Homemade Pizza

The craving started after watching "Ever Wondered About Food". A whole episode on pizza. Pizza, Domino's, Papa John's.

The best part for me was when they showed how a genuine Napoletana pizza - nothing but ingredients native and exclusively sourced in France. Strict rules on how strict the pizza dough should be. They have an entire organization devoted to making sure the tradition is kept alive. Wow.

I was not a pizza-lover - well, until I got a taste of New York pizza. I never tried NY pizza in my previous travels. To me, they were all the same. Pizza in the Philippines is the same as pizza anywhere else. I was dead wrong.

In a trip back in 2009, my colleagues from the office wanted to try the local pizza in a NY pizzeria. Off we went to this small restaurant where they gave us a huge, I think 24", pizza placed on top of a beer pail. Oh.My.God. The pizza was amazing! Did I just say I'm not a pizza lover? Well, consider me a convert!

I was able to finish 2 gigantic slices of this awesome pizza! By the way, I had to fold the pizza slice to make sure it fits in my mouth. And no, you can't eat pizza with fork and knife in NY. I don't think you should even do that in Manila, just weird.

So, back to the day I craved pizza this week. I decided to make my own, at home. Pizza with homemade dough.

Pizza dough recipe from Yummy Magazine January/February 2011 issue

• 2 tsps active dry yeast - I used scant 2 tsps instant active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsps oil
• 1/4 tsp salt

Combine all-purpose flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. If you're not using instant yeast, you need to put the yeast first in the lukewarm water and let it proof for about 5-10 minutes.

Add the water, oil and salt.

Mix until well combined.

Transfer to a floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes.

Leave, covered with a kitchen towel, for about 20 minutes (the recipe actually says 10 minutes).

Dough should look like this. Don't forget the towel!

Punch the dough and knead for another 5 minutes.

Flatten the dough using a rolling pin.

Transfer to a pizza pan.

Make your own pizza sauce

I would have loved to make the sauce from scratch (boiled and peeled tomatoes cut into chunks, olive oil, oregano, onion) but I didn't have enough tomatoes at home. So I made one from a tomato sauce pouch.

Add dried oregano and/or basil.

Spread on top of the pizza dough and add all the toppings you want. I used sliced leftover salami (from my sandwich baon stash), olives, green bell pepper, mushrooms and cheese.


Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 10 minutes. The recipe instructions are for 5 minutes but my oven is cranky and needs extra time. As soon as the cheese has melted and the pizza dough is slightly brown, your pizza is done.



Slice and enjoy!

Pawis rating: 2 of 5 - very easy!

Cinnamon Rolls

I have the scents of butter, cinnamon and sugar coming from my kitchen. All that's missing is a floral apron, some pearl earrings and a full skirt - the picture of a domestic goddess!

No, as usual, I'm in my tank top-boxer shorts-messy ponytail getup. But, I am at my happiest!

As I have clearly stated in my list, I've never had much luck in breadmaking. All that working with yeast is not at all good for me. Yeast has never been my friend and has failed me several times.

It is with fear then that I approach this project. But hunger always overcomes fear. Hunger, plus the cold weather, overcomes fear.

Let's get started in making heavenly cinnamon rolls! Pretty simple...only 1 hour, 30 minutes of waiting time for the dough to rise. Painful 30 minutes of kneading the dough!

This recipe is from Yummy magazine. Aileen Anastacio, you are one of my heroes.

Cinnamon Rolls by Aileen Anastacio
Yummy magazine, May 2010 issue

For the dough

• 1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast - I used 1/2 tbsp instant dry yeast; 1 ounce = 2 tbsp
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp salt

For the filling

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsps cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed and softened

For the glaze - I didn't make this; let's cut some calories shall we?

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed and softened
• 1/3 cup cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Leave for 5 minutes. - I did not do this because I'm using instant dry yeast. I warmed the milk but combined it immediately with the next set of ingredients. I combined the yeast with the flour mixture.
2. Add sugar, butter and eggs. Run the mixer on low speed to stir the mixture.
3. Gradually add bread flour and salt (and instant yeast, in my case), and knead until mixture forms a smooth elastic dough, about 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp towel and leave in a warm place. Allow dough to rise until double in size; about 1 hour.
5. Punch dough then transfer to a work surface. Roll dough into a rectangle (24 inch long, 16 inch wide, about 1/4 inch thick).
6. Make the filling: Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well.
7. Using a spatula, spread softened butter evenly over the dough then sprinkle the surface with the cinnamon-sugar filling.
8. Roll dough tightly into a log. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 2 inch slices. Place on a greased baking pan, 2 inches apart. Allow the dough to rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.
9. Bake the rolls in a preheated oven to 375F for about 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
10. Make the glaze: Cream butter and cream cheese together. Gradually add confectioners sugar then add vanilla
11. Spread some icing over the rolls and serve warm.

This is all you need.
This is what you get when you combine the ingredients. A little sticky so make sure you put some flour in your hands and a little on your work area. Found this nifty kneading board at Gourdo's for P600+. Very nice as it latches on the table and does not move when you put force when kneading. You might ask why I knead by hand? Because I don't have the expensive KitchenAid mixer (yet) and my humble hand/stand mixer cannot knead this much dough. I know, so poorita :-( Oh well, I need the exercise. Mind you, I used a kitchen timer to time my kneading.
After the most excruciating, arm-killing 30 minutes of your life, your dough will look like this. Place it inside a well-oiled bowl, cover in damp towel and keep in a warm place for about 1 hour. Because it's extraordinarily cold the past 2 days (blame it on the typhoons), it took me 2 1/2 hours to let this dough rise!
Roll into a rectangle, spread butter and the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Restrain yourself from eating the cinnamon-sugar mixture when doing this. I don't think it's safe for consumption at this stage (?). Oh, and don't be shy, sprinkle VERY generously :-) Don't be too obsessive-compulsive and refrain from cleaning up when you do this. This is the type of good mess you want in your life.
Cut, cut, cut.
Oooh...they look like siopaos :-)
Look at how tiny these rolls are...
Look at how huge they become after the rising and baking! I have to think of something to get those ends tucked so they don't look like inverted Gs.
Someday, when I'm famous, I would make a perfume line with a burnt brown sugar scent.
I love you.

I still have dreams that my arms are all tired and swollen after kneading that long. In my daydreams though, I have a red KitchenAid doing the kneading for me!

For more tips and info on how to substitute instant dry yeast for dry yeast and vice versa, read up here.

Pawis rating 5 of 5 because of all the kneading...but it's all worth it!

Best-Mom-in-the-World Banana Bread

Smells heavenly!

I made banana chocolate chip cake before and it was really easy. It was a cake recipe that I forced to become bread mini-loaves. This time, I want to make the real thing.

If you have read my Focaccia bread misadventure, you would know how much I hate using yeast. I gave yeast another try last week on a pizza recipe, and again failed. I am officially declaring that yeast will never be my friend.

I am extremely relieved that this recipe does not call for yeast! Yey!!!

This recipe is from tidymom.net and she guaranteed it will earn you Best Mom in the World award. Even if my daughter did not say it and my sons cannot say it yet, I know that I'm the best mom with this bread! Winner!

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3-4 mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• walnuts if desired - I used 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cream together sugar and butter, add eggs one at a time. Mix in milk, bananas and vanilla.
3. Stir in dry ingredients. (The important thing is you do not want to over mix the batter. You don't want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will give you tough, rubbery bread.)
4. Pour into greased loaf pan.
5. Bake until bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60 mins for regular loaf pan, or 30 mins for mini loaves.

I used a mini-loaf pan

The result is the kind of banana bread I love - moist on the outside and yummy on the inside. I highly recommend you use walnuts because it adds that extra flavor and crunch.

Fresh from the oven

Slice if you're in a diet-dietan mode :-)

Pawis rating: 1 of 5 super easy!

Onion Focaccia Bread

I'd love to have an iPhone. Not that I don't like my Blackberry anymore...ok, I hate it. I hate that it has very limited available applications. I hate that the screen is so small. I hate that I can't do much with it without an internet plan (and do you know how freakin' expensive internet plans are in this country???) Yup, I would love to have an iPhone right about now.

Why am I saying this? You know those fun applications in iPhone or iPod? Are you familiar with Whole Foods recipes? :-) That's where I got this latest recipe.

This recipe is for Onion Focaccia. But since I don't like onions and I'm the boss here (hehehe), I decided to skip that and just use parmesan cheese and dried rosemary.

This bread is a huge failure. I was very frustrated and felt that I'm really not meant to be a bread-maker (is there such a word?).

Apparently, I used the wrong yeast. The recipe called for active dry yeast but stupid me, used instant dry yeast. Stupid me again, googled AFTER cooking the bread and realized this huge mistake. A wiser me should google BEFORE starting to cook if anything in the recipe seems unfamiliar territory.

This is sad. I could tolerate bland food but not inedible food or should I say, thing? Aargh!

The only redeeming factor here is the kneading and the punching. I didn't know it was such a relaxing activity! I will do this again just to knead and punch dough.

• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds sweet yellow onions, cut into eights, then thickly sliced

1. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup warm (105 to 115F) water with honey or maple syrup. Sprinkle with yeast and set aside to let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
2. Stir in flour, 1 1/2 tsp of salt, olive oil, and 1 cup warm water, then transfer dough to a lightly floured surface.
3. Knead until smooth and elastic, then transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl, turning the dough to coat. Cover and let stand in a warm draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbs oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onions and remaining 1 tsp salt and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 hour or until onions are very soft and golden brown. Set aside to let cool.
5. Punch down dough, then transfer to a lightly oiled jelly roll pan or large baking sheet and pat dough out into a 15-inch X 11-inch rectangle. Cover and let stand 45 minutes or until puffed and well risen.
6. Spread onions over dough, then cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 425F. Uncover dough and bake on the lowest oven rack for 25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crisp. Cut into pieces and serve.

I took the dough a few minutes before it is cooked and sprinkled parmesan cheese and rosemary all over. Returned this to the oven to cook through.

Does this look like a bread? It's more like cement, cement bread.

So not decent...very frustrating

Pawis rating: 5 or 5 this whole "letting the dough rise" is very depressing.

Depressed but coping

After a failed Focaccia bread attempt, I don't want to try anything with the word yeast in the recipe. I made the mistake of using instant dry yeast on a recipe that calls for active dry yeast. Aaaargh!!! Googled AFTER the disaster and yes, I should not be substituting one for the other. Next time, I should google BEFORE trying on a recipe!

After about 10 minutes of depression, realizing that my bread was as hard as rocks 5 minutes after they were taken from the oven and cooled, I looked up recipes again and found this: The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls!!!

Do you appreciate the beauty in this? I do.

So, the question now is: Where can I get active active dry yeast?

Cinna-minis

I thought this was going to be easy. I was wrong. Maybe I'm not meant to make rolls or breads. Or maybe I did something wrong, again...arrgh!

I saw these irresistible mini-cinnamon buns in Can You Stay for Dinner?. The ingredients are very basic and instructions looked simple enough. No rising time needed.

Here is the recipe:

Homemade Cinna-Minis

(recipe adapted from “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cookies” by Alice Medrich)

Makes 24

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 ¼ tsp. cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon. Set that aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the cream and mix until just combined. The dough will be soft and moist.
3. On a lightly floured counter top, roll out the dough using a rolling pin dusted with flour as best you can until you have a rectangle that’s roughly 12″x7″. Smear softened butter all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter. Starting at one end (one of the 7″ sides), roll the dough up into a tight spiral.
4. Now use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 24 small spirals. Place the cinnamon buns cut side up into an 8″ or 9″ greased baking pan or place one cinnamon bun into each of the cups of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the buns turn a faint golden. Turn the cinnamon buns out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. While the buns are cooling, make the glaze by mixing powdered sugar with milk and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon buns and serve immediately.

Combining the dry ingredients with heavy cream
After spreading a generous amount of butter and a more generous amount of sugar and cinnamon, roll the dough and cut in small pieces.
Place in a greased baking pan
Close-up of uncooked dough
Done after 15 mins in the oven. I know, it doesn't look much different from the uncooked version, the dough is still pale BUT it is cooked.

See? Brown sugar goodness!!!

This is a little hard to do might be because it's my first time to use a rolling pin. Aside from that, I could easily complete the whole thing in 10 minutes. Not bad for a first time? :-)

PS - I didn't make the glaze. Bawal sa blood sugar :-)

Pawis rating: 3 of 5 - carry pa :-)