Pizza Night
Last night, I celebrated Pizza Night. In college, I'd either celebrate Pizza Sunday with my roommate or some friends. The dough would always be homemade and the pizzas were always delicious. I had to bring back those memories--the smell of the fresh baked dough, the bubbly cheese, and the creative aspect of choosing your own toppings. My pizza crust recipe is an adaptation on Alton Brown's pizza crust recipe. The only things I did differently was use 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup wheat flour to make a whole wheat pizza dough. In addition, I added cornmeal to the bottom of the crust for extra texture. You can find my version of this recipe here.
I set out to make my own pizza dough. Something I had done before, but since it's unfamiliar, I was a little afraid it wouldn't work. When I'm unfamiliar with cooking something, I follow a recipe to the T and then still, I get worried. I'm not sure why. Either way, Alton Brown's recipe worked out GREAT.
The thing I love about homemade pizza is the #DoItYourself nature of a great pizza. Pick your toppings, and bake! My neighbor Carsen came over and we created our own pizzas. One was a traditional tomato and motz pizza and the other was our more creative, assorted roasted veggie pizza with olive oil and garlic. Both were delicious. With pizza, the sky IS THE LIMIT. Seriously, be creative. I want to know what types of pizzas you make! Comment below...
The final step with these pizzas is simple. Bake the pizza off in a 500 F oven for about 7 minutes, or until your pizza is golden brown at the edges and the cheese is bubbly. I hope you have a pizza stone, because I think it makes all the difference. Your crust will be nice and crispy. When making homemade pizza, a stone is really a must. It's worth the investment, I swear. And just a word to the wise, I set my smoke alarm off during this process, so be careful!
Flaxseed Bread
This was scary. I've never baked bread by myself before. That last statement makes me sound slightly childish, but it's true. The only time I've truly made bread from scratch was with my father. Of all the strange things I've cooked and baked, I'm not sure why I've never attempted bread on my own. Either way, I was nervous as I got started this afternoon. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but I did successfully make a loaf of bread! I adapted a recipe from Fleishmann's and made it my own. I added an egg wash on the top of the bread to add additional texture and a golden brown crunch to the top. And it wouldn't be flaxseed bread with out a little flaxseed topping! Click HERE to see my recipe. Below are some pictures I took throughout the process that may or may not help you. I forgot to take one at each step of the process but use these as you choose to. My recipe is also at the bottom of this post if you scroll all the way down. By no means am I a bread expert (YET), but it wasn't that difficult. It just required patience, which is something I'm working on. It's safe to say that I will be making my own breads again in the near future. Stay tuned!
Flaxseed Bread Recipe
Ingredients: 1-1/2 to1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon butter 2 large eggs (set one aside for an egg wash) 1/4 cup flaxseed (set one teaspoon aside) 1 tablespoon butter Olive oil Nutrition: (12 slices per loaf) Serving Size: 1 slice Calories: 133, Fat 2.3 g Carbohydrates: 24.5 g Fiber: 2.1 g Sugar: 4.4 g Protein: 3.7 g | Instructions: Combine 1 cup flour, whole wheat flour, undissolved yeast, and salt in a large bowl and mix with a whisk. Heat milk, water, honey, and butter until very warm (120° to 130°F). This should ideally be done on the stove but can be done in the microwave carefully.Gradually add to flour mixture by mixing well with a spatula. Add egg, flaxseed, and additional 1/2 cup flour; mix until a soft dough is formed--you may need additional flour or water, just be sure to add sparingly as to not over do it. Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes in an olive oil greased bowl. Roll dough to 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Beginning on short end, roll up tightly (pretend you are rolling a jelly roll). Pinch seam and ends to seal. Place, seam side down, in greased (use olive oil or cooking spray) 8 -1/2 x 4-1/2 -inch loaf pan. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Brush top of loaf with the egg wash (just whisk one egg to make the egg wash). The egg wash will give the bread a nice golden brown crust. Sprinkle the flaxseed you set aside on top of the loaf for texture and appearance. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. Brush with melted butter if you desire. |