Monthly Archives: November 2020

Grandma’s Pizza Dough (Farmhouse)

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Soft, tender & chewy crust …. layered with a few toppings, and this is just the best pizza! Today we had salami with cartelized onions, mozzarella, then ham, red peppers and black olives finished with feta. You can only do this if you have a crust hearty enough to handle it all.

Okay, maybe not my Grandma’s dough …. I’m pretty sure my Grandma never made a pizza in her life. Today’s Grams …. yes! This is also commonly called Farmhouse dough. I really don’t know where that originated, but if you try this you will find the most amazing dough for a deep dish pizza anywhere. Seriously. That’s a big claim to make, but this dough is soft, chewy and such a flavourful base for whatever you decide to build it with. Normally we do a variety of thin crust pizzas, but for cold nights, and only one pizza … this is killer!

Start the day prior to pizza baking!!!

Ingredients

  • 1 envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)
  • 2 Tbsp. plus ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for surface

MAKES ENOUGH DOUGH FOR 1 PIE

 

Preparation

Step 1. Stir together yeast and 1¾ cups warm water (105–110°) in the bowl of a stand mixer; let stand until yeast starts to foam, about 10 minutes.

Step 2. Mix in 2 Tbsp. oil, then salt and 2 cups flour. Attach dough hook and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add another 2 cups flour, a cup at a time, mixing until incorporated and a shaggy dough forms, about 3 minutes.

Step 3  Increase speed to medium and mix until dough is soft and elastic and starts to pull away from sides of bowl, 5–6 minutes. It will still be somewhat sticky. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill 24 hours.

Step 4  Coat an 18×13″ rimmed baking sheet with remaining ½ cup oil. Turn out dough onto a rimmed baking sheet and let sit 10 minutes to take off the chill. Gently and gradually stretch dough until it reaches edges and all 4 corners of baking sheet. (If dough springs back or is stiff to work with, let it rest a few minutes before continuing. You may need to let it rest more than once.)

Step 5  Cover dough on baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place (but not too warm!—about 70° is ideal for yeast to grow) until it is puffed and full of air bubbles, 30–40 minutes.

These instructions are for a stand mixer, but feel free to do it by hand, just takes a little effort to do the kneading.

This recipe came straight from Bon Appetit, one of my favourite sources for recipes that never fail.  I’ve made it enough times now that I wanted to make sure to get it on the blog so I never lose this!
My stand mixer makes this pretty easy, but if you don’t have one, just go ahead and knead by yourself …. make sure to do so for 6-8 minutes though.
You will end up with this pillowy, soft ball of deliciousness. Make sure to stop while it is still slightly sticky or the dough will be too dry.
When you put it into the fridge it is shiny and smooth. Make sure to use a a container large enough for the dough to rise.
I like using this covered container, the dough rises enough to hit the lid and then continues to aerate, but the lid prevents it from spilling all over the fridge.
This recipe is enough for one large sheet pan, or 3 smaller pizzas. Just 2 of us at home now, so if I make this recipe – one pizza and a salad is great for dinner so you have 2 to put in the freezer for another night.
Delicious pizza sauce – lightly saute cherry tomato with a generous glug of olive oil, salt and pepper. When soft, blend up with basil and oregano …. taste and adjust with a little more salt and pepper if needed.
I usually cook this at 425 convection, and then slip it out of the pan and put it directly on the oven rack for the last few minutes to get the bottom crispier.

Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs

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OMG – these are delicious. It was all I could do not to gobble down a lot more than I should! The marinade is quick and easy. I let it marinade a day, but I’m sure you could get away with less.

Mouth-watering. Literally mouthwatering.

  • 5 pounds Korean style beef short ribs*
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup mirin (rice wine)
  • 1 small onion, peeled and finely grated
  • 1 small Asian pear, peeled and finely grated
  • 4 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
  1. Preparation: Sprinkle brown sugar over beef and mix well to evenly coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while preparing marinade. In a bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Transfer beef into a large sealable freezer bag (you may need 2). Add marinade, press out excess air from bags, and seal. Turn bag over several times to ensure beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
  2. Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-hot. Drain excess marinade off beef. Grill short ribs, turning once, to desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, if desired. 
it was a pretty simple marinade, but absolutely delicious. Lucky for me – we still had some fresh asian apple pears and that is what I sued.

This recipe came off a Bobby Flay recipe on Food Network (who doesn’t love Bobby?) … but it is courtesy of his guest Judiann Woo.

The best caramel apples!

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This caramel is amazing!

I’m not winning any style points for my first attempt at caramel apples but they tasted incredible!
  • 8–9 cold apples
  • 1 and 3/4 cups (420ml) heavy cream
  • 1 cup (240ml) light corn syrup
  • 2 cups (400g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prep the apples: Rinse the apples with water, then wipe completely dry. Removing the slippery waxy coating will help the caramel seal to the apple. Remove the apple stem and insert a caramel apple stick about 3/4 down into the apple.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet, or grease the pan with butter. Caramel usually sticks to parchment or wax paper. (I used parchment paper and didn’t have any trouble with sticking)
  3. Make the caramel: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan over medium heat. Do not turn the temperature up or down– keep at medium the entire time the caramel cooks. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted. Once melted, brush down the sides of the pan with a water-moistened pastry brush and attach a candy thermometer to the pan, making sure the bulb is not touching the bottom of the pan (as you’ll get an inaccurate reading).
  4. Without stirring, let the mixture cook and bubble until it reaches 235°F (113°C). Some readers have been cooking to 240°F (116°C) and saying the caramel sticks much better to the apples that way. Stick with anywhere between 235°F – 240°F. Reaching this temperature should take about 15 – 20 minutes, though don’t use time as your guide because it depends on your stove. Don’t be alarmed if your caramel is taking longer, just use the candy thermometer as your guide. The temperature will heat up slowly, then move quickly, so keep your eye on the pot. Once at 235°F – 240°F, remove caramel from heat and stir in the vanilla. Avoid over-stirring which can create air bubbles in the caramel (and then on the apple). Allow caramel to cool for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. If caramel is too thin to coat apples, let it cool and thicken for 5-10 minutes longer.
  5. Dip the apples: Holding the caramel apple stick, dip the apple into the warm caramel, tilting the pot as needed to coat all sides of the apple. Lift the apple up and swirl it around or gently tap it against the side of the pot to let excess caramel drip off. Place coated apple on prepared pan. Repeat with remaining apples. Enjoy immediately or allow caramel to set, about 45-60 minutes. If you want to wrap the caramel apples in cellophane treat bags for travel/gifting, wait until the caramel has completely set.
  6. If desired, you can add toppings. Immediately after coating in caramel and before the caramel sets, roll the caramel dipped apples in finely chopped nuts, toffee pieces, mini M&Ms, sprinkles, or coconut. You can even drizzle with melted chocolate or white chocolate, too.
  7. For displaying or serving, I recommend placing on wax paper or another nonstick surface. Even when the caramel has completely set, caramel apples may slightly stick to a serving dish. To eat a caramel apple, you can bite right into it or sit it upright on a cutting board and cut slices around the stick. (Or pull out the stick and slice.) These are great for sharing!
  8. Loosely cover and store the leftover dipped apples in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
The cutest trick or treaters really appreciated the orchard treats!
Nothing better than an appreciative trick or treater!

I copied, and followed these instructions completely and believe me – patience is key as it took longer than I expected for my caramel to reach temp. If you want even more tips and tricks, head over to Sally’s Baking Addiction …. her website is amazing and so far everything I’ve tried has been great.

This is what you want your caramel to look like …..
My first attempt was completely ruined – using sweetened condensed milk. Next I turned to the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction and it turned out perfectly.
I didn’t have trouble with the caramel sticking to the apple, but I had enough caramel left over so I drizzled some over the top and that allowed me to put a few more toppings on as it was hardening so quickly on the first go that I didn’t get much on.