cheese).  You can put on whatever you like, but be warned that the thin crust won't hold up really heavy toppings very well, so you'll need to eat with a knife and fork.

I found the basis for this recipe at allrecipes.  My life will never be the same.

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough

makes one large pizza

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 ounce dry yeast (in a packet)

1 cup warm water

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Combine the yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes, until creamy.

2.  Stir the flour, wheat germ, and salt together in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center, and pour the honey and the yeast mixture into the well.  Mix everything together well.  You can start with a spoon or spatula, but you'll probably have to use your hands to get everything properly incorporated into a ball.

3.  Preheat the oven to 400.  Set the dough aside to let it rise for a few minutes while the oven warms up, about 10 minutes or so.  Roll out the dough on a floured board, or divide into multiple pieces and then roll out.

4.  Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray and place the pizza dough on it.  Poke a few holes in the dough using a fork or knife.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with desired toppings.  Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until crisp at the edges.  Serve.

Enjoy!

Pizza Rolls

This is more of a concept than a recipe, inspired by something that Giada made on her show a while ago.  You take some store-bought pizza dough, put some toppings on it, roll it up and bake it, and voila!  Pizza rolls.  It's remarkably simple, yet completely tasty and crowd-pleasing.

Today I made two - one with just marinara and cheese to please every palate, and the other was slightly more interesting, so that is the one I'm featuring here today.  You can, of course, put anything you like in it.  So long as you don't go for any toppings that are super chunky, you'll be able to roll it up into a pinwheel.  Just slice it up, put it out on a tray, and watch your guests gobble it up.

Pizza Rolls

serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. store-bought pizza dough (preferably whole wheat)

flour for your work surface

2 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

one 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat liner.

2.  Lightly dust your work surface with flour and roll out the pizza dough to about 12 inches around.  Distribute the mozzarella slices fairly evenly around the pizza, followed by artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.

3.  Carefully roll up the pizza into a cylinder, tucking in the edges to seal.  It will look like a giant burrito.  Brush with olive oil and season the top lightly with salt and pepper.

4.  Place on baking sheet, seam-side down, and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Cheese might leak out, and that is perfectly okay.  Let cool a few minutes, then cut into 1-inch slices with a serrated knife.  Serve.

Enjoy!

Spinach, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza (CEIMB)

Today's pick for Craving Ellie in my Belly is this delicious and easy tortilla-based pizza.  The original recipe called for arugula, but I chose to use spinach, though either would be fantastic.  These are flavors that just naturally go together well, so it's pretty hard to go wrong.

This is like a more gourmet version of the kind of things I used to make when I was single and in law school, and often had to just grab whatever ingredients I had and throw together something a bit odd.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  This recipe most definitely works.  The perfect combination of creamy and crunchy, sweet and salty, angelic and naughty - once again, Ellie has it in the bag.

Tomorrow I promise to make something that is not an Ellie Krieger recipe....truly.

Spinach, Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave

serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

3 cups baby spinach, caorsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

two 6-inch diameter whole-wheat tortillas

1 ounce fresh goat cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 400.

2.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden-brown and softened, about 10 minutes.  Add spinach and cook, stirring, until just wilted, about 1 more minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3.  Lay the tortillas on a baking sheet and spread the spinach mixture over them.  Crumble goat cheese over the top.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until tortillas are crispy and browned around the edges, and cheese is getting melty.  Cool a few minutes before cutting into wedges.  Serve.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Calzone

If you have someone in your life who thinks he or she does not like broccoli, it's time to make this and see if you can initiate a change in thinking. This is so incredibly tasty, it makes broccoli into a treat. And it is ridiculously easy.

I made this recipe up as I went along, and I loved the way it came out. With the high quality pre-made pizza dough that you can find nowadays in places like Trader Joe's and Fresh and Easy, you can save yourself some trouble and have this meal ready in no time. There are infinite possibilities as to the filling, but I like the simplicity of this spicy broccoli saute. It's just the right amount of crunch, of cheese, of spice. Give it a try before you start making too many changes.

Broccoli Calzones
makes 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon cracked red pepper flakes
1 head broccoli, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste, whisked into 1/4 cup warm water
1 lb. whole wheat pizza dough
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup part skim shredded mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until garlic is sizzling and turning a golden color. Add the broccoli and raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste-water mixture, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until broccoli is crisp tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

2. Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.

2. Divide pizza dough into quarters. Roll out each quarter on a floured board into a shape of your choosing (an oval is a good idea), until less than 1/4 inch thick. Spoon the broccoli, dividing evenly, into the center of each piece of dough. Don't overload the dough; use your judgment. Add 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella to each piece of dough and roll up like a burrito, sealing the dough together with your fingers. (Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect).

3. Transfer the calzones to the baking sheet and brush with a very small amount of olive oil, just to create a slight sheen. Sprinkle with a bit of extra cheese if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tops are browned and dough is cooked through. Serve.

Marinara sauce is almost a must for dipping, but feel free to have it plain, too. Enjoy!

Skillet Pizza Dough

I've been meaning to make pizza dough from scratch for some time now. When I found this recipe, I knew it was the one for me, since it involved a cast iron skillet. Any excuse to use my cast iron skillet works for me!

This dough is a bit like Chicago style, but less heart attack-inducing. It's almost like having pizza with a crust made of biscuits. Flaky, a little bit cakey, and delicious. But don't think you can eat the whole thing, or even half of it, by yourself. I promise, you can't. And if you do, well you might want to call a doctor.

I used all white whole wheat flour, but the original recipe recommended using 3/4 cup whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour. I was perfectly happy with how mine came out, but if you want a softer crumb you might want to go by their recommendation. Top it with whatever you like - we kept ours simple with home made marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese, plus a delicate sprinkling of herbs. Yum. The recipe is a little bit time consuming, so make sure you plan ahead.

Skillet Pizza Dough
adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray
serves 4 (or 2 brave souls)








INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons EVOO, divided
toppings of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until foamy, 3 to 5 minutes.

2. Using a standing mixer, mix the flour and salt at low speed. Mix in the yeast mixture and 3 tablespoons EVOO until a shaggy dough forms. Change to the dough hook attachment and mix at medium speed until smooth, about 6 minutes. OR you can do what I did, scoop out the dough with your hands and knead it on a cutting board until it forms a neat ball.

3. Place the dough in a greased, large mixing bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand until approximately doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Punch down the dough. Press the dough into a greased cast-iron skillet (10 inch works) and let rise again until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of EVOO over the dough. Put whatever sauce you are going to use on the pizza dough, and bake until crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Put cheese and any other final toppings on the pizza, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

5. Let sit about 5 minutes, then gently slide the pizza out of the pan, or use a spatula (it should come out really easily). Slice and serve.

This isn't your typical pizza, which is exactly what makes it interesting. Enjoy!