Fast & Easy Pizza Crust

FAST & EASY PIZZA CRUST

Lightly grease pizza pan and dust with cornmeal or flour.  Set aside.
Mix together:

• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp.) of yeast
• 1 tsp. of sugar
• 1 cup of warm water

and set aside until Yeast foams (about 10 minutes).  

Then add:

• 2 1/2 cups of unbleached white flour
• 2 TBSP. of olive oil or canola oil
• 1 tsp. of salt

 Mix & knead just until smooth.

Let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll it out to desired size or thickness.

Transfer onto the greased and dusted pizza pan (or cast iron skillet for deep dish).

Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Millie's Granola

Millie's Granola

 Mix together:

• 1/2 cup of raw honey
• 1 Tbsp. of vanilla (optional if you replace honey with agave or if honey isn't solidified)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. of warm (liquid) extra virgin coconut oil

Then mix in:

• 6 cups of Whole rolled oats
• 4 pinches of salt
• 1 tsp. of cinnamon 

(If you rather have raw fruits & nuts  with your granola, the following can be added after baking the oats. If not add them now.)

• 2 cups of chopped dates
• 2 cups of raisins
• 1 cup of chopped almonds
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 cup of pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Now I'm no expert when it comes to food spoilage however, at room temperature it "should" keep in a sealed glass jar for a good three weeks... but refrigerating is always safer.

Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Again this came from an industrial kitchen so if you don't want to make 120 muffins, cut back on the ingredients.  Also, these muffins are a little on the greasy side so you might want to cut back on the oil a little more.

Carrot Pineapple Muffins
dry ingredients:

• 15 cups of soft flour
• 9 cups of sugar (unpacked)
• 1/2 cup of baking powder
• 3 Tbsp +1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp +1 tsp of salt

wet ingredients:

• 5 cups of water
• 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp of vanilla
• 6 2/3 cups of oil
• 10 cups of grated carrots
• 5 cups of crushed pineapple with juice

1, Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.
2, Beat together the water, oil & vanilla.
3, Blend the crushed pineapple in a blender or food processor.
4, Mix well all the ingredients together.
5, Use 1/3 cup ice cream scoop to fill muffin cups.
6, Bake in convection oven at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Crunchy Granola

Mind you I'm not partial to granolas so this one HAS to be real good to make it into my blog.  Also, I got this recipe from an industrial kitchen so it's written to make 66 cups, so if you just want to make  it for yourself you'll have to cut the ingredients down.

Crunchy Granola

I've always hated granolas until I tried this one.

Dry ingredients:

• 28 cups of quick oats
• 6 cups of wheat germ
• 6 cups of coconut
• 3 cups of sunflower seeds
• 3 cups of sesame seeds
• 4 cups of chopped walnuts
• 4 cups of chopped almonds
• 4 cups of carob chips (optional)

Blend:

• 6 cups of brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. of salt
• 2 Tbsp. of vanilla
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of oil

1, Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2, Blend brown sugar, salt, vanilla, water & oil in a blender.
3, Combine wet & dry ingredients together.
4, Bake for one hour or until golden brown. (convection oven - 250 degrees/gas oven - 275 degrees)  Turn over every 15 - 20 minutes to expose areas not yet browned.
5, Take out of the oven & mix in the carob chips while the granola is still hot.  
Note: Freeze when not in use.

Brooklyn Bialy

You'll never go back to bagels after tasting these.  This gourmet recipe originated in Bailystok Poland and brought to New York  City by Eastern European Immigrants over a hundred years ago.  It’s not really known outside of New York because of its short self life so it's not shipped all over the country.  It can also be made in sizes from 3-4 inches to the size of a small pizza.  

If you want to know a little more about their history, here's the link where I found the recipe.  I laid it out in steps so it's easier to follow.

Now for those of you who don't follow recipes to a T, I have to warn you that my little bro made this recipe but didn't follow it exactly.  They turned out okay but they weren't gourmet, it really wasn't the same thing.

BROOKLYN BIALY

SERVES 8 (This depends on how big you make them  I made them about bagel size & got over 24 of them.)

Ingredients:
       onion topping:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/3 cup onion, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, coarse 

Directions for topping:
1 Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with cornmeal. Prepare Onion Topping.

2 In a small bowl, combine vegetable or olive oil, poppy seeds, onions, and salt; set aside.

        bialys:

• 2 cups water, warm divided (110 to 115 degrees)
• 7 g active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt  (I used gray rock salt)
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  

Directions for Bialys:
 1 In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup water, yeast, and sugar; let stand 10 minutes or until foamy.
 
2 Add remaining 1 1/2 cups water, salt, bread flour, and all-purpose flour.
 
3 Knead by hand or with dough hook of mixer for 8 minutes until smooth (the dough will be soft). Add flour if you think the dough is too moist , a tablespoon at a time. If the dough is looking dry, add warm water, a tablespoons at a time. Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to oil all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1 1/2 hours or until tripled in bulk.
 
4 Punch dough down in bowl, turn it over, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise another 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
 
5 On a floured board or counter, punch dough down and roll into a log. With a sharp knife, cut log into 8 rounds. Lay dough rounds flat on a lightly floured board, cover with a towel, and let them rest 10 minutes.
 
6 Gently pat each dough round into circles (a little higher in the middle than at the edge), each about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Place bialys on prepared baking sheets, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise an additional 30 minutes or until increased by about half in bulk (don’t let them over-rise).
 
7 Make an indention in the center of each bialy with two fingers of each hand, pressing from the center outward, leaving a 1-inch rim.
 
8 Place approximately 1 teaspoon of Onion Topping in the hole of each bialy.
 
9 Dust lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 15 minutes.
 
10 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Bake on upper and lower shelves of the oven for 6 to 7 minutes, then switch pans and reverse positions of pans (front to back), and bake another 5 to 6 minutes until bialys are lightly browned.
NOTE: These are soft rolls, and it is important not to bake them too long or they will be very dry.
 
11 Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.
After cooling, immediately place in a plastic bag (this will allow the exterior to soften slightly). 


NOTE: For longer storage, keep in the freezer.