pizza dough

This recipe calls for bread flour. All purpose flour can be used but will result in a chewier crust. Depending on the oven, you may want to precook the crust before assembling the pizza.

PIZZA DOUGH
From Bobby Flay, Food Network

3½-4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling
1 tsp sugar
2¼ tsp instant dry yeast
2 tsp salt
1½ cups water, 110°F
2 Tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp

COMBINE bread flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Add water and 2 tablespoon of oil. If dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together in a solid ball.

KNEAD gently into a smooth, firm ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area to let double in size, about one hour.

DIVIDE dough into 2 equal pieces, placing on a slightly floured surface. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then roll out. Depending on oven, precook the crust slightly or assemble pizza on uncooked dough. Bake at 400°F on a tray lined with parchment paper.

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cinnamon buttermilk cornbread with cumin and cardamom honey butter

Before I left my parents' house this holiday, I quickly typed up some recipes from American magazines and saved them as drafts in blogger. This cornbread recipe accompanied an article with three chili recipes. I love Julie's Cornbread, but really, with that ratio of sugar and butter to bisquick and cornmeal, we should just call it a cake. This cornbread is a little heartier, especially when I mix the flour, 1/3 whole wheat to 2/3 white. It gets a small kick of flavor from the cinnamon and buttermilk, but the star is the cumin and cardamom honey butter. Mmmm. So good, especially when the cornbread is still warm. It goes especially well with chili or taco soup.

CINNAMON BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD WITH CUMIN AND CARDAMOM HONEY BUTTER
from Woman's Day magazine

2 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
½ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cup butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
3 Tbsp honey
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground roasted or regular cumin

WHISK together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Melt ¾ cup butter. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter.

ADD reserved flour mixture to egg mixture and stir to combine. Spread into a greased square baking pan. Bake at 400°F until toothpick in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.

MIX honey, cardamom, cumin, and ½ cup butter. Serve with warm cornbread.

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cinnamon rolls

On Sunday mornings, different people take turns bringing baked treats. After two weeks in a row of the best cinnamon rolls (same recipe, made by two different ladies), I had to ask for the recipe. My roommate tried the recipe first for our principal’s birthday breakfast surprise. The rolls were good, but not the same. The texture was off. We decided it might have something to do with our old yeast. They just didn’t seem to be as big and puffy as the rolls were both times our friends made them. I learned from her experience and doubled the yeast. Better, but not perfect. I need to try them again and perfect the “make at night, bake in the morning” routine. See note at the end for more explanation.

The recipe is convenient for those with a bread machine because the dough is done in the machine. If you don’t have a bread machine, click on the link to Allrecipes and read some of the comments to find by-hand adaptations.

CINNAMON ROLLS (makes 12)
from Allrecipes

for the dough
1 cup warm milk (110°F /45°C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 ½ cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
½ cup sugar
2 ½ tsp yeast (my yeast is old so I double this to 5 tsp)

for the filling
1 cup brown sugar
2 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

for the frosting
3 oz cream cheese, softened
¼ cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

PLACE ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Run dough cycle. When finished, remove, place on a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

ROLL dough into a 16 in x 21 in rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up and cut into 12 rolls. Place in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

BAKE at 400°F until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

**In my limited knowledge of yeast dough, it seems like my dough never rises enough in the desired time. I increased the yeast because mine is old and because the dough did not rise enough the first time. For convenience, I made the dough in the evening. Instead of allowing the dough to rise for 30 minutes, I covered it and placed it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I placed it in a cold oven. The dough continued to rise while the oven heated to 400°F. I baked it for about 10 or 12 minutes after it reached 400°F.

Because of the differences in each batch of dough and in ovens, don’t rely on timers. Judge by look, not time. In the future, I may bake longer at a slightly lower temperature because the tops got dark too quickly, while the rest of the dough was slightly undercooked.

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garlic naan

I was in New York City with some friends, visiting MoMA, when I first ate Indian food. We were looking for a place to eat and the employees at the help desk recommended an Indian buffet across the street.

Since moving to China, Indian has become a regular part of my life. I recently decided to try my hand at cooking some dishes, albeit with premade spice packets from Carrefour. This naan can actually be called homemade. The result is more chewy and moist than the plain naan at Yamuna, but the addition of garlic and cumin in the dough is fantastic. And now I have homemade naan to go with my “homemade” tikka masala.

GARLIC NAAN
from Guilty Kitchen

1 ¾ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup warm skim milk
½ cup plain yogurt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp cumin
butter

DISSOLVE sugar in milk and add yeast. Stir to combine and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. In a large bowl, blend flour, salt, and seasonings. Pour in the milk and yogurt and stir until you are unable to do so. Continue by kneading until all flour is incorporated and dough is soft and elastic.

FORM into a ball. Return to bowl and cover with a damp towel for 2-3 hours (or until doubled). Pull dough into 5 pieces. Roll out to 1/8” thickness.

MELT butter in a hot skillet. Brush one side of naan with water and place that side down in the skillet. When large bubbles form, brush top with water and flip over to cook on the other side.

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braided challah

This is one of the first blog recipes I ever tried. Making the bread is a multiple hour process (5+ hours, when you factor in slow-rising dough), but the result is so tasty! If you manage to keep some around for a few extra days, use the partially dried out bread for French toast. (If you need pictures, check out the original posting. There are many shots of the bread-making process.)

BRAIDED CHALLAH (makes two loaves)
from Joan Nathan’s “My Favorite Challah,” The New York Times via Pete Bakes!

1 ½ Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp plus ½ cup sugar
½cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 eggs
1 Tbsp salt
8 ½ cups flour

DISSOLVE yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, along with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.

TURN dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Place dough in a well greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for one hour. Another trick is to warm the oven to about 150 F as you are mixing the dough, turn off the oven when you are ready for the rise, and place the bowl in the open warmed oven. After dough has about doubled, punch it down, cover and let rise for another half hour in a warm place. Punch down again.

BRAID the dough into two loaves of your desired shape. Tuck the ends under. Place on a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Beat remaining egg and brush it on the loaves. Allow to rise for another hour and brush with egg wash again. Bake at 375°F for 35-50 minutes. The loaves should be golden.

(To create steam and help keep the loaves from drying out, put water in an oven proof bowl at the bottom of the oven as the bread bakes.)

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pumpkin spice scones

A friend posted pictures and link to this scone recipe. I am in love with any scones that use heavy cream. I love the texture and richness! The spices in this recipe are just perfect for an autumn day. Like with the dreamy cream scones, the goal is to keep the dough as cold as possible until you get it into the oven.

PUMPKIN SPICE SCONES
from Pinch My Salt

2 cup flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground ginger
6 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

for the ginger molasses glaze:
1-2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp molasses
¼ - ½ tsp ground ginger
Powdered sugar to thicken to desired consistency

CUT butter into small pieces, then place back into the refrigerator. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk together. Place in the freezer. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla. Place in the refrigerator.

COMBINE butter and flour mixture, cutting with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Get the liquid mixture out of the fridge and pour into flour mixture all at once, stirring until just moistened.

DUMP onto the counter and knead just barely until everything is stuck together. Pat into a rough circle, ¾ to 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 pie pieces. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, or until lightly brown on the bottom. Once cool, drizzle with glaze.

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homemade tortillas

Who makes their own tortillas? Why would you make your own tortillas? Maybe if they were really expensive and usually dry and brittle from age, you would consider making them too.

During my first summer in China, I asked my house helper to make them. I had heard that many of the house helpers know how to make tortillas. Unfortunately, I didn't know the word for tortilla in Chinese. To this day, I still don't. What can a girl do but attempt to describe it with her limited Chinese and gesture.

"Make bread?"
Gesture like a circle.

"No, no, not that."
Gesture like it's flat.

"Not pizza. Umm..."
Add some more gestures.

"You put meat in it."
Gesture like folding something and then eating it.

And then my helper replied "Taco?"

Yes, not only does my helper know how to make tortillas, she knows the word "taco."

Later that year, I wanted to have some tortillas, but it was a Saturday. I googled a recipe and 90 minutes later, I had something that partially resembled a tortilla.

I am still horrible at rolling out the circles (my helper's mad skills at dumpling-making translate into perfectly round tortillas), but I really like the thickness and chewy texture of this recipe.

HOMEMADE TORTILLAS (makes 6-8)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
¾ cup lukewarm milk

COMBINE flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate container, combine oil and milk. Gradually add to dry ingredients. Dough will be sticky.

KNEAD on a floured surface for 2 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes. The dough will not rise, but needs to rest. Divide dough into 6-8 balls of equal size. Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes, making sure they do not touch. Dust work surface with flour. Working one at a time, pat a dough ball into a circle, then roll out until you have a 7 or 8 inch tortilla.

COOK in a hot, dry skillet for about 30 seconds on each side. Tortilla will blister. Repeat for all dough balls.

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julie's cornbread

This recipe comes from my mom’s friend Julie. My mom would always make it when we had chili. It’s a very sweet cornbread, but that’s probably why I loved it so much as a kid.

JULIE’S CORNBREAD

1 1/3 cups bisquick
½ cup sugar
2/3 cup cornmeal
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup melted butter or shortening

MIX dry ingredients well.

BEAT eggs slightly; add milk and butter. Combine with dry ingredients, stirring only until moist.

POUR into greased 8" pan and bake at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes.

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homemade bisquick

Bisquick was a staple in my college years. I lived in apartments, on or off campus, every year after freshman year. I loved to make cheesy biscuits (similar to Red Lobster’s) and various Bisquick casseroles. Moving to China, I decided it was too expensive to buy imported Bisquick.

Recently, my mom sent me a link to this recipe for making Bisquick. Alas, it needs shortening (not the easiest or cheapest to come by in China). But since I brought over a lot of shortening, I decided it was feasible to make some homemade Bisquick. Rumor has it that shortening is much cheaper in Beijing, plus with online shopping (Taobao!), maybe homemade Bisquick will become a staple in my apartment again.

HOMEMADE BISQUICK (makes 10+ cups)

8 cups flour (half whole wheat, if you prefer)
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups powdered milk
2 cups shortening

MIX flour, baking powder, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, and nonfat milk in a large bowl.

CUT in shortening, about a half cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mixture will be mealy when mixed adequately.

STORE in an air-tight container, either in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Use within 3 months.

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cranberry scones

smitten kitchen is one of my favorite food blogs. I don't remember the first recipe that brought me to the blog, nor the first recipe I made, but this is one of my favorites. Though I've never seen this infamous America's Test Kitchen Cookbook, I've heard of it and learned to trust recipes from this source. The trick to this recipe, changed from America's Test Kitchen's currants to cranberries, is to work very quickly, getting the butter from the fridge to the oven as quickly as possible. Don't overwork the dough or fuss with mixing the ingredients. I've never made a bad batch, regardless of how I've worried that I didn't cut in the butter into small enough pieces or knead the dough enough.

DREAMY CREAM SCONES (makes 8)
from smitten kitchen

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
5 Tbsp chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup heavy cream

WHISK flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in large bowl. Using a pastry blender, quickly cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in cranberries. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

DUMP dough and all dry, floury bits onto the countertop and knead dough by hand until it just comes together in a rough, sticky ball (5-10 seconds, do not overwork the dough). Form dough into a rectangle, approximately 4 ½ inches by 12 inches. Cut into 8 triangles (first into four rectangles, approximately 4 ½ inches by 3 inches, then diagonally from corner to corner).

PLACE wedges on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 425°F until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

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banana bread

I first came to China in 2007 for two weeks to visit a friend. Her internet wasn’t working well at the time and she didn’t have very many minutes on her international calling card. It took me a few days to finally contact my parents and let them know I was okay. Then, when I did actually call, I spent most of the time asking for my mom’s banana bread recipe. See, my friend had overripe bananas and I really wanted to make my favorite banana bread! My mom’s cookbook opens directly to this page. I wonder if there are any other recipes we use in that 40+ year old hardback tome. But the banana bread is my favorite. Ironically, when I moved to China, I unknowingly brought that notebook from 2007, complete with my chicken-scratch about the recipe. I keep the notebook in my kitchen now and continue to open its pages every time I want to make banana bread.

BANANA BREAD (makes 1 loaf)

1 ¾ cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
½ cup shortening
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
2 eggs, slightly beaten

HEAT oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in shortening. Mix mashed banana and slightly beaten egg. Stir into crumbly mixture.

POUR into greased and floured loaf pan (9x5x3).

BAKE 50 minutes to 1 hour (or until toothpick comes out clean).

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soft pretzels

This is not my first experience living abroad, though it is my longest thus far. Before this, I spent two months student teaching in Plymouth, England, during Spring 2008. Nine American girls in one on-campus apartment---it was an interesting situation! While we mainly ate frozen pizza from ASDA, we did do a little cooking and baking in the kitchen, not just reheating. One girl had to plan an “American” day for her kindergarten class. Trying to come up with a good food from South-Eastern Pennsylvania, she found a recipe for pretzels. I looked over the recipe with her and helped her do a test-run; what a hit! We ended up making that recipe 3 or 4 more times in the 8 weeks, sometimes for students, sometimes for ourselves, and sometimes as gifts for our co-operating teachers. Since then, I’ve made the recipe in Pennsylvania and China. It’s fairly simple and the ingredients couldn’t be easier! Feel free to enjoy with yellow mustard.

SOFT PRETZELS

2 Tbsp warm water, plus 1 1/3 cups warm water
1 package (2 ¼ tsp) dry yeast
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups flour
½ cup baking soda
Kosher salt or pretzel salt, if available

DISSOLVE yeast in a large mixing bowl with 2 Tbsp warm water. Gradually stir in the remaining warm water and brown sugar. Gradually add the flour and continue mixing until it forms a ball (using a mixer and dough hook, if possible). Turn it out onto a work surface and knead the dough to make it smooth. Use enough flour on your work surface so the dough is not sticky. Preheat oven to 475°F. Grease 2 cookie sheets.

BOIL 2 quarts of water and the baking soda in a large saucepan. Cut dough into golf ball size pieces. Roll them into 1/2-inch thick worms. Form a U then cross the ends, twisting at the middle. Fold the ends back down to meet the U (which is now an O) and press to secure the dough. (If pretzels seem to come undone, try “gluing” the seam by dampening the area with a small amount of water before pressing to secure.)

DROP pretzels into the boiling water for 30 seconds then scoop out and place it on the greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Best consumed while warm.

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pumpkin bread

This recipe has been in my family since my mom was a girl. She was over at a neighbor's house one day and she and the girl decided to make pumpkin bread. They found this recipe in a cookbook at the neighbor's house. Somehow my mom managed to keep the recipe all these years and pass it on to me. While there have been a few exceptions, I traditionally make it during the week or two before Thanksgiving. I am also quite fond of giving loaves to friends, coworkers, or other people in my life as a Thanksgiving gift. That said, feel free to make it any time of the year, especially in the autumn months!

PUMPKIN BREAD (make 2 loaves)

3 1/3 cups flour
2 t. baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves

2 cups pumpkin*
2/3 cup water

2/3 cup oil
2 2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs

HEAT oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two loaf pans (9x5x3). Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin and water.

COMBINE oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Mix in dry ingredients and pumpkin, alternating. Pour into two loaf pans.

BAKE 70 minutes (or until toothpick comes out clean); cool in pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; cool completely.


*Homemade pumpkin puree tends to be more watery than the canned variety. If making pumpkin puree from scratch, consider using the full 2 2/3 cup of pumpkin with no added water.

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