Adventures with The Two Ingredient Dough

Unless you've been living under a rock, or you are a social media hater, you've heard of the two ingredient dough. The lure of the dough is lower calories and no fat as well as it's versatility. I've seen folks make everything from bagels to rolls to pizza dough to doughnuts. Because I am addicted to pizza, that's what I started with.

Pizza made at home with the 2 Ingredient Dough

I made this on a recent Friday night and both the hubby and I agreed that it tasted great. Working with this dough takes a little getting used to. It was very stiff and pretty sticky on my first go round making it. This is kind of a long blog post, but I know that lots of people are intimidated when working with dough, so I want to be as helpful as I can. I hope this helps you!

2 Ingredient Dough

1 3/4 cup Self Rising Flour
1 Cup Plain Non Fat Greek Yogurt

Now what you do with it is up to you. Here is my experience with the dough. I learned a little and it got easier to work with as I did. I hope this helps you have a better first experience with it than I did. 

Because all I had on hand was a generic Greek yogurt, I drained mine in a sieve lined with a coffee filter to remove the excess liquid. If you have a high quality name brand you may be able to skip this step. I mixed the dough in a bowl, using a little more than 1 2/3 cups of the flour and saving the rest to work into the dough while kneading it. As I said it's a little stiff and a little sticky. Here's how mine looked during prep.

The crumbly, pre-kneaded dough. 

 After mixing the dough in a bowl, I turned it out onto a well floured mat, using the remaining flour in the measuring cup. I kneaded it about 20 times, until it pulled together in a cohesive lump of dough and most of the rest of the flour was incorporated. I think now that I kneaded it a bit too much. 

After kneading, very stiff. Let it rest before trying to stretch it. 

Be sure to spray the pan of your choice very well with a non-stick cooking spray or wipe well with olive oil. After resting a few minutes, I was able to spread the dough to about 10 inches round. I added my own pizza sauce.

My Pizza Sauce
makes 2 pizzas

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. finely minced garlic
2 tsp. finely minced onions
1 cup canned tomato sauce
a pinch of Kosher Salt
a pinch of dried red pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano

In a small sauce pan, soften the garlic and onion over low to medium heat. Add the tomato sauce, turn up the heat and bring it to a bubble then add all the remaining ingredients. Lower the heat and let cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Pizza prepped with sauce, don't over do the sauce. Ready for the toppings. Since I don't use a ton of cheese, I always add that first and put the other topping on top of the cheese. 

Next add one cup of your choice of cheese. I used part skim mozzarella. Top with your favorite toppings. Mine has banana peppers, roasted red peppers, turkey pepperoni, onion, mushrooms and black olives. Bake at 400 for about 20 -25 minutes. You may need to turn down the heat to 375 and let it bake a few more minutes until the dough is done in the center. You don't want to burn the crust. Lastly I added 1 T. of shredded Parmesan cheese. 


Next Up, Bagels! 

Hot out of the oven, Onion Bagels made with the 2 Ingredient Dough

After my experience with the stiff dough while making the pizza, I decided to begin with 1 1/2 cup self rising flour and 1 cup of plain non fat Greek Yogurt. I used the rest of the flour to dust the surface I used to shape the bagels. This time the dough was MUCH easier to work with, so from here on out, that is absolutely the way I will be making it. I added 2 tsp. granulated dried onion to the dough since I was making onion bagels. I shaped the dough into a round, divided it in half and then divided each half into 3 pieces. I rolled each piece into a 3 -4" rope and then shaped the rope into a circle. This is what I ended up with:

Bagels ready for the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are topping your bagels brush them with an egg wash -- 1 egg whisked with 1  T. of water -- using a small pastry brush. I topped mine with a mixture I made from toasted sesame seeds, poppy seeds and the same dried onions I put into the dough, along with a pinch of kosher salt and garlic powder. Bake them for 30 -35 minutes and then run them under the broiler, if desired, for a browner and crustier top. 

Ready for the oven! 

Aren't they cute? And they smelled so good while baking, like a fancy bakery you'd walk by in a big city. 

Fresh from the oven,
Onion Bagels! 

Here they are -all done and ready to eat. I like mine split and toasted with a little light cream cheese and glass of V8. 

Breakfast is served! 

Baking Adventures in the New Year!

Happy New Year! I've take quite a break from blogging -- no blogging since March, 2015! There's no particular reason, simply a lack of inspiration. I've blogged lots of recipes for many years, and sometimes I struggle to think of something new to cook and therefore, worth blogging about. Life, too, gets in the way.

In the new year, I've felt compelled to improve my baking skills. I've always made cookies, and pretty good ones, but I came late to real baking. My first bread machine, given to me around 1990, was almost an epiphany -- I could actually make yeast bread that tasted great and didn't take the whole day to make. ( See my classic dinner roll recipe HERE)  I wore that machine completely out. I am now on my second machine and use it only on the dough setting. I've also purchased a Kitchen Aid stand mixer and it's expanded my baking even further. In the last few weeks, I've made buttermilk biscuits to go with our holiday Smithfield Ham and delicious  white sandwich bread for toasting and munching! It has a wonderful texture you simply can't find in store bought bread. More on that later!  One thing that I always wanted to make from scratch has been Cinnamon Rolls.

Even if you use a bread machine to do the kneading, there are still several steps you must go through to turn out these wonderful, tender, flaky and tasty treats. I opted to make the rolls the afternoon before and bake them off the next morning. That way my kitchen wasn't trashed first thing in the morning and I didn't have to roll out of bed and start the dough! Here's the recipe I used -- I found it on the internet at food.com  and changed it only slightly-- and some advice and pictures, should you feel like you might be ready to up your baking game!

Cinnamon Rolls 
makes 12 full sized rolls 

For the Dough:
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 c. melted butter
4 1/2 c. bread flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp. bread machine yeast (or one pkg.)

Filling:
1 c, packed brown sugar
2 1/2  Tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 pinch kosher salt

Frosting:
3 oz. light cream cheese
1/4 c. softened butter
2 1/2 sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract (only real extract, please)
1 pinch kosher salt

First, add your dough ingredients to your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. In most cases, that means the wet go in first, (warm milk, eggs, melted butter) and the dry go in starting with the flour, sugar, salt and yeast on top. Process mixture on the dough cycle. While the dough is working, clean off your counter and measure out a space of approx. 16X24". That's how big you need to roll your dough. Use plenty of flour! You don't want to do all this work and have the dough stick to the counter! I did this by making a flour rectangle directly on my granite island, like this:

I used a yard stick to measure and to square up the rectangle. I am challenged by measuring spaces accurately, so this was an important step for me. You may be able to "wing" it but I can't.

Turn the dough out onto your floured area and punch it down. It should resemble this:

Next roll it out evenly into a 16X24" rectangle. Make sure both the dough and the rolling pin are well floured. Here's what you should end up with:

Spread your filling mixture evenly over the rolled out dough. Leave about 1/2" around 3 of the edges, leaving none around the long side closet to you where you'll start to roll the dough up into a cylinder:

It will look like a lot of filling while you are rolling it, but don't worry about that. Make sure you roll the dough up as tightly as you can, and you ease it up off the counter as you roll, trying your best not to tear it!





When you've got it all rolled up, straighten the cylinder and cut off the ends to "square it up" so the your rolls are neat with clean edges. Cut the cylinder in half, then cut each half in half again, then each of those sections into 3 pieces, so you get 12 rolls total. Place the rolls cut side up into a well buttered 13X9" baking dish.

At this point you can cover the rolls with some plastic wrap and refrigerate them to bake off the  next day (that's what I did) OR you can cover them loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for about 30 minutes until they are almost doubled in size. Either way, you need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. If you've refrigerated them overnight, let them come up to room temperature, bu leaving them out on the counter for 30 minutes before baking. Bake them for 14 - 16 minutes. While they are baking, beat together the frosting ingredients. I used my small hand mixer. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes before icing them This recipe  makes a GENEROUS amount of frosting! Don't be shocked at how much it is!

And remember those little ends I cut off to square off the dough? Here's what I did:

I made 4 little mini-rolls as a  cooks treat! They weren't as pretty as the other ones in the big pan, but hey, it's all about the taste, right?  I was taking the big pan of 12 to a brunch, but left these home with  my hub, and boy, he was one happy camper!


 

                    A little bacon, a big cup of coffee and a newspaper! I am not sure he noticed I was gone... 

Adventures in Baking and a Chocolate Emergency: Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got bored today and I wanted something chocolate. I started rummaging around on the top shelf of the pantry where I keep my baking supplies. I don't bake nearly as much as I used to, since most of the time it's just me and my hub. Our younger son is home for the summer from college, so that justifies just a little bit of baking, right? Plus, there was that chocolate craving thing happening.

After a minute of shifting around some bags and boxes, OUT JUMPED a half of a bag of Nestle's White Chocolate Chips....Hhmmm I thought, I saw some cookies with white chocolate chips on the Food Network on Saturday.....OH Happy Coincidence!!! And Bless You, Ree Drummond!!

I only made 1/2 of her recipe because I only had 1 cup of those Nestle's Morsels....but I did have everything else!! I quickly retrieved the bag of Nestle's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips I keep hidden in the very bottom back of the bread drawer for those chocolate emergencies (that's normal, right?) and I was off in a flash, gathering eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla etc. I love it when I can make a smaller batch of some homemade goodies. That way I don't feel nearly so guilty about putting  temptation in our path to healthy living. Here's her recipe but in the meantime you can enjoy my pictures. Can't you almost taste the ice cold milk I washed them down with??

Here they are cooling off:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookes

And here they are right before I started wolfing them down with some milk:

And another good thing, I even had enough parchment paper to line the cookie sheets, so the clean up was minimal. They were yummy! Next time, I am going to add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts, probably either hazelnuts or macadamia nuts. They needed just a little crunch! Next time you are bored, start rummaging and see what you can come up with! Adventures in baking!

The Very Best Homemade Rolls

The Very Best Homemade Rolls

A while back, in a holiday post, I wrote about making the "Best Dinner Rolls on the Food Network" for my Christmas Eve dinner (see post here ). They  were good, but even using a bread machine, took a lot of time. The reason for this was that the flour had to be added in increments, so you couldn't really leave them alone while the machine did the kneading for you. In addition to the time commitment, the rolls were slightly hard or crisp on the top, and that wasn't exactly what I was looking for. That experience has sparked the detective in me to search for an easier way to make rolls that had the delicious, soft, yeasty taste that I have memories of from childhood. And, after several tries at different recipes, I think I've nailed it! I found the recipe on food.com and made only one little change. Voila, I've found the perfect roll for your holiday feasts. It's easy, it's delicious, they freeze beautifully and everyone will LOVE them, I promise! Gather up the ingredients, dust off your bread machine and prepare to be praised for your wondrous cooking abilities! These rolls are the bomb!

Very Best Homemade Rolls
1 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
2 T. of sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 c. bread flour
2 1/4 tsp. dry yeast (I use the kind in a jar labeled "Bread Machine Yeast")

Put all ingredients into your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. The ingredients above are listed the way they go into my machine.
Select "dough" setting and turn it on. When the cycle is complete, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 pieces ( think I only did 22, chalk it up to my spatial dysfunction!). Shape them into balls. Place on a greased 13" X 9" cookie sheet as shown:

Rolls after they have risen

Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 - 16 minutes, until rolls are golden brown. Serve or freeze and enjoy the compliments. Start counting down now and Happy Holidays!

Make your pizza at home tonight!

Here is it --  All ready for the oven!

Why not make your pizza at home tonight, save a little money and control what you put onto it? When I've got a little of this and a little of that, I often make pizza! It's great if you have just a little leftover spaghetti sauce -- not really enough for another meal, just a cup or so. You can always add a little pizza sauce from a jar or some tomato sauce. You generally need about 1 -1 1/3 cups of sauce per pizza and at least 2 cups of cheese. Then pile on whatever you've got around. We like mushrooms, pepperoni, olives, peppers -- banana, green, roasted red, jalapenos -- and anything else YOU like. I've posted my homemade crust recipe here -- don't be intimidated about making pizza crust! It's easy, I promise! Your family will eat it up, I promise! I always put the cheese on top of the sauce and THEN add the extras, to keep the cheese from getting too browned. The more toppings you have, the longer you'll have to cook it. Then, at the very last minute, save just a handful or so of cheese to sprinkle on top, for that extra gooey facor! Delish!

Gooey, cheesey, homemade goodness, your family will love it and you!

The Joys of Baking Bread

Rustic Italian Bread, with a pesto swirl in the middle

Ever since I received my first bread machine as a birthday gift, way back in the early '90's, I have loved making bread. I ALWAYS loved eating homemade bread, but never had the patience for all the kneading and rising and more kneading and waiting. The bread machine takes the dull part out and leaves you free to enjoy the satisfying part. You get to pick the type of ingredients you want to use, flour, herbs, amount and types of oil and salt and the machine does most of the work, or even all of it, if you so choose. And the aroma of baking bread is probably the most appetizing and welcoming of cooking aromas to come home to.

When my kids were little, I knew that no matter what I was serving for dinner, if I made bread, they would eat dinner! You know the trick, eat a bite of everything on your plate and you can have another piece of bread...

I am now on my second bread machine -- I wore the first one out! -- and I still love making homemade breads, pizza dough and rolls. The way I do it these days is to make the dough in the machine and finish the loaf in the oven. That way, I get to choose a more natural attractive shape and get the option of some last minute additions to my dough. Lately, since I have so much basil in my garden, I've been adding pesto to my dough and rolling it up into an Italian style loaf, so that each slice has a swirl of pesto in the middle. Really yummy and looks pretty also! Here's one way I make bread. This is great served with any full bodied pasta with red sauce, or a grilled meat dish.

Rustic Italian Bread with Pesto

1 cup water
3 T. olive oil

3 cups bread flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. dry yeast

Simple Pesto (recipe below)

Put your ingredients into your bread machine in the order your manufacturer recommends. Mine calls for wet ingredients first, with dry on top. So, water, olive oil, flour, salt, sugar and yeast (the pesto comes later!). if not using a bread machine, soften the yeast in warmed water, then mix in your flour, salt and sugar.

Choose the dough setting on the bread machine, or get to kneading if you aren't going to use one! After the final rise, when the machine goes beep, beep, beep, turn the dough out on a floured, dry surface and shape into a rough rectangle. Spread on the pesto sauce, about 1 -2 tablespoons, leaving about 1.5 inches at the top and an inch at each end with no sauce. Begin to roll up the bread dough, jelly roll style, at the end with the pesto. Roll it into a long cylinder and let it rise about 45 more minutes, covered, in a warm dry place (I use my oven with the light turned on and the door closed.)
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and bake the loaf for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing. (Don't forget to take the bread OUT of the oven before turning it on to preheat!!)

Simple Pesto

1/4 c. packed clean basil leaves

1 clove garlic

1 T. Parmesan

1 tsp. toasted pine nuts or walnuts

2 T. olive oil

Blend this together in a mini food processor or food chopper until nice and smooth. Use to fill the bread or serve over pasta, on pizza, or grilled fish or chicken.
I've posted a slightly more complicated recipe for pasta earlier but this one is quick and easy.

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

Stuck inside again, weekend after weekend? What to do? We've watched movies, read books and played lots of Wii games....So, I pulled out some old copies of Cooking Light, and tried a new pound cake recipe. I tweaked it just a little to suit our taste, and I must say, it came out very well. Lovely texture, sweet, but not too sweet, dense and moist. And, all in all, not too bad for you -- as far as cake goes! -- using less butter than traditional pound cakes and light sour cream.

Lucious Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake

2 T. dry bread crumbs

4 c. sifted cake flour (1 lb.)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 c. light sour cream

3/4 c. butter (room temp.)

2 1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 10" tube pan OR 2 loaf pans w/cooking spray and bread crumbs. Weigh your flour OR lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.**

Combine flour and salt in a bowl, stir w/a whisk to combine. Place butter in a large bowl and beat w/a mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time. mixing well after each one goes in. Add lemon juice and zest, beat 30 seconds. Combine sour cream and baking soda, mixing well (mixture will begin to foam up - that's normal). Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture to the sugar/butter mixture. Make sure your mixer is getting all the way to the bottom of your bowl, so no flour is left unmixed. Use a rubber spatula to help out with this, especially if you are using a small hand mixer.

Pour batter into the tube pan or the 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out cleanly. If you are using loaf pans, check the doneness at the one hour mark.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes and then remove cake to a wire rack. Spoon over glaze if using while cake is still warm (put some wax paper or foil unter the rack to help w/clean up). Let cool completely before cutting. Makes 18 servings.

Lemon Glaze

2/3 c. sifted powdered sugar

the juice of one large lemon

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Combine all ingredients in a large measuring cup, stirring well to combine. Spoon over warm pound cake.

** Cooks note; It is always more accurate to weigh your flour, but if you don't have a kitchen scale, make sure to LIGHTLY spoon your flour into your measuring cups, don't scoop it and pack it in.