FAM FAVORITE 1 HOUR PIZZA DOUGH

Pizza night just became a weekly staple on Fridays at our house PLUS a whole lot easier with this 1-hour pizza dough recipe. This recipe is a favorite in our house, duplicated in other houses and a WIN with my toddler, Atlas. It’s quick, simple, and fun to make together, too!

Ingredients:

• 3-⅓ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour (dipped and leveled)

• 1 packet instant (rapid-rise) dry yeast (2-½ teaspoons)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1-¼ cups warm water

• Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Stir until everything is mixed together.

2. Add Water: Pour in the warm water and stir until a shaggy dough forms, with just a little bit of dry flour left at the bottom of the bowl.

3. Knead the Dough: Remove any rings from your fingers. Knead the dough in the bowl with both hands until no more dry flour remains and the dough comes together into a ball. This should only take a few minutes.

4. Let It Rise: Drizzle some olive oil inside a large bowl (or clean the one you used). Place the dough ball in the greased bowl, cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for at least 45 minutes to 2 hours.

5. Check the Dough: After 45 minutes, your dough should have grown by at least 50 percent and have little bubbles on the bottom. If you want a slightly airier dough, let it rise for another hour.

6. Divide and Rest: Dust a clean work surface with flour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces and form each piece into a ball. Place the dough balls on the floured surface and cover with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Stretch/Roll the Dough: Take one dough ball and place it on a lightly floured surface. Flatten it a little with your hand or a rolling pin, then pick up the dough and gently stretch or roll it out until you have a 12-inch round. Repeat with the second dough ball.

8. Top and Bake: Top your stretched dough with your favorite toppings and bake according to your preferred pizza recipe. If you're only using one dough ball, you can freeze the second one or refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

My favorite way to cook is using my cast iron, On high heat brown one side of the crust. When a slight smoke rises from the pan, flip the dough. Quickly sauce + top and place in the oven on Broil. Watch it bubble and brown. Slice and Serve!

This 1-hour pizza dough is a game-changer for us. It's straightforward, quick, and yields a delicious crust that holds up to any toppings you throw on it. Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or just starting, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite, just like it has for Atlas and me. Happy pizza making!

XoXo

Britt

QUARANTINE COOK BOOK CLUB: HALF BAKED HARVEST

It wasn’t supposed to be like this; we aren’t supposed to still be locked up; but here we are. I remember our first cook book club where we got together IRL over an Aperol Spritz and carbs, but now our second book turned into our third. BUT, at least it is a fantastic one at that! Half Baked Harvest Cookbook by Tieghan Gerard has your new favorite recipe; I guarantee it. I’ll share a few we’ve been working on bellow.

Spinach & Artichoke Mac & Cheese Bake

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: Delicious

We made this for a family night (before the quarantine) and the in-laws. I loved that it was essentially one pot and we had all the ingredients. Sneaking in veggies maybe tricky for your picky eaters out there, but this was fool proof! I would also recommending adding chicken and or broccoli.

Chewy Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Difficulty: Medium

Taste: Game Changer

I am always testing out chocolate chip cookie recipes. It is not like there are bad ones, I am just in search for the best. Although this isn’t HOLY enough, its pretty darn close to heaven. Two words: Brown Butter. I just discovered it, but it is a simple act of almost heating your butter tp brown perfect before you use it in a recipe. This simple change amplifies the taste of the creamy sugar and egg combo that is not too sweet. Plus add a little fresh sea seal on top, yum! Mine didn’t look the same, but sure did taste good.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup & Seasoned Pretzels

Difficulty: Hard

Taste: Okay

I am a soup fanatic. I make my own copy cat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar soup. But after seeing Ms. Gerard has one in the book, I had to try. I prefer my soup a little more chunky vs pureed. Also it was missing that extra something. Even with the pretzels, which were delicious, just a lot of work for little flavor. I want to play around with the seasoned pretzel recipe a bit more, but still sticking with my soup.

Black Pepper Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Difficulty: Hard

Taste: Okay

I was most excited for this one andI think that is why. graded it so hard. I try all the time to find “healthy” “vegetarian” options for my favorite snacks. This one looked good on paper, but the execution was sub par. The spicy bread crumb mix did not stick to the cauliflower and ended up just falling off in the baking process. The cauliflower steamed in stead of roasted and sogged its way into the dip. The dip was great and inspired me to make various creations including a taziki that I hope to share on the blog one day. Overall, would not recommend or remake these.

Potato & Burrata Pizza

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: Perfecto

Pizza dough from scratch- don’t be afraid- it is made with beer! That is right a can of beer and a packet of yeast gets you the perfect pizza dough. We followed her recipe for the Potato & Burrata Pizza, minus the Burrata because where can you find it at a time like this? We also made out own sausage pizza with the remaining dough and it was delicious. We will be using this pizza dough recipe for future Make Your Own Pizza Night at home #PostCorona.

Gingered Thai Steak & Peppered Salad

Difficulty: Medium

Taste: Beefy

This dish was a perfect dinner steak. Hearty with the beef and balanced with the light greens and dressing. There is so much delicious spicy ginger flavor in this dish without even trying you feel like an iron chef. One thing you do have to love is rare steak. I had a harder time searing the meat because personally I like a medium to well done steak and there is no way you can do this (and it tastes good) with this meal. Overall wouldn’t make again, but would recommend.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondie Brownie Bars

Difficulty: Hard

Taste: Phenomenal

I have always wanted to make blondies! I was a bit surprised to find the recipe called for a box of brownie mix, but I went along with it. First, let me re-state baking is difficult.It is a science and you always have to account for other elements. Second, with that being said I think this is why I had some difficulty with this dish: Consistency. My batter wasn’t drizzling in the pan, my peanut butter after much attention didn’t melt and the pan size called for was not in my kitchen. But did they taste great? Yes. Would I make them again? Absolutely! Chocolate and peanut butter- you can’t go wrong.

As quarantine continues, and while we still have flour, we will be continues to cook up delicious treats and crafting our own. Let me know what you have been cooking up and if you have any recommendations for our next cookbook when we get out of this!

XoXo
Britt.

COOK BOOK CLUB

Cook Book Club meet up number one is in the books and I am here to dish up the deets behind it. You’ve have heard about book clubs, wine clubs, but how about a cook book club? How did the idea come about? How can you start your own? Let’s dig in!

The idea started from a conversation with Chelsea of Simple Jane. We both had been involved in book clubs before but this idea seemed intriguing. The premise is similar- one book per month, but this time instead of reading cover to cover you try out recipes that you may have never tested before, try a new method of cooking that will get you our of your comfort zone, or add spices to meals you never had in your pantry. After the month is over gather everyone and prepare potluck style from the book. It is that simple.

Our first book was: Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman. It was great pick to start because the recipes were crowd favorites and it features a variety of flavors. I opted to check out the book from the local library and save $30. I figured if I was obsessed with it by the EOM I would make the splurge. When I got home I immediately sticky noted recipes that stood out to me and found that I bookmarked mostly desserts.

We have a Facebook Group for the club where we can post photos and share stories throughout the month of dishes we tried and our thoughts on them. I made the Almost Angel Food Cake and it was so good! Honestly, that was it, I wish I would have made more, but the first time going about it I learned I didn’t have it with meal at the grocery store to shop and also didn’t consider what meals would be good for prepping lunches for the week. Needless to say, I knew it wasn’t one I was going to be purchasing.

The week of the Cook Book Club I panicked! What do I make? Some clubs suggest delegating dishes or sharing what your bringing, but we decided that just surprise us and see how it goes! Of course, I made the Chickpea Salad and so did someone else. But, what was great was trying and comparing not only the taste but how it was made. I loved the idea in the end of two of the same dishes.

Our dinner party featured mostly bites and salads and of course a delicious Aperol Spritz. The conversation was guided by the book, but the tangents allowed for a great night of getting to know some new, incredible women in the valley. We mixed together dips and salads and found that everything really completed each other perfectly. We even had left overs to take back to the husbands.

What’s in store for next month? We will be selecting our next book and trying out recipes until our scheduled meet up again, the first Thursday of the month. I will be trying out more recipes before hand and the night of I want to bring a main course that really highlights the table.

How can you start your own?

1. Find a group of friends who like food- be careful about any special diets because although cookbooks have variety you don’t want anyone to feel left out.

2. Pick a book and start digging into it. Encourage your family to get in the kitchen with you and try out a new skill.

3. Plan an evening you can get together and bring a dish to share. You can always delegate a desert or drink or main course person or just wing it because when there is food involved it is always a good time.

If you are local and interested in joining ours, shoot me a message and we would love to have you!

Cheers!

XoXo

Britt.