Now that fall is getting closer, warm suppers are sounding more and more appealing.
Homemade pizza is one of my new favorites suppers to throw together. When I was younger, I was not the biggest fan of homemade pizza, but this recipe has made me change my mind.
Growing up in a large family, I have been to Little Caesar’s pizza quite frequently. So, I do prefer thick crust pizzas. However, usually time is tight when getting supper together. Since pizza crust usually has to rise, we would just make thin crust pizzas. Then, I found this recipe.
Since there is a large amount of yeast, the dough does not have to rise at all. You can use it immediately after kneading, which is great. The one drawback is that since there is so much yeast, it reacts with the sugar and can give off an alcoholic smell. As annoying as this is, it is completely normal and it disappears after baking. One more note about the dough: Do not forget the salt. The dough will still rise fine, just will lack taste.
Any kind of sauce is fine, just make sure it is not too thin. I hate soggy pizza, so I found that mixing a little flour into the sauce helps, as does sprinkling the dough with flour before spreading the sauce. Also, unless you like a lot of sauce, use only a thin layer.
Preheating the pan is also important. The hot pan begins browning the crust immediately and helps cooks everything evenly. I like the taste of a little cornmeal on the bottom of my crust (like Little Caesar’s) but flour will work as well. This just helps the dough to not stick to the parchment paper while rolling out the dough, and technically, since you use parchment paper anyway, is not strictly necessary. It just makes it easier.
The type of cheese is also optional. I really like using muenster cheese. Muenster cheese is very mild and melts amazingly. Seasoning is very adjustable, use whatever you like.
This pizza is very delicious. To give myself plenty of time, I like to start making this pizza about 1 to 1 ½ hours before supper time.
Carrot cake is also a perfect fall treat. As we have a bumper crop of carrots this year, I wanted to try out a new carrot cake recipe.
This recipe is deliciously moist. The rich cake pairs beautifully with the cool cream cheese frosting. Make sure to follow the directions carefully, and add the ingredients in the order specified to ensure a cake that turns out.
This is a quite easy cake that can be made only by hand. I did use a hand mixer while beating the butter and cream cheese together for the frosting. Otherwise, for the cake, I used a whisk and a wooden spoon.
Francesca Ullmer, the second child of a large homeschooled family, is from the Krakow area. She enjoys baking, reading, knitting, raising goats and entering numerous items in the Oconto County Fair.
HOMEMADE PIZZA
Dough:
1 cup water
1 tbsp. yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
2-2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
Toppings:
Tomato sauce
Muenster cheese
Garlic powder, nature’s seasoning, oregano, basil
Pepperoni slices
Mix the yeast and sugar into the water. Let sit until foamy, 1-5 minutes. Gently mix in the olive oil. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt, mix until combined. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup of flour onto a flat surface and add the dough. Knead until dough is no longer unmanageably sticky. Let rest while gathering the other ingredients. Preheat oven to 430 degrees. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving on excess. Remove parchment paper and place pan in the oven. Sprinkle the parchment paper with flour or cornmeal, place the dough on top and roll out. Sprinkle the rolled out dough with a little flour. Add desired amounts of sauce, cheese, seasonings and pepperoni. Carefully remove hot pan from the oven and slide the pizza onto the pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for about 10-15 minutes. If the top looks done but the bottom doesn’t look dark enough, move the pan to a lower rack and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve with a little parmesan, if desired.
CARROT CAKE
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
1 cup oil
1/2 cup melted butter
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
3 cups grated carrots
Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of two circular cake pans with parchment paper; grease and flour the sides. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the oil and butter and mix well, batter will be thick. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Stir in the carrots. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in then center comes out clean; a few moist crumbs are OK. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans, remove parchment paper and let cool completely. For frosting, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla. Sift in the powdered sugar gradually until desired consistency. Frost cooled cake and store in the fridge.
