My 'Award' Winning Pizza for #Twelve Loaves September

Does it seem like I'm the only 'oddball?'...seriously! I do everything differently than the other fellow food bloggers. I'm so 'lame' when it comes to joining a group, or even linking up something. Not consistent, and certainly always falling behind schedule. I did try to link up last week with my Cheddar Cheese bread for Lora's #Twelve Loaves September, which required a cheesy bread, but did not know that pizza applies...and I did make my own dough this time with the most amazing yeast from RED STAR, called PLATINUM!

linking to:#Twelve Loaves September @ Cake Duchess
              Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen
              Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
              Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop @ Katherines Corner

...again, I chose to be alone...needed some quiet time to 'reflect'. Not exactly a holiday dinner; since it was Rosh Hashana Eve! My daughter had a beautiful celebration at her house with their best friends and family, and I was just not in the mood for more work in the kitchen, so I did not join!


I'm so unlucky with yeast, even though it has the proper dates for the expiration...somehow I tend to mess it up. The last time I know it was too hot water, that I added the yeast to dissolve. This time I made sure that the water was slightly warm, and it worked! (sorry, no photos of my step-by-step direction, was not going to use this post)

I am so overly critical of getting a good crust for my pizza, that I'm so picky when it's home made. For me, it has to have a good rim, and it has to be baked just right...actually, pre-baked which I strongly prefer, in order to get a good crunchy crust, not to have it soggy, or greasy, and WORST, underdone!

I have a few really good pizza dough recipes, including a whole wheat dough which is softer, than the regular unbleached white flour pizza dough. We prefer the traditional dough, and this recipes is so easy...so basic, saved from 1998 Gourmet magazine, which I am happy to share with you!

Basic Pizza Dough

For a 12-inch pizza

1 packet of Red Star Platinum dry yeast,
or your favorite (abt. 1-1/2 teaspoon)
2/3 cup warm water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
(I used King Arthur)
1 teaspoon salt
olive oil for the bowl

Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand 1 minute, or until yeast is creamy. Stir until the yeas dissolves.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups of flour, and the salt.

Add the yeast mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

(you can skip all this process, by adding all the ingredients in a bread machine, on DOUGH setting, and let the machine do the work for you)

Lightly coat a large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

Punch down on dough, and flatten with your fist. Spray your pizza pan with a non-stick cooking spray. If dough is sticky, you can add a little more flour, just do not knead any longer. Cover the dough with a dish towel and let it soften, to expand for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. At this time, you can stretch the dough all the way to the rim of the pizza pan. Lightly spread olive oil on the dough, and pre- bake for about 10 minutes, in a 425 degree F. oven on a pizza stone (preferably) to assure a good crusty dough.

At this time, you can leave the dough to cool down, and use for later, or proceed with your favorite topping for the pizza, to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes for the sauce, to set and the mozzarella cheese melt and slightly brown.
I strongly recommend a good quality pizza sauce, such as Dei Fratelli which is a superb quality. Just be sure to add to a small bowl, and stir about 1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil and your favorite spices. (I used an Italian brand, a gift from Italy by Lora)

For a fresh mushroom, sliced red onion, and pepperoni topping:

Saute about a handful of fresh sliced mushrooms along with sliced red, or regular onions, just slightly...set aside.
In the meantime, spread the pizza sauce, thin, or thick on the pizza, not quite to the outer rim. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella, divide the mushroom mixture, and bake for 10 minutes. For the addition of the pepperoni slices...make sure to add the pepperoni slices at the last 5 minutes, (otherwise they will shrivel up and dry out!)
Leftover pieces of pizza can be reheated, or eaten cold (which I love)...the next day...Enjoy!

So there, you have a perfect 'Award' winning pizza, made with love, and Red Star PLATINUM yeast!
BTW- I still have to post my awesome Fresh Tomato Tart recipe, for the next post...just remind me, if I forget. xo

Join Lora, Barbara and Jamie with the #TwelveLoaves baking project!

 The month of September is about bread and CHEESE! Who doesn't love bread and cheese? You could make a quick bread or yeasted bread (muffins, scones-PIZZA)and link up to the girls. I attached Lora's link for you to see the pretty pull-apart bread she baked.

Palacsinta {crepes}...and a big 'flop'

Hungarian palacsinta, {crepes} filled with homemade mango jam

At the rate that I'm going...looks like I could go from 'Silent Sunday'...right into 'Silent Wednesday'. Actually, I was hoping to post a cheddar cheese bread for Lora's '#Twelve Loaves'...for the month of September, but my bread just did not rise...it refused to rise...waiting for over 2hrs (recipe called for 2hrs of rising)...waited for 3hrs, and still not much luck, but I persevered and was determined to shape the bread, and make it any way!

linking to: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop @ Zesty South Indian Kitchen

For Labor Day, which I hope you all had an enjoyable time with family and friends...as for me, I opted to stay home-alone, which did not happen.

I was so thrilled the my son came by with my two sweet granddaughters but then...I did not have a plan for lunch, but certainly had the right ingredients for a quick mac n' cheese (from scratch)...little burger sliders, on my grill pan, and for dessert, palacsintas filled with my mango jam.  Not so bad after all...and for the latter part of the day, I went by my daughter's neighbors' for a BBQ. Great day, after all!

Please excuse the not so great presentation of my photo but really good crepes)... and the scribbled recipe...I really wasn't going to bother posting this (I had my heart set on posting my bread, which unfortunately flopped...sigh!)

I hope you can make the chicken scribble out, I saved this recipe for the past 20 years now, tucked away in my little red box along with my other index cards, and hand written recipes. Recipe makes at least 12 crepes (pancakes is not the right term) copied it from 'word to word'...from a Hungarian cookbook written in English.

Here's the most amazing grill pan I found at Goodwill last weekend...brand new, heavy, I mean super heavy weight cast iron grill plan from IKEA for $9.99. I just had to have it, could not pass up this great grill pan. I tried it out to make my little mini burgers...of course, the pan has to be sprayed first with the vegetable cooking spray, and pre-heated, but just look at those grill marks on the burgers...a great 'thrift find' for sure!

Another amazing 'thrift find'...this awesome mini cake pan with 4 compartments to make the same banana bread recipe that you would make in one loaf pan. The time that it takes to bake, is totally half the time then the one pan makes. This was done in 35 minutes, moist delicious and yummy. Cost for the cake pan, $4.99.
 





I hope I'm not going to regret this...but I feel that after all the work I put into make this bread, which I will try again...not understanding what happened with the yeast. 1.) I should have waited to see if the yeast dissolves in the warm water properly before adding it into the work bowl with the other ingredients...2.) I used warm tap water...maybe too warm, and it killed the yeast from bubbling up, because it certainly did not look like it bubbled, just merely dissolved...I am determined to re-make this, or something with some kind of different cheese for a different yeasted bread or rolls.

I was all set to start out with fresh herbs that I planted at Lora's garden. Oregano and basil, they are always striving, and so healthy...especially the oregano, which is so healthy looking, and so aromatic.

Kneaded the dough properly...so far, so good!

The dough looks great...thinking that I'm still on the right track.

After 2 hrs, which recipe called for to rise double...well, it did not. Dough was tough...nothing to punch down on; which you're supposed to do. I was still determined to keep going.

I even fried up some bacon, crumbled it, and added into the dough, and worked it in.

I shaped the loaf, and placed it into the loaf pan...

Well, here it is, grated cheddar cheese sprinkled on the top, and baked for 35 minutes. Did not rise high.












I am soooo embarrassed to show the result...the taste was so incredible with the bacon bits, there's grated cheddar cheese right in the batter, and fresh snipped herbs. Lora asked me if I'm going to post this flopped version of my bread...and I said, NO, of course not, but then, I had a change of 'heart' and are revealing my 'failure'. As you can see the texture is hard, and not light and flaky...this texture is what you would call it in Hungarian...'szalonnnás' meaning...like the tough pork fat!

Not 'throwing in the towel'...just throwing out the bread...so sad, but will try again!

Snowflake Muffins...and Neighborhood Christmas Lights

Since I noticed these ultra gorgeous muffins on my Hungarian food blogger friend's blog Citromhab...which literally means Lemonfoam!  I would like you to meet the talent behind these amazing cupcakes, and the snowflakes made with royal icing, has caught my attention that I haven't seen on any of the foodblogs, yet!

Erzsébet has a tremendous talent for baking cakes, and yeast breads and rolls, as do quite a few of the other Hungarian ladies, which you can see on my blogroll list.Their cakes are the traditional European cakes that differ from ours! Another favorite of mine, among others, is Gizi with her amazing cake and dessert creations...but oh, my!...can that lady cook. Her cooking is truly delicious and authentic Hungarian!

With Erzsebet's permission, I am proud to present her festive Snowflake Muffins and please, do visit her blog to check out her other fabulous cakes, and various other delightful desserts!

If anyone has the "little elves" working in her kitchen... well, in case you don't see them around since the last week or so, they are busily working away in her kitchen, baking all the beautiful things!

I know I can't fool you, and I'm not even trying to, because I don't decorate like this but I am a fairly good baker. What I meant to say,  I don't can't decorate like this...it is just not possible, yet!


 "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people; for unto you is born, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" 
(Luke 2:10 )

Wishing all my friends, a Blessed Christmas in Peace, love, and  joy...may your hearts be merry and your holidays be ...bright!

Boldog Karácsonyt,(Hungarian) Feliz Navidad,(Spanish) Buon Natale! (Italian)

with love!

do check out our local neighbors' Christmas lights!

There's a tradition in our local West Palm Beach, Florida neighborhood... every Christmas, each house "decks the halls" with the utmost and beautiful decorations...outdoing each other. At least this is not the neighborhood that I saw on the news that were sabotaging each others' houses by shutting off the main power for the lights, stealing decorations, of all things...Gee whiz...you'd think the Grinch was here, stealing Christmas! Well, it didn't happen in our town, so that's good! We have good cheers, and "love thy neighbor" feeling in the air!

Rosemary, and Olive Knots...and Photo Props

Question! How important is "prop setting" for your food photo?...is it the prop behind the food? ...or is it the importance of the photo of the food! Plating the food is to me, and the presentation of it....is  the most important thing! First of all, the props, the plating, the lights...natural is the best lighting, by the way!

So, really, which angle works best?...and what do you really focus on?...my most amazing knot shaped rolls, filled with sliced Kalamata olives, and chopped fresh rosemary?...or the fresh bunch of rosemary?...what about the beautiful Batik Cloth?...well, that should be and "eyeful,"...so bright, and pretty, the floral designs are absolutely gorgeous, on the background of a soft blue-green color! This was a gift given to me by my dear food blog friend for over one year now, Joanna (Jo)...from ChicGorgeous , whom I finally met in person, at the 3rd Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, and we share nearly one week of fun, and adventure, in San Francisco! She gave me this beautiful cloth, and what did I give her?...what do most American wear the most...all genders...a Baseball Cap!
Yes, an all American Baseball Cap, with of course, Palm Beach, Florida written on it, from yet, another famous 5 star hotel, The Breakers Hotel! (let's just hope Jo will pose with the cap, and takes photo with it to post on her blog)

Rosemary and Olive Knots...warmed up, on the second day; tasted even better!

Before I get to post the actual step-by-step direction, recipe...since now, I forgot the exact recipe from the book, which I didn't even really follow...just needed the idea. By now, I know the basic dough making for the yeast rolls, and I have become more "hands on" with the using of the dry yeast powder. Don't be afraid to use it, just make sure that the date isn't expired, and make sure that you start out with warm water to get the yeast started with.

I, for one, will tell you the source my recipes come from, or at least an idea how it came about, most of the times, unless it's a "hand me down" verbal recipe that I remember from making it over, and over again. It's just a matter of experimenting with various herbs, spices, and different ways of creating, and re-creating a recipe! I got this book called "The Modern Baker" by Nick Malgieri, from my local public library, and I fell in love with the book and all the amazing recipes, for cakes, rolls, and breads. I simply clicked on to my Amazon account, and ordered it online, for an unbeatable cheap price...and NEW! I took the book back to the library, just after I made these rolls, and forgot to copy the recipe, but my book will be arriving in a few days, or so! I just had so much fun with this dough, along with my little grandson, again. (I think he will follow his daddy's and my footsteps)...and he will become a chef, or a baker!

Rosemary, and Olive Knots
adapted from, The Modern Baker, by Nick Malgieri

3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons dry yeast (abt.1 1/2 packet)
1 1/2 cup almost hot water
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
additional extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper

Add the yeast to the warm water, stir lightly, and let it dissolve. I will foam up, a bit. In the meantime, in a large food processor, add the flour, the salt. Pour in the yeast with the water, and add the extra virgin olive oil Pulse a few times, to let the dough form, remove carefully, to a floured surface, and work the dough together, and add it to a large oiled bowl. Turn dough over, cover with plastic wrap, and a kitchen towel over the plastic wrap. Let it sit for 1 hour. It will double in size, just like on the photo, ready to start working the dough!

Punch down on the dough, lightly, and lift to put on a work surface, or a large board, to roll out into a 10x8 inch rectangle, or a large square.

The square or rectangle does not have to be precise, and as you can see the natural light is not enough, as in the upper photo. Spread the olive and rosemary mixture over the dough, just around the middle. 

Fold the dough over with the filling inside, once, or twice!

With a pizza, or pastry cutter, cut about 1 inch pieces, all the way through...again, I stress the fact the just one fold over would be easier to fold the knots.

Now, here comes my little assistant, wanting to see how the knots are made, but he wants to make his favorite Nemo fishy!

Don't worry about the knot shapes, just try to keep them the same size, as for me too! Next time I will pay more attention to detail. Now, you are ready to cover the rolls, by using a clean kitchen towel to cover them loosely, for 1 additional hour.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 25-35 minutes, till they are nice, and golden brown on the top!




By this time, it was about 6:00pm. full lighting had to be used, which is not the lighting you want for your photos.
I thing the simple rack was  a perfect prop, over the lovely butcher block table, Delicious rolls, cooling, right from the parchment line baking pan, The rosemary, and Kalamata infusion flavors were totally incredible, and the rolls were perfectly crusted on the top, and just right texture, and flavor! Yumm!

...and this was my grandson Luca's sole creation (age 5)...Nemo, his favorite fishy! He ate the entire roll, with a big smile...shared very sparingly with his sister, and promised to make this again, next time. From play dough to real dough, my little ambitious helper, was on a "roll!"
Good practice for your child, or grandchild, to help you bake something, especially with real dough!
Have a wonderful Tuesday!