Cheesy Deep Dish Pizza

Cheesy Deep Dish Pizza
Pepperoni and Roma Tomato 

This is about the third deep dish pizza recipe I've got here on this blog. The first is a simple recipe to be made in a large cast iron skillet. The second is a Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza, and this one is my most recent favorite. The recipe comes from a book titled Pasta & Pizza Presto. I think this dough recipe is the only recipe I've tried from this book, but it makes such a good crust, that I keep this book in my favorite recipe book collection on my kitchen counter.
I use this awesome pizzeria pan that my husband purchased for me one Christmas. It's a pan that was used in an actual pizza restaurant, so it came to me all dark and well-seasoned. That sounds sort of strange as I type it, but it's really a perfect deep dish pizza pan. It's 14 inches in diameter, so the resulting pizza is large enough to feed our whole family of four.
The crust of this pizza is thick and, well, crusty on the outside. It's soft, tender and chewy as well. It holds up to the pound of cheese on top, but I do like to eat mine with a knife and fork. I like putting a little bit of garlic salt on the bottom of the pan before putting in the dough just for an extra yummy layer of flavor, and for the bit of crust left at the end. So good. This is just a nice, simple, and delicious deep dish crust. I think you'll like it. 

Cheesy Deep Dish Pizza
       --adapted from Pasta & Pizza Presto

Deep Dish Pizza Dough Ingredients:

• 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried basil (depending on the tomatoes you buy)
• 2 medium garlic gloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (If they have basil already in them, only add 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Pizza:

• 1 batch of Deep Dish Pizza Dough
• 1 cup (approx.) Pizza Sauce
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
• pizza toppings

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook* mix the flour, salt, and yeast. Turn the mixer on low and add the water and olive oil. Knead dough on medium low speed for about 4-5 minutes. Remove hook and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Reattatch dough hook to mixer and knead dough for about a minute. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and cover with inverted bowl and allow dough to rest under the bowl for about 10 minutes.
*If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix with a wooden spoon and then knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes.

While dough rises, prepare the sauce.
In a skillet over medium heat, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Then add the grated onion, oregano and basil. Cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated and onions turn golden. Add minced garlic, stir, and allow to cook for about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, honey, and red pepper flakes. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until sauce is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.

Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil (or other oil) to the bottom of a 14 inch deep dish pizza pan. With your fingers, spread oil all around the edges and bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt. Set aside.

Push, pull, and/or roll the dough out into a 14-inch circle. Place in the bottom of the pan and make sure the dough pretty much goes up to the edges of the pan. Spread the pizza sauce across the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese. Top with your favorite pizza toppings (I used about 1/3 pound pepperoni and 2 diced roma tomatoes).

Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown and the cheese is very melted and toppings are cooked and browned. 

Remove from the oven and run a metal spatula all around the edge of the pan to loosen any stuck parts. Carefully use the spatula to move the pizza out of the pan and onto a cutting surface. Cut with a pizza cutter into slices and enjoy.

Makes 8 servings

Such a nice, chewy, tender crust.
That's a piece of burned pepperoni on top there.

Mini Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

Mini Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is my first attempt at these. It's a dry run for one of the whoopie pies I plan to make for my friend's wedding next month. I need to tweak it a little, but basically, they taste just like I wanted them to: tender little carrot cakes sandwiching smooth and sweet cream cheese frosting. It's two bites of deliciousness.
I don't even think I need to say anything else about them, except that they're just what I was going for. Whew!

Mini Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
• 1 cup finely grated carrots
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 pound (about 3 3/4 cups) powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On the back of a sheet of parchment paper, trace 1 1/4 inch circles about 2 inches apart. Place parchment, drawing side down, on a baking sheet. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugars. Beat in the egg. Add flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well. Add coconut, carrots, pineapple and nuts and mix just until incorporated. Transfer dough/batter to a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Squeeze about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon blobs of dough into each circle. I ended up squeezing enough so that the dough was within about 1/8 of the circle's edge.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 6-7 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Slide parchment onto a cooling rack and then remove cookies to the rack to cool completely. Be careful; the bottoms are a bit sticky.

For the frosting, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and beat again until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix on low to start off with, so the powdered sugar doesn't explode out of the bowl. Once the sugar is incorporated, beat until thick and creamy.

After cookies have cooled completely, sandwich about 1 teaspoon or so of cream cheese frosting between two cookies.

Store, lightly covered, in the refrigerator, until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers as well.

Makes about 50 mini whoopie pies (I think)

Mini Vanilla Bean Whoopie Pies

(Mini) Vanilla Bean Whoopie Pie

I wanted to make a vanilla whoopie pie that tastes just like a vanilla cupcake, and I think I did it. The cookies are about the size of a Nilla Wafer cookie, but they're soft, like a cupcake. These are super sweet due to the buttercream frosting in the middle, but that's what I was going for. If you want something less sweet, you might want to consider filling these with Mascarpone Whipped Cream Frosting. I think that would taste fabulous. The main reason I did buttercream in these is because they're for a friend's wedding, and the groom requested white cupcakes with buttercream. So there you go. I'm hoping these work, but I figure I'm safe because it was the groom's request, not the bride's. Plus she's such an awesome person, he'll just be happy to be marrying her that day. Right?
At any rate, this is a solid vanilla cake tasting whoopie pie. Very sweet. Very vanilla. Very tasty.
The recipe directly below is a half recipe because I was just testing it out, and I think it makes a reasonable amount if you plan to take these to a potluck or something. I will post the full size recipe at the end of this post.

Vanilla Bean Whoopie Pies (half recipe)
     --adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 3/4 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup milk

Frosting

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
Draw 1 1/4 inch circles, 2 inches apart, on the bottom of a piece of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the flours in a small bowl and set aside. Cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add baking powder, salt, vanilla bean paste, and almond and lemon extracts. Add the egg white and beat until incorporated. Then add the yolk and beat until incorporated. Add about 1/3 of the flour and mix until incorporated. Add 1/2 the milk and mix until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. 
Place batter in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Squeeze the batter onto the parchment paper, filling each circle (see photo below). 
Bake at 400 degrees for about 4-5 minutes--just until puffed and set. Remove from oven and slide parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire cooling rack and allow to sit a few minutes to cool slightly. Use a spatula to move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.
While the last cookies bake, start making the frosting. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening. Add 1 cup of the sugar and carefully mix until combined. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Mix on high until creamy. Add additional powdered sugar (2 tablespoons at a time) or milk (a few drops at a time) to reach the desired consistency. Place in a piping bag, fitted with a round tip--or star tip, if that's what you prefer. 
Turn over half of the cookies so you can put the frosting in the middle. Squeeze about a tablespoon of frosting onto each turned over cookie and the top with the remaining cookies.
Makes about 28 mini whoopie pies.

You can barely see the penciled circles
on the back side of the parchment paper.

The cookie/cakes have no brown on top,
but a little bit on the bottom.

Vanilla Bean Whoopie Pies (full recipe)
     --adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

Cookies

• 1 cup sugar
• 11 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2/3 cup milk

Frosting

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
• 2-3 tablespoons milk

Instructions:
Draw 1 1/4 inch circles, 2 inches apart, on the bottom of a piece of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix the flours in a small bowl and set aside. Cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add baking powder, salt, vanilla bean paste, and almond and lemon extracts. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until incorporated. Add about 1/3 of the flour and mix until incorporated. Add 1/2 the milk and mix until incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour and milk. 
Place batter in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Squeeze the batter onto the parchment paper, filling each circle (see photo below). 
Bake at 400 degrees for about 4-5 minutes--just until puffed and set. Remove from oven and slide parchment paper with the cookies onto a wire cooling rack and allow to sit a few minutes to cool slightly. Use a spatula to move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.
While the last cookies bake, start making the frosting. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening. Add 2 cups of the sugar and carefully mix until combined. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the milk. Mix on high until creamy. Add additional powdered sugar (2-3 tablespoons at a time) or milk (1/2 teaspoon at a time) to reach the desired consistency. Place in a piping bag, fitted with a round tip--or star tip, if that's what you prefer. 
Turn over half of the cookies so you can put the frosting in the middle. Squeeze about a tablespoon of frosting onto each turned over cookie and the top with the remaining cookies.
Makes about 56 mini whoopie pies.

Macadamia Coconut Granola

Macadamia Coconut Granola

Super Target recently had their nuts and trail mixes on sale, "buy one get one 50% off," so of course I had to stock up on macadamia nuts. I'm out of Dove Milk Chocolate Promises, though, so I had to figure out what to do with some of the nuts. The logical choice was to take my friend Christie's Cranberry Walnut Granola recipe and change it up with some macadamia nuts and coconut. Good call. Very good call. This granola may not be as healthy as the walnut/cranberry version, but it is just as tasty. The only reason I did not add the flax seed meal is that I didn't have any golden flax meal, and I didn't want to ruin the golden tones of this granola with the strange dark brown tone of the regular flax meal. Yeah, it sounds weird to me too as I type it.
This granola is pretty crunchy and flavorful. It's great with milk and it's also great with yogurt (I enjoyed some with AE Dairy Almond Creme Greek Yogurt). I think any way you like to eat granola, you'll like this one.


Macadamia Coconut Granola
    --Adapted from bonappetit.com

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/4 scant teaspoon kosher salt*
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, coarsly chopped (I used lightly salted macadamias)
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Brush a heavy rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons canola oil.
Whisk 2 tablespoons canola oil, sugar, egg whites, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in the oats and macadmias. 
Spread mixture evenly on prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir with a metal spatula and then bake 8 more minutes. Stir again. Sprinkle coconut over the top and drizzle with corn syrup. Bake until golden brown, about 7-8 more minutes. Stir to loosen and transfer to a clean baking sheet to cool completely. 
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Serve as it is for a snack, or with milk as a cereal.
Makes about 6 cups

* My macadamia nuts were salted, so I reduced the salt in this recipe to 1/4 teaspoon. If you're using unsalted macadamia nuts, increase kosher salt to a scant 1/2 teaspoon.

Half Popped Popcorn

So I've been pretty obsessed with making half popped popcorn lately (see Al Dente Popcorn post), and this is what I think I was going for orignally. This half popped popcorn is super duper crunchy, almost like potato chips. They're cracked open and only puffed enough to soak up a little of the oil. Mmm. I still think it's healthier than potato chips though, beccause it's got fiber and all that. Plus I read an article recently that says popcorn is packed with antioxidants. So I shall continue eating this and other popcorns each morning with my grape juice smoothie...and I'll probably snack on it until I'm sick of it too. But in the meantime, I will be happy with my new obsession. Give it a try and you might just become obsessed too.

Half Popped Popcorn

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
• 2-3 tablespoons salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 splash vinegar

• canola oil
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon butter
• salt to taste

Instructions:
Two days before... place unpopped kernels, 2-3 tablespoons salt, and the splash of vinegar in a plastic container that has a tight-fitting lid. Cover kernels with water about 1/2 inch over the top of the kernels. Secure lid and shake to mix. Allow kernels to sit in water at room temperature for two days, shaking once or twice a day.
When you're ready to pop the corn, place a medium sized heavy bottomed pot (that has a matching lid) over medium high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of canola oil to the pot as it heats. While the pot heats, use a slotted spoon to remove about 1/2 cup of the soaked kernels. I rinsed mine in a colandar to remove most of the saltiness, but you don't have to rinse. Dry kernels on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. They don't have to be completely dry, just mostly dry. Add kernels to the heated pot with oil (be careful, it may spit a little) and add enough oil so that it pools just a bit around the kernels, but they are not swimming in oil. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon butter. Cover the pot and shake until the butter is melted. It will take longer than usual for the kernels to begin popping. When they do start to pop, shake pot occasionally to make sure unpopped kernels go to the bottom. When popping subsides to once every 1 to 2 seconds, remove from heat and set lid ajar. Leave the lid ajar for a couple of minutes because a few kernels still may pop. When popping has finished, pour half popped popcorn into a bowl and salt to taste. Toss until popcorn is cool enough to eat. It tastes crunchiest when it's completely cool. 
Seal uneaten popcorn in a zip top bag or other airtight container. You can pop the rest of the popcorn, or wait until the next day.