Pizza Dough Expanded

 A good pizza dough is not just for those luscious pies.It can be used for everything from calzones ot  - yes - doughnuts. It's a versatile dough to make and to have.It CNA be a lifesaver on busy fall weekends.

What makes a good dough? Five vital ingredients. You should have a good light olive oil,water salt, yeast and flour. A pinch of granulated sugar is added to the yeast for quick activation. What yeast should be used? either active dry or just plain dry yeast. As for the  sugar you could sub in any type of honey for a more natural ingredient. Proofing the yeast requires adding hot water to the emoxo fo the sugar and yeast, stirring and then sti  ing it until beomes foamy and bubbly. Once the yeast is proofed start adding the olive oil.Drizzle it in in a thin ribbon instead of dumping the entire measurement in. It;s then adding the two cups of flour and salt. As with the olive oil, slowly add in the flour until you get a sticky ball.If you;re making a savory baked treat, this is the time to add any herbs or spices for extra flavoring.(This applies to more like garlic knots, stromboli and calzones).Knead the dough and let it rise for another ten to thirty minutes. DO this  by covering it with a damp towel  and place din a warm oven.

After you roll out the dough you can turn it into delicious dinners. A calzone or big sock in Italian  - can be filled with mozzarella , ricotta and ham.Some add pepperoni instead of ham and broccoli for more color and flavor  , A spoonful of marinara is also a perfect addition to a calzone stuffing. Fold, crimp the edges and give it an egg wash before baking in the oven. ANother Italain delight is stromboli,It a pizza more or less redone like a Swiss role. The toppings like sauce , cheese, meats and veggies are rolled inside the dough.It's baked and then cut into thick wedges. If you want a fun party food or even snack try garlic twists.This is taking strings of dough . twisting them and then brushing on live oil and garlic powder. Oregano is sprinkled on for more flavor. Pizza dough also makes for tasty  cinnamon doughnuts, Thye're sweet and puffy  and easy made. Keep in mind that you can also make doughnut holes and jelly doughnuts with the dough too. Cinnamon rolls are actually better when made with pizza dough. The texture is lighter and fluffier than the traditional bun dough.

Pizza dough isn't just for pizza, It can be used for savory and sweet treats. Use it for a tasty dinner or dessert.

Winter Storm Basics

January usually brings a whole host of weather problems. There's either blizzards, Nor'easters or just bone-numbing frigid cold. That means stocking up and staying in. What to get? basics? Fun stuff? Or a mix of both? A balanced mix is the answer.

Many home chefs freak out when they hear blizzard. They rush to the store and get the necessary, bread milk and eggs. This is great , These are the staples that you'll need, whether on their own or used as ingredients. Yet, you'll need more protein than just eggs/What you can do is buy a roast a day or two before a predicted monster snowstorm. Make it along with hearty sides such as mashed potatoes and broccoli au gratin. These leftovers will keep the family happy and fed until you can dig out. Also, a cold roast can be sliced into sandwiches for a couple of days afterward. Also, have cold cuts ready if there's a blackout  - which does happen during a heavy windstorm. Canned goods are a must. There's a lot you can do with canned veggies turning them into main dishes or sides. Try not to get fresh breads which either get moldy quick .  If the bread gets stale, don;t fret.They can be repurposed into breadcrumbs, stuffing or bread pudding A snow day in is also a good time to bake homemade loaves and rolls. You can also get those canisters of biscuits,  and breadsticks too. They're a nice side with a bowl of homemade soup. Save the cinnamon buns for a breakfast or brunch with the family.

Fun stuff can also be bought too. A snowy or blustery day inside can mean a fun baking or even candy making day. A day off can be spent making homemade pizzas. Be sure to have a can or two  of pizza sauce and mozzarella,,whether balls or shredded for topping. The kids will get a kick out of  baking cupcakes or cookies. Have confectioners sugar, butter,and food coloring handy to make colorful icings, along with sprinkles and  icing gels for writing., Buy a few tubes of slice and bake cookies  for   a nice, fresh from the oven batch. Candy making is a great way to keep tweens occupied during a day in. . Keep the pantry stocked with a bag of unshelled peanuts, granulated sugar and corn syrup to make peanut brittle and condensed milk and chocolate chips for making microwave fudge Flavored honeys are great in hot teas and for sore throats.  They can also be used to make tasty lollipops.Another must is having hot cocoa,the perfect warm up for after shoveling. Stock up on the premade mixes or tins of Drostes. Cut back on sodas but definitely have a pantry full of juices, especially orange. It's not only refreshing but gives the  family an extra boost of Vitamin C.

The pantry and fridge should be well stocked during a winter storm. Keep it balanced with nutritious and fun foods. It's a nice blend for a few days inside.

One Dough Many Recipes

Name one dough that can have as many recipes as pizza has toppings. The answer - pizza dough. It's so versatile that it can be used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's great too in creating snacks and fun desserts too. Make a batch of pizza dough and you'll have a wide swath of delicious dishes.

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.