Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Roasted Eggplant with Saffron Yogurt, Orange Segments, Arugula and Walnuts

and

• • Garlic Hummus with Whole Wheat Pita Bread
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  • Whole Wheat Pita Bread
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  • 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water (105–115°F)
  • 2 cups bread flour or high-gluten flour, plus additional for kneading
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Cornmeal for sprinkling baking sheets
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  • Stir together yeast, honey, and 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
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  • While yeast mixture stands, stir together flours in another bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup flour mixture into yeast mixture until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes. Stir in oil, salt, remaining 3/4 cup warm water, and remaining 2 1/2 cups flour mixture until a dough forms.
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  • Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, working in just enough additional flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Form dough into a ball and put in an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
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  • Punch down dough and cut into 8 pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten 1 ball, then roll out into a 6 1/2- to 7-inch round on floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer round to 1 of 2 baking sheets lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Make 7 more rounds in same manner, arranging them on baking sheets. Loosely cover pitas with 2 clean kitchen towels (not terry cloth) and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
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  • Set oven rack in lower third of oven and remove other racks. Preheat oven to 500°F.

Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, directly onto oven rack. Bake until just puffed and pale golden, about 2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and bake 1 minute more. Cool pitas on a cooling rack 2 minutes, then stack and wrap loosely in a kitchen towel to keep pitas warm. Bake remaining 4 pitas in same manner. Serve warm.

Thanksgiving Apple Pie

Looks wonderful doesn't it? We used the recipe that we had collected from a pie-making class.

For those who prefer not to squint  the recipe is below.

That recipe calls for mixing the dough in a food processor. Well - we wanted to follow directions but do not have a decent food processor, so we had to work with what we had:

Somehow, we were able to mix up all of this in that little guy...and it turned out just fantastic....though next time, if by then we do not have a decent food processor, I'll stick to a pastry cutter!

Flaky Pie Dough

from Baking Arts

yields 1 double crust of 2 bottom crusts

2.5 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

6 oz butter, chilled (1.5 sticks)

1/4 cup vegetable shortening or lard 

1/2 cup cold water + more if needed

For best results on warm days, chill flour in a covered metal bowl for 30 minutes. Place dry ingredients and shortening or lard in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for 15 seconds until it has the appearance of sand. Add the butter and pulse in 1 second increments until the butter is no larger than small  pebbles. 

Turn mixture into a mixing bowl and drizzle in almost all of the water. Fold together using a plastic scraper or spatula. Add additional water, if needed, to blend all the ingredients. Chill for 2 hours before using. Can be frozen for several months.

Rolling and Forming:

Lightly flour table and dough on both sides. Work rolling pin over the dough to help soften and flatten. Begin rolling dough, pivot dough frequently to keep dough a round shape and to check for sticking. Dust with flour as required. Press edges together if they crack. Roll dough to 1/8" thick. Place dough into a 9" pie pan. Allow dough to rest in bottom edges of pie tin. 

Trim dough 1/2 past the edge of the pie tin. Chill and rest dough before filling and topping with second crust. 

If creating a single crust pie, fold overhanging edge under itself so the dough is resting on the edge of the pie tin. Crimp edges of dough. 

For double crust pie, after placing second rough of dough on top, trim top crust to 1/2 inch and fold the bottom and top edges of dough under and crimp.

Homemade Pizza Dough from Cook's Illustrated

Margarita

Speck, Artichoke, Arugula and Burrata

Homemade pizza dough from Cooks Illustrated recipe:

Pizza Dough from Cooks Illustrated
published May 1, 1995

This dough can be used for any size pizza with thick or thin crust; simply adjust the cooking time to fit the pizza. Make sure you heat the oven to 500 degrees for thirty minutes before you start cooking. Your tiles or stone need at least that long to heat up; if they’re not properly heated, your pizza crust will be thin, blond, and limp. Once the dough for the crust has been topped, use a quick jerking action to slide it off the peel and onto the hot tiles or stone; make sure that the pizza lands far enough back so that its front edge does not hang off. For a cornmeal-flavored dough, substitute three-quarters cup of cornmeal for three-quarters cup of the bread flour. Editor's Note: This recipe was updated in 1997, when we found that adding more water resulted in a tastier pizza. This recipe contains a total of 1 3/4 cups water, while the original that appeared in the magazine in 1995 contains 1 1/2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cups water divided, 1/2 cup warm, remaining at tap temperature
• 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1 envelope)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing dough
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• Vegetable oil (or cooking spray) for oiling bowl
• Semolina for dusting peel

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Measure 1/4 cup of warm water into 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle in yeast; let stand until yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 1/4 cup warm water plus remaining 1 1/4 cups tap water and olive oil. Meanwhile, pulse flour and salt in workbowl of large food processor fitted with steel blade to combine. Add liquid ingredients (holding back a tablespoon or so) to flour and pulse together. If dough does not readily form into ball, stop machine, add remaining liquid, and continue to pulse until ball forms. Process until dough is smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds longer.
2. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface; knead by hand with a few strokes to form smooth, round ball. Put dough into medium-large, oiled bowl, and cover with damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
3. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and use chef’s knife or dough scraper to halve, quarter, or cut dough into eighths, depending on number and size of pizzas desired. Form each piece into ball and cover with damp cloth. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape as shown in illustrations below. Transfer to pizza peel that has been lightly coated with semolina, brush dough very lightly with olive oil before topping and cooking.
4. Use the following guide to determine cooking time for pizza crust with topping but without cheese. All pizzas need to be cooked an additional two or three minutes after adding cheese, or until cheese is completely melted.

Molasses Spice Cookies with Orange Essence (from Cooks Illustrated)

This recipe, from Cooks Illustrated, is a real winner. I have gotten nearly perfect results every time I have tried it. They are soft and chewy and have a real kick with the ginger and a bit of brightness from the orange zest. A perfect holiday treat!

Molasses Spice Cookies with Orange Essence (from Cooks Illustrated)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup granulated sugar (about 7 ounces) 
• 3 teaspoons grated orange zest 
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces) 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt 
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool 
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces) 
• 1 large egg yolk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup molasses (about 6 ounces), light or dark 

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In workbowl of food processor, process 2/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons orange zest until pale orange, about 10 seconds; transfer sugar to 8- or 9-inch cake pan and set aside. 
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.
3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest with brown sugar and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft.
4. Using tablespoon measure, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms into 1 1/2-inch ball; drop ball into cake pan with sugar and repeat to form about 4 balls. Toss balls in orange sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. 
5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature and serve. (Can be stored at room temperature in airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag up to 5 days.)