Monday, May 19, 2014

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I've tried quite a few different versions of homemade tortillas and these, so far, are the winner!  The dough comes together nicely and is easy to work with.  They are soft and delicious and so much tastier than store-bought.

I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, but you could also use a food processor or mix them by hand.















HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup warm water

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook attached until well combined.  


Add oil and water with the mixer running at a medium speed.  


Mix for one minute, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl.  


When the mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease speed to low and continue to mix for one minute more, or until dough is smooth.  


Transfer to a well-floured work surface or an unfloured Silpat.  


Divide the dough into 16 equal portions.  


Flatten each piece of dough a bit and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.


Heat a large pan over medium-high heat.  


Roll each piece of dough into a large, thin circle.  I try to roll them as thin as possible because they puff up quite a bit when cooked.  


When the pan is very hot, cook each tortilla for about 1 minute or until bottom surface is lightly browned in places and bubbles are forming.  


NOTE: Getting the pan the right temperature can be tricky.  If it is taking longer than a minute to see light brown spots, increase the heat.    
 

Flip to the other side and cook for 30 seconds more.  


Tortillas can be frozen for later use.  




Saturday, May 10, 2014

My Three Favorite Pizzas

Brace yourself for three super delicious, non-traditional, non-red-sauce pizzas.  These are definitely my faves.    

PIZZA #1: ROASTED GARLIC & CHEESE 
Who knew so few ingredients could be SO tasty? Sometimes less is more.
  














  • pizza dough 
  • olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • roasted garlic, a how-to here 
  • fresh mozzarella
  • shredded mozzarella

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.


Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.


Mash the cloves of roasted garlic on a plate and spread evenly over the crust.


Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella and then some shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.



PIZZA #2: CHICKEN, ROASTED GARLIC, & SPINACH PIZZA
Roasted garlic plus some extras.  It was an experiment gone great.  













  • pizza dough
  • olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • roasted garlic, a how-to here 
  • red onion, thinly sliced
  • baby spinach
  • shredded chicken
  • fresh mozzarella
  • shredded mozzarella

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.


Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.


Mash cloves of roasted garlic on a plate and spread evenly over the dough.


Top dough with red onions, spinach, and shredded chicken.


Top with chunks of fresh mozzarella and then some shredded mozzarella.


Bake for 8-10 minutes or until bubbly and brown.



PIZZA #3: HAM, CARAMELIZED ONION, & GRUYERE PIZZA
Trader Joe's has a flat bread similar to this that I was trying to recreate.  Mission accomplished!  So. So. Good. 













  • pizza dough
  • olive oil
  • butter
  • Kosher salt
  • onion, thinly sliced 
  • ham, sliced or small chunks
  • gruyere or emmental cheese, shredded

Heat pizza stone in a 500 degree oven.


Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil on low heat in a medium-sized pan. 
  

Add onions, sprinkle with a small amount of Kosher salt, and cook on low heat for at least 20 minutes (or longer) until the onions are dark and caramelized. 


Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper.


Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt. 


Top dough with caramelized onions, sliced ham, and shredded gruyere.  


Bake for 8-10 minutes.  

Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic has been my favorite pizza topping lately. (Stay tuned for a forthcoming post on my three favorite pizzas.) It adds the most incredible flavor and works well in combination with so many other yummy toppings.  The only downside is that it takes some time, so you have to plan a little in advance.  It'll be worth it though.

Other uses for roasted garlic include, but are not limited to: spread on crusty bread, use in pasta dishes, or add to soups or sauces.














ROASTED GARLIC

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 


Slice off the pointed top of each head of garlic to expose the cloves.


Place on foil and drizzle generously with olive oil. 


Sprinkle with Kosher salt.  


Wrap foil around garlic and bake for 40-50 minutes.  


Allow to cool. 


To remove, squeeze gently from the bottom of the head.  The cloves should be pretty soft and pop out easily.