Fresh Home-made Bread

After years of making pizza dough, it is a natural progression to bread baking. Here is a simple Italian bread and my Celtic Knot Bread. (some of the ingredients are: cocoa, honey, flaxseed meal, and molasses.

The Good Chicken (in pictures)

Home Made Pizza

Home Made Pizza


Dough

All purpose flour (I prefer unbleached)

Olive oil

Salt

Yeast

It is much easier than most people think to make your own dough. Take a large coffee mug and empty the contents of one package dry yeast. Add a little sugar so the yeast foams. That's how you know the yeast is working and viable. Add warm, not hot, water to the mix and stir. Don't fill the mug; maybe 3/4 full. The mixture needs to be in a warm place. I usually warm the oven slightly as I start this process and then turn it off. If you heat the yeast too hot they will die! This is a living organism. You don't want to kill them until the pizza is in the oven. It is ready when it foams over the edges of the mug.

I start with 2 cups of flour in the mixing bowl and keep another cup nearby. In with the flour mix about a teaspoon or so of salt. I don't measure (this is ART!) Just before adding the yeast mixture pour in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Dump in the foaming yeast mixture and mix the ingredients with fork and some elbow grease.

When the mixture starts to become a mass, turn it out on to a floured surface. Rub your dry hands with flour and begin to knead the dough. You will come to love this part. Add flour from the cup as needed. (pun) It may take awhile to get a feel for the consistancy but just keep pushing the dough into itself. If it is too wet and sticky add flour. Don't add so much that it becomes heavy and stiff.

The dough itself will then need to rise in a warm place. I put it in a clean and floured bowl and put it in the slightly warm oven. (oven is OFF) Give the dough at least 30-40 minutes to rise. You will see it about double in size.

The Stone is lightly dusted with flour and for that authentic pizzeria taste, add some corn meal to help the pizza slide off the stone when done.

The use of a pizza stone is essential to a good crust. Once you use one, you will never go back to a pan.

Spread the warm rising dough out on the floured stone and shape it. Try not to hang over the edges too much as the dough will rise more when it first goes into the oven. (450)

I usually put the dough in the oven for about 7 min. to pre-cook the dough. The idea is to get the dough cooking before piling on the cold ingredients so that the dough will cook through. This will take some experimentation before you get the timeing right. Too long and the dough will be brittle on the edges, and not long enough will leave it doughey.

Take the stone back out of the oven and pile on the prepared ingredients. In this case, I didn't have much on hand, but there is chicken in the sauce and I had shaker cheese, shredded mozzarella, olives, and italian seasonings.

Bake the pizza for about 20 - 25 minutes. You will smell it when it is about ready! When the mozzarella starts to bubble and brown it is done. It may take a few tries to get this down to perfection, but even the experiments taste good. Try it! You'll be glad you did.

The Last of Summer Salad

I found this picture on my camera and it brought back those hot summer days where the last thing you want is a plate full of hot food. This has got to be one of my favorite dinners during the dog days of summer.

Banana Bread - Three Bowl Recipe

• 1 3/4 cups unbleached flour (any all purpose flour will do)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup sugar (I like Raw Cane or Turbinado)
• 1/3 cup shortening (Crisco)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk (or soy milk)
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 bananas)
• Optional - 1/4 cups nuts (I hate nuts in my bread)
• Optional - 3/4 tablespoon Vanilla extract (I love vanilla!)

Preheat oven to 350

Bowl 1 Sift together in a large bowl, flour, baking powder, baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Bowl 2 Beat sugar and shortening together (the messy part). Add eggs one at a time and the milk (and the vanilla).

Bowl 3 smaller bowl Smash bananas till smooth.

Mix all ingredients together in the largest bowl and beat till smooth. It will be pretty thick. Your preference, wet into dry or dry into wet.

Turn the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60 - 65 mins. Cool in pan for about 5 min. then remove and cool on a wire rack. (If your oven runs hot and the first one comes out too well done, try 325 for 65 mins then turn off the oven and leave it in another 5 minutes.

Be sure to preheat the oven!

Pan-Fried Pork Loin with Gravy

You are going to like this one! Buy thick lean boneless center cut pork loin in a pack of three or four. Pick a night when you have a little more time than usual, especially the first time. Total cooking time is about 40 minutes. The gravy is made right in the pan. You will need some Wondra flour and Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning sauce. DON'T USE TOO MUCH!



The first step is to sear the meat in a non-stick frying pan. It will stick a little anyway. Heat the pan and put the pork in and sear it on all sides, even the edges. It will smell wonderful! The browning and what sticks to the pan is the beginning of the gravy flavor.





When the meat has been seared all over, carefully add water to the pan and cover on med-low heat. This will be the bulk of the cooking time, adding water when needed and turning the pork. The goal is to let the meat cook and tenderize while the water takes on flavor.
Add a few drops of the Gravy Master about half way through. Just before finishing mix Wondra flour (you can use any flour but it will have lumps) with COLD water. Add slowly to the gravy.
I usually take out the meat while I thicken the gravy. It will start to bubble and thicken. Salt and Pepper to taste. When it is the color and consistancy you want, put the meat back in and get ready to serve. (If the gravy is lumpy, just pour it through a sieve)

Pizza Lunch

French Bread Pizza This is another good use of leftover sauce from making pasta. This is actually on Focaccia bread that I bought on an occasion when I did not feel like making my own. Simply spread the meat sauce over the bread add mozzarella cheese and spices, and put under the broiler. I used my stone but you can use any oven safe sheet or even heavy foil.