Pizza dough is one of the easiest to make.It's a bread dough recipe without butter and eggs. You can use white or whole wheat flour or a mix of the two. Olive oil, along with salt and surprisingly sugar, is also needed for body and flavor. Yeast is to give it a defined crust.Some home chefs add Italian seasonings such as oregano and rosemary to give it more flavor. There is even the option of subbing in brown sugar for white for a healthier dough.Of course the dough can be used for pizza and if more flour is added - it creates a great, chewy crust for Sicilian or Nonna style pies..The dough can also be divided to create individual pizzas, perfect for fun dinner with the kids where they make their own. A byproduct of pizza dough is calzone - or big sock in Italian.Calzones are fun to whip up because the variety of stuffings rivals that of pizza toppings. The original recipe calls for ricotta and mozzarella along with smoked ham. It has a nice creamy texture and taste, heightened by the meat's saltiness. Italian salame or even paper thin sliced prosciutto can be subbed in for the ham. Fresh goat cheese can also be used instead of the traditional ones which gives a lighter in calorie calzone. Veggies and calzones go hand in hand. Add chopped red peppers, broccoli, onions and spinach for a colorful,t asty one..
Pizza dough can be made into other Italian treats. It can easily be cut and hand rolled into grissini, those Torinese .extra thin, extra crispy breadsticks. They're then rubbed with olive oil and baked for only fifteen to twenty minutes until they're golden brown. These would be perfect with minestrone soup on a crisp fall day. Another crunchy idea are crackers!The dough can easily be rolled to a wafer thinness and then cut into squares. They're then docked or poked with a fork before being given a wash of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.Again these would be great with soup but also with soft cheeses like Brie.Pizza dough also makes for nice dinner rolls and Italian bread, perfect for a Sunday dinner. What many don't know is that the dough can take on a Middle Eastern cast. It's perfect for making pita bread.The only difference is that's it's made on an ultra hot cast iron skillet instead of in the oven.Pizza dough can also be turned into yummy cinnamon rolls and donuts.It's rolling out the dough , brushing it with melted butter and then adding a mix of cinnamon and sugar.Raisins, nuts and even chocolate chips can be added to the filling.The dough. can also be cut into doughnuts and fried in vegetable oil. These can be dipped in cinnamon or powdered sugar for an extra boost of sweetness.
Pizza dough can be used to create a luscious pie but it can be used for so many other recipes as well. Try it as pita bread or doughnuts. Bake yummy grissin or cinnamon rolls for a weekend dinner. It's versatile and fun, perfect for so many recipes.
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