Make ours “thin & crispy” – Pizza Crust & a couple of our favorite toppings . . .

Q. When and where was Pizza Hut® started?

A. Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 by brothers Dan and Frank Carney in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas.

     Barry and I can remember eating Pizza Hut pizza in the late 1960s in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ever since then we’ve been “thin and crispy” fans. Of course, that was the only option back then.

     Now, we general opt for pizza at home. I’ve experimented with several dough recipes. Then, several years ago a friend gave me the book Baking with Julia (written by Dorie Greensapan). Based on the PBS Master Chefs series hosted by Julia Child, the cookbook is full of wonderful recipes, explanations, tips and photographs. I’ve tried lots of the recipes including Chef Craig Kominiak’s Focaccia. The great thing about this recipe, it that the dough is mixed, refrigerated and then baked later. I had a batch of it in the refrigerator about the time I wanted to make pizza so it seemed logical to try it is place of the usual pizza dough.

     To achieve a “thin and crispy” crust I used just one-fourth of the focaccia dough, rolled it as thin as possible. It worked quite nicely and I can make just one pizza and then use the rest of the dough for either sweet or savory meal accompaniments or,  it can be split and used to make sandwiches.

     Craig Kominiak's focaccia recipe follows; I have interjecting my notes and photos about converting it to pizza dough and also added descriptions of some of our favorite pizza toppings.

Craig Kominiak’s Focaccia     Makes 3 focaccias (or 4 pizza crusts)

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 90°F) – divided use

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup olive oil

6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons salt

Focaccia Toppings

Herb-infused or other olive oil

Chopped fresh herbs, such as rosemary and/or thyme (2 to 3 tablespoons)

Coarse sea salt

MAKING THE DOUGH

1.  Whisk ½ cup water and the yeast together in the bowl of a mixer. Set aside for 5 minutes until yeast dissolves and turns creamy. 

Yeast will bubble as it sets.

2.  Pour 1¾ cups warm water into a large measuring cup, add olive oil, and whisk to blend; set aside.

3.  Whisk flour and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

4.  Pour water-oil mixture over the yeast and whisk to blend. Add about half the flour, and stir with a rubber spatula to mix.

5.  Attach dough hook, add remaining flour, and mix on low for 3 minutes or until dough starts to come together. If the dough appears dry and a little stiff, add a few drops of warm water, scraping the bowl and hook if necessary to incorporate the water and create a soft dough. Increase mixer to medium-high and continue to mix for 10 minutes, scraping down hook and sides of bowl as needed, until  you have a soft, slightly moist, extremely elastic dough that cleans the sides of bowl. You will know the dough is properly mixed when a piece can be stretched without tearing to create a “window” in an almost transparent patch of dough.

When dough is properly mixed, it can be stretched without tearing.

6.  FIRST RISE —Transfer dough to a work surface and form into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl, turn it to cover with oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1½  hours.

7.  SECOND RISE — Fold dough down on itself to deflate and let rise again until doubled and billowy, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

8.  SHAPING & REFRIGERATING — Fold dough over on itself again to deflate and turn it out onto a work surface. Using a metal dough scraper or a knife, cut dough into 3 equal pieces (I cut it into 4 pieces for pizza). Shape each piece into a ball, and place each ball in an oiled gallon-size lock-top plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 24 hours—the time needed to set the bubbly structure in place. (Since pizza dough does not need that bubbly structure, I have made the dough, refrigerated it a couple of hours and proceeded with the next step.)

9.  1½ HOURS BEFORE BAKING — About 1½ hours before you plan to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and take out of oiled bags. Place on a lightly floured surface, dust tops of balls with flour, and cover loosely but completely with plastic. Let rest 1 hour.

10. BAKING — Position oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and dust with cornmeal; set baking sheets aside. Fill a spray bottle with water and set aside. (425° - 450’ for pizza.)

a.  Focaccia — Press down gently on each piece of dough, causing bubbles to appear on the sides, then slit the bubbles with a single-edge razor to release the gases. Gently pull and stretch each piece of dough into a 10” square. Let the dough relax, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer foccacias to the baking sheets. Use a single-edge razor to slash each square, cutting a tic-tac-toe pattern. Brush foccacias with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh herbs and coarse sea salt, and put them into heated oven. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden with a heavy speckling of small surface bubbles, spraying the oven with water three times during the first 8 minutes of baking. As soon as you remove the focaccias from the oven, brush them with a little additional olive oil and transfer them to a rack to cool before serving.

b.  Pizza — (Using ¼ of the refrigerated dough mixture) Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a thin circle (or thick if you prefer).

Tranfer to pizza pan and stretch dough to fit; trim off extra dough on the edges, if needed. Add your favorite topping at this point (do NOT let it rise again at this point) and bake in a preheated 425° to 450° oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and crisp.

A pizza pan with holes allows for good heat circulation and results in a crisp crust.

Mold dough to pan and trim off any excess crust.

A couple of our favorite toppings:

·   Sausage-Veggie Pizza: Mild sausage, mushroom & black olives. Before adding these toppings we sometimes spread the crust with a thin layer of tomato sauce to which we add Italian seasoning. Other times we spread the crust with a thin layer of basil &/or dried tomato pesto. Cheese toppings: Mozzarella &/or Parmesan; Cheddar works well, too. Drizzle with olive oil before baking.

·   Chicken-Spinach Pizza: Cook ground chicken with onions in a little olive oil; add a handful or two of spinach leaves and cook to wilt. Spread crust with a thin layer of hummus; distribute cooked chicken mixture and arrange strips of roasted red peppers over pizza; top with grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with additional olive oil before baking. (This is the pizza pictured at the top of this post.)

Related Posts:
Pepperoni Pizzaz Pizza
Pesto & Pizza

Good Anytime -- Gingerbread Pancakes

     Loaded with the predominant flavors of gingerbread, these pancakes certainly spice up any breakfast menu. Joann Hettenbach shared this recipe when I interviewed her for my monthlty food column that runs in the Abilene Reflector-Chronicle (June 2009; also reprinted in the 8^th edition of the Dickinson County “Home Cooking” cookbook sold at the Heritage Center). The recipe original came from the Magnolia Café in Austin, Texas; Joann discovered it in the December 2006 edition of Gourmet Magazine.

    Although they are good anytime of the year, Gingerbread Pancakes are an integral part of the lavish Christmas brunch produced in the Hettenbach household. The brunch project has forever been a family team effort with Joann and  Paul coordinating the effort. But their grown children, Andra, Stacia and David, alos pitch in to help.

Stir a bowl of gingerbread pancakes,
smooth and spicy brown . . .

Gingerbread Pancakes      Serves 6

Active time: 30 min. start to finish

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large eggs

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup brewed coffee (not espresso)

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Vegetable oil for bushing griddle

1.     Preheat oven to 200º (the warm mode).

2.     Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in another bowl until smooth.

3.     Whisk in buttermilk, water, and coffee until combined, then add to flour mixture, whisking until combined. Whisk in melted butter.

4.     Heat a dry griddle or large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface, then brush with oil.

Rather than using oil, Barry misted the griddle with pan spray.

5.     Working in batches, fill a ¼ cup measure with batter for each pancake, then pour onto griddle and cook, turning over once, until deep golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch. 

6.     Transfer to a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven until ready to serve. 
Make Ahead -- Combine dry ingredients ahead; add wet ingredients and proceed with recipe.

What to do with the leftover pancakes?

Barry heated leftover pancakes (in the microwave),
spread them with a little honey mustard and sandwiched
 ham slices between two of them for an instant lunch!

Peanut Buter Cookie Bites (a diabetic recipe)

     Although I am not a proponent of artificial sweeteners, I needed to prepare a sugar-free cookie for someone with diabetes. Of course there are pros and cons of products such as Splenda® and, I found several interesting articles online; “Are sugar substitutes bad for you?” seems to address both sides of the issue. 

     Although I am drawn to sweet treats and desserts, my overall motto is “moderation is the key,” and I try to limit sweets to special occasions or to those situations where that I can share the treats with others.

     I found the recipe that follows on the Splenda® site and then made a few adjustments (they are underlined). The original recipe also incorporated honey – I removed it and, found the cookies to be sweet enough without the addition; but. I did increase the butter by one tablelspoon.

     Although the Splenda® site offers recipes, there are times when someone may want to adapt a favorite recipe to use an artificial sweeteners. For tips, click on Cooking and Baking with Splenda®. On a further note, several years ago when a family member was diagnosed with diabetes, I found a reference saying that Splenda® can be substituted “cup for cup” for sugar. This time, around, however, I could not find that addressed on their site, so I contacting McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, makers of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener Granulated  – the company’s Email response is included at the end of the recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bites      Makes two dozen

5 tablespoons margarine or butter softened  

1 cup natural creamy-style peanut butter

Mix 1 Tbsp. flax seed meal with 3 Tbsp. water,
whisk together & let set for several minutes.
This is equivalent to one the 1/4 cup egg s
ubstitute called for in the recipe.

¼ cup egg substitute or, use 1 tablespoon flax seed meal and 3 tablespoons water 

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Splenda^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1.     Preheat oven to 350°.

2.     Beat margarine (or butter) and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until creamy, approximately 1 minute.

3.     Add egg substitute, honey and vanilla. Beat on high speed for approximately 1½ minutes.

4.     Add Splenda® Granulated Sweetener and beat on medium speed until well blended, approximately 30 seconds.

5.     Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small mixing bowl. Slowly add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, beating on low speed until well-blended, about 1½ minutes. Mixture may be crumbly.

6.     Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls (I used a tablespoon-capacity dipper) and drop onto a lightly oiled or parchment lined sheet pan, 2” apart. Flatten each ball with a fork, pressing a crisscross pattern into each cookie. Bake 12 minutes or until light brown around the edges.

7.     Cool on wire rack.

Response from McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, makers of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener Granulated:  

     SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener Granulated delivers the same sweetness as sugar on a volume basis. It can be used cup-for-cup and spoon-for-spoon in place of sugar in most recipes where sugar is used as a sweetener. This would include recipes such as muffins, quick breads, puddings, pie fillings and beverages. SPLENDA® Granulated works best in recipes where the main role is to provide a sweet taste. For example, SPLENDA ® Granulated  works well in custards, fruit or custard pie filling, cheesecake, cobblers, sweet sauces, marinades, glazes, salad dressings, shakes and sorbets. It also works well in quick breads, muffins, cookies and pies.  

     For candy, fudge and some other recipes, sugar not only sweetens, but also contributes to the structure and volume of the finished product. In recipes where the amount of sugar is quite high and sugar plays many other roles in the product's structure and texture, such as meringues, caramel, pecan pie and angel food or pound cakes, complete substitution of SPLENDA® Granulated for all sweeteners may not yield optimal results. In these types of recipes, use SPLENDA® Sugar Blend. SPLENDA® Sugar Blend is a mix of SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener and pure sugar. It acts more like pure sugar - it rises, spreads, browns, and helps retain moisture in baked goods.

     Our kitchen has developed dozens of delicious recipes available at www.splenda.com or by calling 1-800-7-SPLENDA (specialists available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m - 8:00 p.m. EST). Our recipes are all developed for optimal results and require no modification. 

Additional cooking and baking information:

1.     Volume/Height — Sugar contributes volume to many recipes. When baking cakes, switching from 9" round pans to 8" rounds pans with 2" sides will help achieve a high cake. You may also try adding 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 cup of SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener.

2.     Creaming —When creaming butter or margarine with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, your mixture will appear less smooth than with sugar and may separate upon the addition of eggs. This is normal.

3.     Texture — Sugar can play an important role in texture.  Cookies often rely on brown sugar for their chewy, crunchy texture. Therefore, replace only the white granulated sugar in your cookie recipes.  In jams, jellies, puddings and custards, sugar lends a thickening quality. With SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, these recipes may be slightly thinner or soft set.

4.     Flavor — You may wish to enhance the flavor in cookies, puddings and custards by adding an additional ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract per cup of SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener.

5.     Moistness — Sugar helps to keep baked-goods moist. In muffins and quick breads, the addition of one-two tablespoons of honey and molasses will help retain some moistness and provide flavor.

6.     Yeast Activation — SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener will not activate yeast.  Maintain at least two teaspoons of sugar in recipes calling for yeast and replace the remaining sugar with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener.

7.     Spread — Cookies often rely on sugar to spread. Should you substitute all the sugar for SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener in your cookie recipe, you may need to flatten your cookies before baking.

8.     Browning — Baked goods made with little or no sugar do not brown like recipes made with sugar.  To help achieve a more golden brown color when baking with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, lightly spray the batter or dough with cooking spray just before placing in the oven.

9.     Bake Time — Recipes made with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener may bake more quickly than those made with sugar. Check your baked goods for doneness a bit earlier than the original recipe states.  

a.     Cakes:  check 7-10 minutes before stated bake time

b.     Cookies, Brownies and Quick Breads: check 3-5 minutes before stated bake time. 

10.  Storage — Baked goods made with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener will stay fresh for 24 hours, when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you wish to keep your baked goods longer, wrap well and freeze. Consult a sugarless canning cookbook for instructions on sugarless canning.

All This Packed in One Frosty Glass -- Chai Almond Smoothie

I love smoothies for breakfast. My usual in a Chocolate Breakfast Shake, but this one, laced with spices, is also really good and good for you.

·      *Bananas are a good source of potassium.

·     * Almond Milk has 50% more calcium than regular milk and contains just 60 calories per one cup (compared to skim milk at 90 calories per cup).

·      *Flax Meal is full of fiber and it helps reduce cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.

·     * Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, soothes the stomach, and helps lower cholesterol levels.

·      *Cinnamon can help lower blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol.

·     * Cardamon aids digestion.

·      *Nutmeg  -- Studies show that it can help lower blood pressure and sooth a stomach ache.

·      *Vanilla - Vanillin, the active component of vanilla, has been shown to have antioxidant properties.

Chai Almond Smoothie

1 banana

1 cup almond milk

1 tablespoon ground flax meal (I use golden flax meal)

1 to 1½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger (good for nausea or upset stomaches)

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cardamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.     Put banana, milk, flax meal, spices and extract into blender. Add lid and blend until well mixed.

2.     Stop blend; add ice (about 1/3 of a glass) and blend until ice is finely chopped and frosty. Sprinkle additional nutmeg on top and ENJOY!

Note: Add agave or honey -- just enough to sweeten, if needed. (Personally, I don’t think it needs extra sweetener.)

Everything but the Kitchen Sink — Chicken & Kale Soup

     I had no intention of posting this recipe so I did not take photos along the way. Needed to use some chicken breasts that had been in the freezer and the kale in the fridge.

     We really didn't add everything but the kitchen sink . . . but it seemed kind of like that at the time. Although we assumed the soup would be edible, we did not expect the final results. The aroma was enticing and it tasted VERY good!

     Here’s the problem—I started it, Barry added to it, I added more to it! But, we put our heads together and think we have captured the essentials.

Chicken & Kale Soup

2 chicken breasts, bone-in

Seasonings for cooking the chicken breasts – I used 3 sprigs of rosemary, 1 large bay leaf and about ½ tsp. of poultry seasoning, salt & pepper (vary it according to your preference)

Kale – about ½ to ¾ of a bunch -- about 1½ to 2 cups when prepared (step 2)

½ of a medium onion, diced

1½ carrots, chunked or diced

1 medium turnip, diced

Additional chicken broth or stock, if needed

Additional seasoning: 1 tsp. seasoning salt, 1 tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. curry + additional salt & pepper if needed (seems like a rather strange combo but that’s what happens with two cooks watching the soup pot . . . but, it works for us)

1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), undrained

1.  Cover the chicken breasts with water; add the seasonings. Bring to a boil and turn down heat; simmer until chicken is tender. Remove bones and shed or cut meat into bite-sized pieces.

2.  Rinse the kale; remove the leafy greens from the tough stem and tear or chop and toss into the soup.

     Click here for instructions on kale preparation and nutritional info.

3.  Add the other chopped veggies.

4.  If needed, add additional chicken broth – we did need to add more as we wanted about 4 to 5 cups of total cooking liquid.

5.  Add additional seasonings of your choice (see our notes above) and simmer until all of the veggies are tender.

6.  Add can of undrained cannellini beans and heat thoroughly.

One Adventure Ends -- The Duncan Hines' Table

     Literary League is over but I did take a few pictures. Of course I meant to take more but with all of the last minute things to do, I simply forgot!
    I had a great time planning the program -- both the book discussion and the table full of treats, all from an updated edition of Duncan Hines' Adventures in Good Eating and The Art of Carving in the Home.
    Cora Jane Spiller, Hines' great niece, was a great help! We corresponded by phone, email and even Facebook. She sent a collection of vintage books and DVD interviews for me to use during the program. During the last couple of weeks I've been so immersed in Duncan Hines that I'll probably be going through withdrawal next week!
     Although this particular adventure has come to an end, I'm looking forward to lots more adventures in good cooking and eating. And, chances are there will be many more posts from Duncan Hines' cookbooks in the future.

There are no recipes on this blog post  -- it is merely a culmination of all the recipes I made to go along with my program. Simply click on each recipe name to find the actual list of ingredients and directions for its preparation.

From left to right: Betty Cass' Brown Sugar Cookies, Hot Toasted Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres, Date & Nut Cakes, Taffy Tarts served w/ whipped cream on the side, and Nut Macaroons.

My personal favorites: 

Betty Cass' Brown Sugar Cookies

Hot Toasted Cheese Hors d'Oeuvres

Recommended by Duncan Hines -- Hot Toasted Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres – and the sampling table

     Restaurants, cafes, motels & hotels wanted to capitalize on their inclusion in Duncan Hine’s guidebooks (started in 1936, the restaurant guidebook was in it's 50th printing in 1957). Since these establishments were not allowed to advertise in his guidebook (he considered this to be a conflict of interest), Hines provided them with an inexpensive yet ingenious service – for an annual rental fee of about $10.00 he provided a uniformly-sized metal sign – “Recommended by Duncan Hines”.

     After locating a copy of the sign on the Internet, I downloaded it, made it into a poster and placed one on both my front and back door . . .  in anticipation of my recent literary program on Hines.

This is the sign posted
on our back door.

     No, I did not send anyone $10.00 but I did inform Duncan’s great niece of my actions. Cora Jane’s immediate response, “I hope it’s the red one, the blue ones are for lodging.” I assured her I was inviting my literary group just for food; I had no plans to keep them for the night!
     Anyway, I thought I needed one savory item on my sampling table and this is the recipe I selected . . . but I did make a few adjustments that I have noted below.

Hot Toasted Cheese Hors d’Oeuvres    Serves 25

2 cups grated cheese (I grated sharp Cheddar)

1 egg beaten

10 dashes Tabasco (hot) sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

¼ teaspoon salt

2 loaves of bread (1 used a partial loaf, 13 slices, of wheat sandwich-style bread and ended up with 52 squares)

1 lb. bacon (I used just 4 to 5 slices of bacon per 13 slices of bread -- see notes below)

1.     Combine cheese, egg, hot sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and salt; mix well with a fork.

2.     Remove crusts from bread and cut in 1” squares. Place a spoonful of mixture on each piece.

After removing the crusts, I simple cut the slice of bread into four pieces;
they measured about 1 1/2" and, in my estimation, were the perfect size.

I've started adding the cheesy mixture to the bread squares.

3.     Top with strips of bacon. Toast in 450° oven until brown. (Worried that the bacon would not crisp up to my liking before the bread was charred, I experimented -- The bread pieces became nice and toasty in 5 to 8 minutes but the bacon was still soft. So, here's what I did: 

      Put the cheese covered bread in the 450° oven for 5 to 8 minutes. 

      Meanwhile microwave serve slices of bacon. Crumble into relatively big chunks.

      Once, cheesy squares come out of oven, place bacon chunks on hot chefs.)

Recipe #8 in Adventures in Good Cooking, came from Cathryn’s in Portland, Oregon.

Other Duncan Hines recipes included on our blog:

·      Betty Cass’ Brown Sugar Cookes

·      Chocolate Upside Down Cake

·      Date & Fudge Cakes

·      Fudge Squares

·      Taffy Tarts

·      Nut Macaroons

AND, the adventure continues . . .

We liked the little squares so much, that we made Open-Faced Hot Toasted
Bacon & Cheese Sandwiches for breakfast -- didn't even bother to
trim the crusts off the bread. Great with a poached egg but I'd eat it for lunch, too