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.

Ugandan Chapati Flatbread

A friend from Uganda showed me how to make an African flatbread called chapati.  I rarely use recipes & she doesn't use them at all but for the sake blogging I've googled a chapati recipe that was very similar to the chapati I made.  If you're interested, here's the link to the one I found.

CHAPATI (My version of it anyway.)

Granted they weren't perfectly round but they were good nonetheless.

• 2 cups of Duram Atta flour (or any flour of your choice)
• 1 tsp. of Adobo (or salt to taste)
• 1-2 tsp. of Chief Head Curry (or whatever flavors you like)
• 1/2 cups of finely diced onions (optional)
• 3/4 cups of water
• oil (for frying)

Adobo

1, Knead all the ingredients together.  The dough should stick together into a ball BUT should be dry enough so that it doesn't stick to your skin.  If it's to dry add a little more water.  If the dough is sticking to your skin add a little more flour.
2, Divide the dough into about seven balls.
3, Oil the surface for rolling.  Roll with a rolling pin until thin.
4, Fry in a skillet until brown.
Enjoy.

Chief Head Curry

French Toast

This is the best vegan French Toast recipe I've come across.  To be honest when I first saw the recipe I didn't think I would like it but I tried it anyway & man it's good. Try it, I'll bet you'll like it.

French Toast

French Toast with whole wheat bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. of flour
• 1Tbsp. of sugar
• 1 Tbsp. of brewers yeast flakes
• 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1 cups of milk
• margarine or butter for frying
• about 4-5 slices of bread

1, Mix the first 5 ingredients together.
2, Preheat a skillet & put the margarine in it.
3, When the margarine is melted quickly dip a slice of bread in the mix and place in the skillet. 4, Flip when the bottom is golden brown.
5, Repeat steps 3 & 4 with the rest of the bread.

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.