Thursday, May 17, 2007

Preparing for summer

Tonight is a bit cooler than it has been recently, and I thought I'd take advantage of it. Knowing that much warmer weather is coming, I spent the evening doing some baking--something I won't be doing much of in the next couple of months. A couple nights ago I put the ingredients for pizza crust in my bread machine so that I can freeze some par-baked crusts for quicker (i.e. cooler!) meals this summer. I'm looking forward to some pesto and mushroom pizzas with them!






Erica's Whole Wheat Pizza Crust Dough (makes 8 personal size crusts)



1 1/3 cups warm water



3 1/2 T. olive oil



1/2 tsp. salt



2 cups all-purpose white flour



2 cups whole wheat flour



2 tsp. yeast






1. Add ingredients in the order given into the bread machine pan.



2. Start dough cycle (my machine is about 1 1/2 hours).



3. When the dough is done, remove it from the pan and make into 8 small round balls, or put into a Ziploc baggie and into the fridge for later use.



4. Roll out dough into small circles on a floured surface. Pierce the dough so that it doesn't bubble when par baking.



5. Bake in oven for 3-5 min. at 350 degrees F. (flipping partway through time) until both sides are lightly browned, but still pliable!



6. Remove from oven and let cool. Prepare for the freezer by putting wax paper between layers and then storing in the freezer.



7. When ready to use: Take as many as needed from the freezer, let thaw a bit, and cover with favorite toppings. Bake until toppings are cooked through. My favorite toppings are basil pesto, onions, mushrooms, goat cheese and mozzarella. Yum!






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