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Whoa, it’s been a while! But I’m finally back to my Daring Bakers Challenge, this time with pizza thanks to our awesome hostess, Rosa of Rosa’s Yummy Yums. I was thrilled that she picked a nominally savory (you could make it sweet, and I’m sure Tartelette did!) recipe.

the daring bakers: we knead to bake!

The only pizza dough I’ve made is the recipe out of the KitchenAid recipe book. You know the one I’m talking about - the book that comes with the KitchenAid stand mixer. It’s a good recipe and we have taken to making thin crust pizzas with it. This month’s challenge was a little different. For one thing, it required cold water instead of warm water.

cold water

That’s because it called for instant yeast instead of active dry yeast. What’s the difference? Funny you should ask. There is indeed a difference. I know this because I used active dry yeast the first time, thinking it was the same. It is not the same.

pouring olive oil

When I made the pizza dough with active dry yeast, the yeast never activated and we didn’t get that lovely aroma when the dough baked, or those nice pockets of air in the bread… Since it was thin crust, we could overlook the mistake and it was fine, just not delicious.

the dough

The second time around, I had instant yeast in hand. See, I’m trainable. I noticed that this dough wanted to jump out of the mixer, so I took it out and kneaded by hand - which is a really therapeutic activity.

chopping into 6ths

brushing with oil (i had no spray thingy)

The dough balls went into the refrigerator overnight. The next day after they had been out for 2 hours, it was time to toss the dough. Problem with that is I’ve had tendonitis in my wrist for over a month and it was nearly impossible to toss the pizza and get a shot of it. I asked Jeremy to try it, but I could see that was going nowhere fast. I stretched the dough on my fists, but no tossing. They turned out well enough.

favorite toppings: mushroom and pepperoni

I kept the toppings simple since this was our second go of it. I also used sauce from a jar because my patience was wearing *this* thin. We don’t have a pizza stone and my pizzas were small enough that they worked just fine on a baking sheet (right side up). I let ours bake for 10 minutes instead of 8. I’m not sure if that is because I like my pizzas more bubbly or because our altitude requires more cooking time.

right outta the oven

The crust was beautifully crispy with that wonderful yeasty flavor of fresh bread. Jeremy ate two of the pizzas in one evening. I had a good time of it and now I have two pizza dough methods to choose from when I want to make pizza. Thanks so much to Rosa for hosting. Be sure to check out the rest of the Daring Bakers’ creations this month and pay homage to our beloved founders Lis and Ivonne

awesome!

Basic Pizza Dough
Original recipe taken from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Makes 6 pizza crusts, about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter.

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 tsps salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 tbsp sugar
cornmeal for dusting

day one
Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer). Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water. [NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.] Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas). [NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.] Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball. [NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.] Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days. [NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.]

day two
On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). [NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan. Jen used a regular baking sheet, not the back of it.] Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss. [NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.] During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes. [NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.] If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.

I typically encounter few problems when cooking or baking things that I eventually post on Use Real Butter. There may be some recipes that I merely feel “meh” about and hold off posting those for times when I’m out of posting material. And then there are times, like this past week, when I try a recipe and it didn’t come out as I had hoped. This actually happened with TWO such recipes and the end results are kind of important to me (okay, okay, I AM OCD). I even told Tartelette I wasn’t sure I wanted to bother redoing them this weekend. But redo them I did… and with the proper results. That makes me feel better.

Most of today was spent working on a rather odd project that I’m pretty sure not a one of you has ever embarked on making before. More on that tomorrow. I’m quite jazzed about it.

The other day I had a few Granny Smith apples lying about with no designated purpose. I didn’t think too much about them until I was working out and the thought of caramelized apples bounced into my head. I tossed about the idea of a deconstructed apple crisp, but I’m not as keen on deconstruction as say… reconstruction. If you will recall the apple cranberry crisp from not to long ago, I went for the same theme, but different presentation.

the oatmeal streusel topping pressed into tartlet pans

I sliced up the apples and browned them in sugar and butter until caramelized and gooey. Smelled heavenly. They cook down to a pretty small yield, so I suggest one apple per 4-inch tartlet shell.

cooking the apple slices

The shells came out rather crunchy. Even though I love crunchy, these were too hard to break through easily with a fork. Perhaps I should have made them much thinner, or cooked them for less time. I think the next time, I will use a short dough with some oatmeal mixed in for the shells.

fill with caramelized apples

I had some homemade vanilla ice cream and cranberry sorbet in my freezer. Adding a few scoops to the tartlet, I was able to recreate the flavors from the crisp, but in different form.

apple cranberry crisp revisted

Apple Tartlets with Vanilla Ice Cream and Cranberry Sorbet

crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup rolled instant oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, soft

apples
4 apples (Granny Smith or other tart and crisp apple), peeled, cored, sliced
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

vanilla ice cream
cranberry sorbet

Cut the sugars into the softened butter. Mix in the flour and oats until coarse crumbs are formed. Press the dough into 4-inch tartlet pans (I got 4, but maybe I should have made them thinner and gotten 6). Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes or until just golden. Remove from pans and let cool on cooling rack.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Toss the apples with the sugar and then add to the saucepan. Add the cinnamon. Cook the apples over high heat, stirring the apples until they brown and the sugar and butter turn to a thick caramel. Remove from heat.

Fill the tartlet shells with caramelized apples. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a scoop of cranberry sorbet.

I’m still mulling over the giveaway, as in, I’m not sure what to give away… so while I’m figuring out What and How, just keep your pants on.

Recently I found myself in a food funk. Not only did I not feel like cooking much of anything, I also didn’t have a moment to sit down and *think* about what I might make. That is the OCD’s nightmare, to drive down the canyon and get to the store only to panic because I don’t have a menu planned out for the week. I don’t allow myself to wander the grocery store without a grocery list because I just know a lot of food is going to be wasted. That or my shopping cart will be full of junk food and nothing for dinner.

granny smiths

frozen cranberries are about as good as fresh

Lacking inspiration for well over a month, I began to wonder if this was the end of URB. How many new meals and baked goods can I make each week and for how long? Has my writing seemed stale or uninspired of late? Because I had been feeling stale and uninspired. Maybe it was NaBloWriMo kicking my ass… Things improved yesterday though. First off, I got a steroid infusion (ion tow) for tendonitis in my left wrist. I also got a brace and realized this morning that the pain in my wrist for the past month (yeah, three weeks was the earliest appointment I could get with PT) made everything from cooking to shooting to travel somewhat less than ideal.

peel, core, and slice the apples

combine fruit with spices and butter

But the other half of what got me out of my rut was the arrival of my new subscription to Art Culinaire. I actually paid for it back in July, but didn’t remember until I was sorting some bills last month. It’s pricey - $60 for a year of this quarterly or close to $100 for international. I emailed the publisher and got a quick apology and promise of the past two issues. Flipping through the pages of each issue (a 90-page hard-cover coffee table book in its own right), I knew I might not ever make the stunning plated masterpieces before me. I wouldn’t know how to procure half of the ingredients anyway. That didn’t matter though.

Every image, every recipe ignited ideas in my head - got me excited about cooking again, got me thinking about shooting food again. If you are looking for a magazine packed with practical recipes and how-tos, this is not it. If you want a subscription to pure artistry and are willing to shell out the bucks, Art Culinaire might be up your alley.

layer the fruit into the baking dish

mix oatmeal into the topping

Right, so today I made apple cranberry crisp because it is fall and this is what I do in the fall. I shoot the fall colors, I start my lunge exercises to prep for tele season, I watch the weather forecast like a hawk, and I make apple cranberry crisp. While I was at the store buying apples, I frowned at the Granny Smiths. I only ever buy them to bake with - never to eat raw. Growing up, it seemed the Red (and Golden) Delicious and Granny Smiths were all the apples that were to be had. I was not an apple fan. Thankfully, more varieties are reaching the markets (and if you ever live near an actual apple orchard, be sure to sample the apples that will NEVER get to market). I love munching raw apples, as long as they are Good apples. I like my Fujis, Pink Ladies, Honeycrisps, Cortlands, Empires (yeah, Cornell had awesome apples)… I don’t allow Red Delicious in my house, but I do bake with Granny Smiths because they hold up nicely when cooked. Oh, and I forgot to mention my FAVORITE apple of all time: Macs.

sprinkle the topping over the fruit

This recipe is really bloody simple. A nice homey dessert to serve warm with a creamy accompaniment. If I could steal borrow some of Peabody’s cute little pie plates, I’d make these in individual servings for guests. I’ve replaced the cranberries with blueberries and other berries before - it’s all fantastic.

it is perfect with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream

Apple Cranberry Crisp

filling
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tbsps sugar
2 tbsps light brown sugar (packed)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted

topping
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup rolled instant oats
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, soft

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into 1/4 inch slices. Wash cranberries and pick out any stems and twigs or past due berries. Place apples and cranberries in a large bowl. Add the sugars, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and toss the ingredients until the fruit is evenly coated. Pour the fruit mixture into the baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars with softened butter and mix until well blended. Stir in the flour. Add the oats and mix until the crust resembles coarse crumbs. Crumble the topping evenly over the fruit. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot with ice cream.