Giant Calzone

Supermarkets do not portion meat to only feed two people, which is the number I am typically cooking for, my husband and I. That means when I get meat home, I often times re-package the meat in to the portions I am needing for a particular dish. I recently realized that I had a number of random sausages in the freezer that needed to be used up. When I came across this calzone recipe, I knew it would be a perfect way to use up the meat in the freezer. Giant Calzone
1 1/2 cups water (70-80 degrees)
2 Tbls olive oil
2 tsps sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps active dry yeast
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1 can (26 oz) garlic and herb spaghetti sauce, divided
3 Tbls grated Parmesan cheese
1 jar (4 1/2 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (I left these out!)
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten

In a bread machine pan, place the first six ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after first 5 minutes and add 1-2 Tbls water if needed). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and cool. When bread machine cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 15-inch circle. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce over half of circle to within 1/4 inch of edges. Sprinkle sauce with Parmesan cheese, sausage, mushrooms, green pepper, onion, and mozzarella cheese. Fold dough over filling and pinch edges to seal. With a sharp knife, make two slashes in dough; brush with egg. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into six wedges. Warm remaining spaghetti sauce; serve with calzone. Serves 6.

Daring Bakers: Home-made Pizza Crust

I was excited to see that this month's challenge was home-made pizza crust. My husband enjoys making his own pizza crust and we've probably tried a dozen different recipes. I've been reading on the Daring Baker's forum that everyone really enjoyed this crust. I know I am in the minority saying that I didn't feel it was anything special. It was fun 'tossing' the dough (which was one of the requirements for the month, hence the picture posted), but I really don't foresee myself making this recipe again. The crust itself was really bland. It was nice and sturdy so it would hold a lot of toppings, but that's pretty much all it has going for it. I chose to top mine with the traditional red pizza sauce, cheese and mozzarella. Nothing fancy here. I've already found the next pizza dough recipe I want to try....hopefully we'll get around to it in the next few weeks.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH - The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).
Ingredients:4 ½ c. bread flour
1 ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
¼ c. Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 ¾ c. water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 tbs sugar
cornmeal for dusting

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).
2. 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.
3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 tablespoons 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.
8. 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 thick and 5 inches 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.
9. 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.
NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.
10. 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.
11. When the dough has the shape you want, 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.
12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.
13. 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.
14. 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.

Bobby Flay's Flatbread Pizza

It is in the 90's here in Cheyenne today, so I chose a dinner recipe that could be made on the grill so we weren't heating our house up any more by using the oven! My husband enjoys making pizza dough and I have fun picking various toppings. We came across a recipe for Flatbread Pizza in Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill cookbook and thought we'd give it a try. According to my husband, the dough was easy to make and work with, his only suggestion for next time would be to add a little sugar to the dough for a slightly sweeter taste. We chose to top the flatbread with ricotta cheese, fresh tomatoes, basil, and roasted garlic oil (again a recipe from Bobby Flay!). This was a great way to have homemade pizza without warming up your house!


Grilled Flatbread
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 tsp dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbls olive oil

Mix the water and yeast in a medium bowl and let stand 15 minutes. Gradually pour in 2 cups of flour and stir to incorporate. Mix for about 1 minute to form a sponge. Let stand at room temperature, covered, for 45 minutes. Put the sponge in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the dough hook, mix in the salt and oil, and add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing, to form a soft dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is satiny, sprinkling with a little flour to keep from sticking, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a large, clean, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 balls. Place on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled, 30-45 minutes. Roll, pat, and stretch the dough into 4 roughly shaped 10-12 inch circles or rectangles. When ready to grill, proceed to the next recipe.

Grilled Flatbread with Ricotta Cheese, Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, and Roasted Garlic Oil
for the roasted garlic oil:
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves roasted garlic, peeled

Place the oil and garlic in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain and pour into a squeeze bottle. May be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day; use at room temperature. Makes about 1/2 cup.

for the flatbread:
Four 10-12 inch rounds or rectangles of flatbread dough
olive oil for brushing dough
1 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
1 lb ricotta cheese, drained

Preheat grill to medium high. Brush the rounds of dough liberally with olive oil and grill until crusty and golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn over and grill another 4 minutes. Remove from grill and place on sheet of aluminum foil. Spread each bread with the mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Place tablespoons of the ricotta cheese around the edge of the bread. Close the grill cover and cook for 3 minutes. Place the breads on a large platter and drizzle with the roasted garlic oil. Makes 8 servings.

Personal Pizza

Today for lunch I decided to make a personal pizza. I found personal size pre-made pizza crusts at the grocery store and thought they would be perfect for me when my husband is away on business or for quick and easy meals. I chose to top mine with pesto sauce and tomatoes, but feel free to use whatever toppings you enjoy!



Personal Margherita Pizza
1 personal size pre-made pizza crust
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
4 Tbls pesto sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread pesto sauce on pizza crust; top with tomato slices, cheese, and red pepper flakes. Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 10 minutes. Slice and serve!

Peppy Provolone Pizza Slices

This is one of my favorite quick and easy recipes! I needed something to make from ingredients I had at the house already, and something that wouldn't have any left-overs, as my husband and I are going to see some of our best friends in Washington DC tomorrow!

Peppy Provolone Pizza Slices
1 pound frozen bread dough
8 ounces pepperoni
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese
1 cup sliced jalapeno peppers (optional)
pizza sauce for dipping

Thaw bread dough on a greased 15x2 cookie sheet, according to package directions. Roll dough into greased pan. Place two rows of pepperoni down middle section of bread dough, top with 4 slices of provolone cheese, and half of the peppers. Fold over left side of dough to top the filling (you should still have 1/3 of dough left on your right side). Repeat the filling to create a second layer. Fold the right side of dough over top and crease around the edges to seal. Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.