Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

It's amazing the things you learn about people when you live with them. Over the years I've learned a lot about a wide array of sleepwalking tendencies, the techniques for killing spiders with air freshener, the importance of cleaning off the stairs, and how to find a pair of lost glasses that your roommate misplaced because she was so tired the night before when she went to bed that she can't remember where she put them. Just to name a few.

I've also learned what it's like to have great friends around to do things with on a moments notice. I am so grateful for the wonderful roommates I've had over the years and the great husband I live with now. I wouldn't trade any of them for the world.

One time, back in the old red house that I talk about all the time, we decided to make pizza. We pulled our resources together and had some great topping options, but unfortunately, we only had a very small handful of each. So we went ahead and did what we could. It turned out that every pizza slice was different, and everyone that ate supper that night had a different pizza experience. It's funny how something so unremarkable sticks with you and turns into one of the great memories you have of a certain place.

I don't remember for sure, but there is a good chance that this was the crust for our patchwork pizza. It's a recipe from my friend Franky, who dug it out of a notebook a few weeks ago when I was complaining about the planning ahead that homemade pizza crust takes. This recipe is super fast, and the dough all comes together as quickly as you can get your toppings ready. Pizza at our house is always a last minute idea, so the speediness of this crust was exactly what I needed.

Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
Makes 1 large pizza or two small pizzas

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon (1 packet) active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water, abour 115°
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 500°. In a bowl, combine the 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Whisk to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the hot water and the olive oil. Pour the water mixture on top of the dry ingredients, but do not stir. Allow to bowl to sit untouched for 10 minutes.

2. After the 10 minutes, stir the dough together, then move the dough to a well floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes while adding up to a 1/2 cup more all-purpose flour. The dough should be smooth and slightly stretchy. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Place a baking stone in the oven to heat up and prepare the toppings for your pizza.

3. When you are ready to assemble the pizza, use all the dough for one large pizza or divide the dough in half for two small pizzas. Stretch and roll the dough out on a cutting board or a pizza peel sprinkled very generously with corn meal. When the crust is at your desired thickness, add the toppings, leaving a 1 to 2 inch boarder around the edge of the dough. When you have assembled all your toppings, fold up the remaining edge of the dough to form the outside crust.

4. Slide the pizza into the hot stone in the oven. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes for thin crust and 10 to 15 to a thicker crust, or until the outer crust is golden and the pizza is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Adapted from my good friend Frances.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

The first time I ate a homemade scone was not like you would imagine. It was not while having coffee or tea at a friend's house, and it was not after I found an amazing recipe and just had to try it. Instead, it was backstage during a high school musical performance of Fiddler on the Roof or maybe Annie Get Your Gun, I can't remember which now. My friend Leah's mom always made such great food for school events, like the fall musicals, and it was not unusual to find a table heaping with wonderful things set up somewhere in the back hallway or the choir room behind the stage. For some reason, I had it in my head that scones were too unique and elegant to be made at home. But when Leah's mom made a giant plate of scones, I found myself hanging out between scenes and socializing with the food table more than with my friends, and it was all because of the scones. I could not stop eating them.

Well, the rest is history, and now I rarely will buy a scone anywhere because the fresh homemade ones are just so much better. Scones are so easy to make, and unbaked scones keep really well in the freezer until you need them. I usually have one or two kinds stocked up to make at a moments notice. The frozen ones take a little longer to bake, but other than that you couldn't tell if they were made five minutes ago or 5 months ago (not that they ever last that long in our freezer, unless I make a TON of them at once). It's nice to be able to pull them out in the morning and take a warm scone with you to work.

Since it is pumpkin season and the weather is getting colder (requiring more hot drinks), pumpkin scones were on my menu. The chocolate chips add a smooth richness to the spicy scone and the flavors balance beautifully. My husband likes everything more if it has a sugary layer on top, so I also made a glaze for the scones, which definitely makes them visually appealing. I'm sure they would be just as good if you decided to skip the glaze for some reason. Hmm, I'd love to know: what is your favorite kind of scone?


Harvest Pumpkin Scones
Makes 12

For the scones:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 to 1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs

For the glaze:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

For the spice glaze:
1 cup + 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

1. In a large bowl, combine and whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and the spices. Add the butter pieces, and using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it is evenly crumbly and some chunks of butter remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and the eggs till smooth. Add the pumpkin mixture to the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until all is moistened and holds together.

3. Sprinkle two baking sheets lightly with flour. Divide the dough in half and place one half of dough on each sheet. Pat the dough into a circle until it is about 3/4" thick. Brush the top of each circle with milk.

4. Using a sharp knife, cut each circle into 6 wedges. Gently pull the wedges slightly back on the cookie sheet so that there is a little room between each of the wedges.

5. Place the uncovered scones in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 425°. (If you want to freeze some of the scones, freeze them for 30 minutes then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag or a air tight container until you are ready to bake them.) Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until they are golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the scones to cool, then drizzle with the glazes, if desired. If you are not making the glaze, then serve warm. Enjoy!

To make the glazes:

1. Make the glazes by mixing the ingredients together until smooth. Use a whisk to drizzle first the white glaze and then the spice glaze over the top of each cooled scone. Allow the glaze to dry before storing the scones.

Glaze recipe adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen. Scones adapted from King Arthur Flour.

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Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce

Happy Monday everyone! Since I like to bake so much, and make so many sweet things, it has become my goal to post a recipe at least once a week that focuses more on dinner than dessert. Monday has sort of become that day of the week, and even though today I do not have a how-to for a full meal, this BBQ sauce is the makings of a great week night supper.

Since it is beginning to get colder, and my schedule has shifted to working several hours in the evenings most days of the week, I have been trying to use the slow cooker a bit more. One of our favorites since getting married is BBQ pork roast sandwiches on these homemade rolls (usually made without the Italian seasoning, however). To make it easy, we usually use BBQ sauce from the bottle, but a while back, I has some extra time at home and decided to go all out with the only-from-scratch meal by making my own sauce too.

This sauce is really tangy because it has quite bit of vinegar and other acidic additions, but as soon as you mix it with some shredded pork or beef, the sharpness goes away and you are left with just a slightly tangy but sweet sauce that is perfect for a sandwich. I put it together about an hour and a half before my pork roast was done. By the time we were ready to eat, the sauce had done its simmering on the stove and the roast was so tender it completely fell apart.

Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine all the ingredients. Over medium to medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Enjoy!  

Recipe adapted from the Neely's BBQ Sauce.