REAL Pizza Dough!

After a decade of trying recipe after recipe I have finally found a good AMAZING pizza dough!  Hallelujah!  I found this King Arthur blog post that walks you through all the steps, but I broke it down for my printed recipe.  Here's the original post if you want to take a look: https://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2015/01/05/best-pizza-youll-ever-make/?go=ETW16F2_B1&trk_msg=4N2J85VUPEUK323ERNBJK1IQKC&trk_contact=8JLPT4O9CS4MJGMJ6KBOKMQPNS&trk_module=wel&trk_sid=58SQ436S52T10O76KEVGDN9EB8&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=http%%202f%2fwww.kingarthurflour.com%2fshop%2flanding.jsp%3fgo%3dETW16F2_B1&utm_campaign=welcome&utm_content=step2-recipes-blogs

This dough doesn't make a dense crust, but an airy, chewy piece of perfection.  Thin in the middle and thick on the edge.  So yummy!  I am so glad I tried this because I had all but given up on homemade pizza... my family all complained when I made it and my kids said they'd prefer Little Caesar's haha!  This dough is definitely a game changer.

Also, I didn't let my dough rest for the full 24 hours, as recommended, but I did let it rest for 5 and that worked well.

Pizza Dough (King Arthur – PERFECT)

500g Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (approximately 4 cups + 2 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4g granulated sugar (1 teaspoon)
16g salt (2 1/2 teaspoons)
370g lukewarm water (1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons)

Mix the dry ingredients, then add the water. Stir until just combined – the dough will look lumpy and might be too moist at this point.  Remove dough hook and cover with towel.  Let sit for at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 475-500 degrees with pizza stone inside.

Transfer dough onto well-floured silicone mat and cut into four even pieces.  Stretch each piece and refold back onto itself (like you’re shaping a roll).  Put dough into bowls and cover loosely with towel.  Let rise in warm place (oven that was preheated to warm and then turned off works well) for 45-60 minutes.

On well-floured silicone mat, lay each piece of dough flat and poke holes all around the middle of the dough (not piercing through all the way) – don’t touch the edge of the dough.  This will allow the crust to remain thick and bubbly.

Lift the dough and, using your knuckles, begin to pass the dough back and forth between your hands to gently stretch the middle.  Stretch it until it is about 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough on sheet of parchment paper and trim parchment around edge of dough.

Add sauce and toppings and transfer to pizza stone (including parchment paper).  Bake for around 8-12 minutes, or until dough is light to medium brown around edges.

Cullohill Apple Pie

We have decided that the Irish win with apple pie! This is the second Irish apple pie we've tried and it is as delicious as the first one we tried! (I put that link because you should all try both of them!)
My favorite thing about this one was the crust because it was easy and flaky and delicious. (You cream the butter! Hooray!) Kelton was happy that the pie didn't have any of that "gooey" stuff (no thickener added to the apples). I just put two whole cloves on top of the apples and then pulled them out when I cut the pie. The recipe is from a cute Irish blog: Nessa's Family Kitchen.

Cullohill Apple Pie / Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients
Pastry
8 ozs (225g/2 sticks) butter
2 ozs (55g/1/3 cup) castor sugar
2 eggs, preferably free range
12 ozs (340g/2½ cups) white flour, preferably unbleached
Filling
1½ lbs (675g) Bramley Seedling cooking apples
5 ozs (140g/2/3 cup) sugar
2-3 cloves
egg wash-made with one beaten egg and a dash of milk
Caster sugar for sprinkling

Tin, 7 inches (18cm) x 12 inches (30.5cm) x 1 inch (2.5cm) deep

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.


2. First make the pastry. Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food mixer (no need to over cream). Add the eggs and beat for several minutes. Reduce speed and mix in the flour. Turn out onto a piece of floured greaseproof paper, flatten into a round wrap and chill. This pastry needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours otherwise it is difficult to handle.


3. To make the tart, roll out the pastry 1/8 inch (3mm) thick approx., and use about 2/3 of it to line a suitable tin. Peel, quarter and dice the apples into the tart, sprinkle with sugar and add the cloves. Cover with a lid of pastry, seal edges, decorate with pastry leaves, egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until the apples are tender, approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cooked cut into squares, sprinkle lightly with castor sugar and serve with softly whipped cream and barbados sugar.

   Rhubarb Pie

Make in exactly the same way but use approx. 900g (2lbs) sliced red rhubarb (about 1/2 inch thick) and approx. 370g (13oz) sugar. Also combine the rhubard with 1 tbsp cornflour, to soak up some of the juices. If you have some strawberries add a few as they are delicious in this tart with the rhubarb.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Homemade Hot Chocolate

2/3 C sugar

1/3 C unsweetened cocoa

1/8 tsp salt

1 C water

5 ½ cups milk or half and half

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

1 Tbsp vanilla

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt; add water.  Cook and stir over medium high heat until mixture boils.  Boil and stir 2 more minutes.  Reduce heat to low or medium low and add milk and evaporated milk.  Slowly warm, but do not boil (do not heat too quickly or milk will curdle).  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Serve hot.