Instant gratification with a No- Yeast Pizza and a 3-2-1 Mug cake

And so I find myself at the computer, for the first time this year, opening blogger and posting on this much loved, but very neglected space. 

I started a new job last year and things got hectic. I applied and got a job as an Sp.Ed. paraprofessional in my son's school. While I have enjoyed training in India, this was an entirely new ball game. 

I've enjoyed every minute of my time teaching and working hand in hand with my colleagues and learnt SO much, much more than the subjects I taught! 

I also learned that I can wake up early, cook, pack 3 lunchboxes, get ready and out of the door to reach school in time, come back home, change and freshen up and head straight to the kitchen and get started on dinner and wind up for the night after looking up and prepping for the next day's lessons.

In short, I am doing what my mother did for us when I was a school going child, though she was not a teacher, but the routine was similar. 

Then, 3 weeks ago, things changed. We all saw the change coming. It was just a matter of when, not if. School announced dismissal on Friday the 13th., I know! how ominous is that?!

I handed out books frantically, got kids to the carpool curb and bundled them in their cars with a hasty, "stay safe now" warning. `

I made one last grocery run, picked up what I could find, not that there was much to get. The stores were all out  of TP or cleaners, out of beans and so many other things. People had gone into a buying frenzy.

Living in an apartment means one cannot stock up on a lot of things, and so, I find myself stepping out once in 2 weeks for what is absolutely necessary and always available for my neighbors who are seniors , if they need anything. I am not hoarding.

I am thankful that I get to work from home and stay safe. I have friends who have to report to work because they are pharmacists or nurses and I cannot help but feel anxious. 

I never thought I'd see mankind on it's knees because of an enemy they cannot even see. 

Being confined as we are, we try to make the best of it. The day passes in home school. Our school has been amazing on this front. on the 18th. of March, the homeroom teachers had their google classrooms set up and running. Students were logging in and completing their assignments, just like they would in school. If it weren't for all the teacher videos to watch  and homework to complete, I cannot imagine how utterly boring it would've been. After all, there's only so much TV one can watch or coloring to do... 

Being at home also means meals to plan, yes plan- something new for me, based on the ingredients at hand and rationing them properly.  

It also means I need to keep it interesting, the same old does not cut it anymore. 

So I attempted 2 new , well, not exactly new, recipes.

The first was a No-yeast Pizza. This was a new for me, no yeast. 

Lately, I have stopped eating pizza outside, I prefer making it at home, with the cheese I buy (that contains vegetarian friendly rennet). 

And so, this recipe had an instant appeal. I did not have to wait for the dough to rise. It was an almost instant recipe. You see the appeal? It can come in handy and also helpful for people who do not have yeast at home or are not into baking or are simply intimidated by baking. But at this time, when going out is an issue ( lock down in case of India and stay at home, in our case), this recipe is very handy. I love the fact that it comes together so easily and is easy to make. I'm definitely keeping this and making it often, even on busy weeknights ( when the world goes back to normal).

I doubled the recipe and that gave us 3, thin- crust 9 inch pizzas

I used 

2 2/3 Cups All purpose Flour to which I added 2 tsp Baking powder and 1 tsp salt. 

To the dry ingredients, I added 3 glugs of Olive oil and about 1 cup milk ( I use whole milk only) and kneaded the dough in my stand mixer  till it was nice and smooth. If kneading by hand, knead for 10mins.

Cover and keep aside for 15-20 mins.

While the dough rests, crank up the oven (the original recipe calls for 400F, I cranked mine up all the way) . I used my cast iron pizza pan and so preheated it for a long time.

Get the toppings ready. 

When ready to make pizza, make balls of the dough, I made 3, you can make 2 or 4. Your choice. 

Roll out the dough ball to a thin, even flat bread. Prick all over with a fork.

I pre-baked the base for few minutes and then did the final assembly. There was a slight oversight on my part and the base pre-baked a little more than it should have. Look at the pic below, not what you want.

 It is totally fine, absolutely edible, if that's on your mind. but what you want is  a light color on the base. Check the picture below. The top is barely done, but is dry and has a light color. So you want to pre-bake it just for a couple of minutes.

Once the base is pre-baked ( and I don't think this is necessary, but I prefer doing this so there isn't a soggy, doughy bite ), add sauce on top with your favorite toppings,I used onion and colored bell peppers and some jalapeno as that was what I had on hand. Add cheese and bake till the cheese is all melted on top and the base has started browning. It took me barely 5 minutes on my cast iron pan. 

Our meal ended with a quick dessert. 

Sometimes you have these crazy cravings for something sweet (in my case all the time, but we ill let that pass) and want something instant. 

Mug cakes are an amazing way to eat a small portion and quickly! 

But if you want this to be hassle free too, I have just the thing for you! 

See, I love mug cakes for the portion and ease of making, but it still involves pulling out flour, sugar, baking powder/ soda, oil, essence, water or milk... see where I'm going with this?

I found this on a Facebook group among some comments and stored up the idea. 

The last time I went to the store, a week ago, I picked up 

1 box mix Angel food cake

1 Box mix of any other cake you like or have at home.

Open and mix the contents of both the boxes together and store in any container.

When you want to make the mug cake, lightly spry or grease the mug.

Add 3 Tbsp of the cake mix

Add 2 tbsp Milk

Mix well 

Microwave for 1 minute

3-2-1! Done! 

Let the cake cool down slightly and enjoy.

My son likes inverting it onto a plate and eating it. He ate the first one plain.

The second one he smeared Nutella on top and declared it was just what was needed. 

 That's it folks! Stay safe, Stay indoors, Save lives! One day we will look back on this and say, we survived this.

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A Halloween Party, in a jiffy!

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Hello Everybody! I'm back after what seems ages and so much has happened! 

Firstly, Diwali was the best in many years. Not because I made the goodies (like I do every year) but ...... this year, I made them with my Mother! Oh yes! The parents are here. 

I am happy, is an understatement. After the scare last October, I consider this a miracle and am thankful for it, every single day.

Li'll S is thrilled. He looks for his Ajji ( Grandmother) when he gets down from the school bus and after dumping his backpack with me, holds her hand and walks off. 

He loves to play with her (of course he does, she allows him to win, every time). He is careful around my Dad, I have warned him. But he was happy when Ajja ( Grandfather) came to pick him up at the bus stop and his little chest puffed out as he strutted to the car. 

After a wonderful Diwali, we were looking forward to Halloween. Li'll S was. He was excited, he wanted a pumpkin, he wanted a super hero costume and most importantly, he wanted a ton of candy. 

So we picked out a pumpkin, lugged it home, which by the way was so heavy, that I knew, it was going to hurt my tendinitis affected hand. What the heck! The child was happy. But I drew the line at carving, there was no way I could do that,  M would not bother and my parents have never done it..... solution? A short trip to Dollar Tree and 2 packets of push-pin type scary pumpkin decorations ( and a mummified skeleton and bat silhouettes and 'blood' cling stickers and a scary 'werewolf' faced wall decoration and a tombstone ) later, we came home.

Up until then, the plan was just to decorate the house, go trick or treating and then eat out.

And then the child says, now lets make it a party. 2 days before Halloween.

I whatsapp'd my friends and invited them over. Everybody contributed something towards the party, this was an unexpected gesture and so welcome, their contribution and more importantly, the help and fun that they added to the whole thing! I am lucky to have such sweet friends.  

The plan was simple. Go trick or treating, come back and meet at my place by 8:30pm.

My menu was simple.

Pizza, snacks, goody bags, candy and a 'witches brew' drink.

Ring the bell, IF you dare to enter....

                           

For those like me, who cannot carve pumpkins for some reason, here is a safe alternative. Just push in the eyes, nose and mouth ( which does not look too bad, up front) and be done with it. 

For the snacks I made cupcake 'ghosts', a giant cookie and broomsticks.

The frosting was Butter cream, which made it easy for me to make lumpy ghosts .
The giant cookie was a chocolate chunk, baked in a rectangular 9 x 13 pan ( next time I'll use a bigger pan) and decorated quickly, with the same butter cream.

The 'broomsticks' were made simply by cutting string cheese and inserting pretzel sticks. I used a knife to fray the ends a bit to give it a 'broom' like look, not very nicely done, I'm afraid. But the kids loved it.

The 'Witches brew' ( no picture, I'm sorry) was made by mixing Pineapple Juice ( 1 can - 46oz), Ginger ale and Lime soda (one, 2ltr bottle , each)

The children had a great time and there was a lot of noise and high spirits. The children who had gone trick and treating showed each other their candy and added more from the bowl at home and compared and gave their opinions. 

Li'll S and 3 others ( accompanied by adults) had braved a haunted house in the neighborhood for candy and came out all of a dither! A zombie tried to take my son's candy filled jack-o-lantern, which scared the daylights out of the child! 

All 4 kids came out of the haunted house shaking at the knees and swore NEVER to go to one again. EVER.

We are now looking forward to Thanksgiving. 

I know I have a lot to be thankful for.

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The Perfect Pizza

Years ago, one cold winter night, the husband and I, after strolling through the Christmassy streets and admiring the beautiful lights and decorations, finally paid heed to the gnawing pangs of hunger that only a cold winter night can awaken in a person.

The urgent need to stuff our faces with something hot and filling was mounting and we turned our steps purposefully towards where we would find food.

We walked quickly and entered a pizza restaurant. I wish now, I could recollect the place or name of that restaurant, but all I remember are some details, like the color scheme was red and white, of course, had a 'cave like oven', there was a small table inside that we bagged and placed our order for pizza. 

I could not take my eyes off that 'cave', it was the first time I had seen a wood burning oven and the whole thing was a novel experience to me. 

I was amazed at how deftly the pizza dough was tossed in the air and caught, "dayyum (you know what I mean), look at that, those are mad skills and here I was, feeling proud that I could make round-round fulkas!" 

The expert then shoved the whole pie from 'an oar' in to the oven where the blazing fire baked it to absolute perfection in no time at all.

The terms pizza paddle, pizza stone were alien to me and I  just processed the info in terms that made sense to me.

It took me a while to bake my first pizza. I was over the moon. I stuck to this recipe and never thought of trying anything else.
Why let go of a good thing, right?

WRONG.

Let it go  (I know you just sang that part :) )

There is a difference between good pizza and GREAT pizza.

Last week I tried something new, rather apprehensively. Though baking is not as intimidating to me now, I do not consider it easy.
But how could I not pay heed to something that read so well?
Turns out, this was the Bestest Pizza ever ( according to M as well as Little S)
I was so pleased that a picture of a small pan pizza while baking was posted on the Facebook Page and  I got several requests for the recipe.

The only reason I could not post earlier was ( brace yourself, this is a sob story) the laptop, with all my pictures, crashed. I have no clue why ( of course I got blamed for being careless and not taking backup despite having a back up disk... yada...yada) and I still cherish the fond hope that someone, somewhere will help recover the darn laptop, just long enough for me to rescue my pictures and videos.
And let me add, while the iPad is fine and everything nice, where and how the aitch am I going to upload pictures from my camera? Aitch,  it won't even let me paste a link in the draft post.
Anyhoo, a miserable face and constant cribbing and whining and moping finally gave me access to M's laptop and here I am clicking away, happily.
No picture, I'm afraid, but not too long, I have promised my friends, that I will make pizza for them and I will take pictures then.

In the mean time, here is the source of this fantastic recipe and  my adaptation below.

To make the base

Take 5 cups of flour ( maida)

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar or honey

2 cups water - room temp

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp oil

Start with combining flour, yeast* and salt and mix well to combine

If using stand mixer use paddle ( if u don't have a paddle attachment, use the dough hook). On low speed mix the dry ingredients - just to ensure distribution.

Now add the liquid.


*If using regular, active dry yeast, let it bloom in warm water to which sugar is added and then add this to the flour

On the mixer, use low Speed and paddle and mix till the dough absorbs the liquid. There shouldn't be any dry flour  on the sides or bottom.

Takes about a minute

If using hand ( wooden spoon) stir well till the same result is achieved - all liquid is mixed in dry ingredients.

Let the dough stand for 2-4 mins

Now, on the mixer, start on medium-low speed and let it go on for another minute.

If using hand, follow same mixing procedure of mixing with the sturdy wooden spoon.

The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.

Now u need to use your counter top.

Pour some oil on the clean counter top and spread oil in a large circle ( like an ex-large pizza shape)

Now, gently dump the dough on the oily surface and pat it.

Use a stretch and fold method.
This simply means, after you have gently patted the dough into a circle, fold it. First fold on the top and then at the bottom, u should have a rectangular block with round edges.

Fold the round edges over one another.

Cover this dough with a clean  bowl.

Let it stand for 5 minutes.

Repeat the stretch and fold

For 3 more times (total of 4 times).

After every 5 minutes , u will notice how the dough changes. The gluten is working here.

The dough becomes firm.

At this stage, you can divide the dough ( maybe into 2 parts. One to be used now and other frozen for later.

Oil the dough u want to freeze and transfer to a freezer safe bag or container and put it away

After the above, transfer the remaining dough ball to a well oiled bowl ( I used the big Pyrex one) and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Make sure the bowl is big enough to accommodate the doubled dough as it ferments.

Stick this bowl in the fridge and leave it  overnight to ferment slowly. This slow fermentation is the key to a perfect crust.

When u are ready to make the pizza, pull the dough out 90 mins before  you start.

Leave it on the counter top.
Start by preheating the oven to the highest level ( mine goes to 550) so yours should do the same or about 500 at least

I use my pizza stone and that is the best way to make an awesome crust. The stone retains heat very well and that helps the crust.
Keep in mind that the pizza stone needs time to heat thoroughly, I'd say 35-45 mins. 

If you don't have one, use what you normally do.

Do the prep (sauce,chopping veges/ meat, grate cheese) and keep everything at hand.

Once the dough is at room temp, lightly flour the (clean) counter top and lay the dough ball and pat it gently with your finger tips and form a circle.

Now comes the stretching part.
Flour the back if your hands and gently lift the dough onto your balled hand ( think like a boxing stance) now gently turn the dough on your fists and do so along the edges, let gravity do the rest.

Let the dough rest in between if you think it's not panning properly. Letting the dough rest will ensure that it will stretch well after a while and make the dough supple.
If using hands to stretch the dough is difficult or you are just not ready for it, go ahead, lay it on the paddle and stretch it with your hands or even a rolling pin, but be gentle)

Once the dough is even and large, transfer it into a lightly floured paddle ( I do not have one- I use my large wooden cutting board) and even out any unevenness ( ummm.. I know that did not sound right, but I hope you get my point)

Now add sauce. Spread it out carefully, starting at the center and going outward. Leave the border bare.

Add the cheese now (use mozzarella - cheddar  and if u like, sprinkle some Parmesan)

Lay the vegetables over the cheese.

By now the oven and stone are very hot. Be very careful ( I prefer to wear my sunglasses when I work with such a hot oven) and open the oven door.

Lower the paddle and in back and forth motion? Shake the pizza on to the stone.
Close the oven door and leave as it for about 2 mins.

After 2 mins, open the door, carefully, and turn the pizza in a clock wise or anti clockwise, half way,  direction to ensure even cooking.

At this stage, you will notice how the dough has puffed up and has started getting brown.

After you have turned the pizza, let it bake for another minute or 2. This will ensure that  the crust has baked to a nice golden brown and the bottom is also well done .

Pull out the pizza carefully and place it on the chopping board and cut into wedges.

Serve with chilli flakes and grated parm cheese or marinara to give it a pizzeria touch.

I must mention here, I went all out this time and made marinara sauce at home too. For this, I got messaged Shilpa, I remembered having read the recipe on her site as well as on her FB page.
She promptly replied with the recipe ( and also told me that the original came from Pelicano).
I made the sauce as per the recipe and it is a keeper.
The only suggestion my son had was, to use more. That is proof enough.

Notes:
I got a few questions regarding the recipe (the base) and decided to clarify these as part of the notes

- The pizza stone has to be 'really hot' in order to get the best crust.
- It takes a good 40-45 mins for the stone to heat up and retain that kind of heat. Once I put the dough on the counter top and cut the vegetables, I switch on the oven and leave it, so I get good 50-60 minute heating time (and hence the sunglasses when I open the oven door)
- Yes, you have to set the oven to the highest temperature it will go to
- Does it take just minutes to bake? yes, it does. But do use youe judgement here, you will see the dough bubble and start turning brown, let it turn dark and then change the direction and let it bake some more
- check the bottom of the pizza with a long handled spatula, it should look well done (brown, but not dark!)

That's it for now, folks. I'll be back soon with some pictures.
Enjoy the weekend.

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Pizza at home! Conquering the 'yeastophobia'!

Does anyone remember (or have you been a part ) of the time when 'Pizza' was a very rare (if at all) treat? It was, when I was in my tweens.  We rarely ate pizza and never made at home, that is if you do not count buying Monginis base.

I would look at the small  ready to eat pizzas at the bakery and wonder why a sandwich, a round one at that, was left open and would *anyone* - *ever* want to buy something that looked so cold and (pardon me for saying this) ugly.

I don't remember the first time I ate pizza, but I do remember that I loved it! And then I was addicted, I could have eaten pizza everyday for every meal.

Pizza at home was a big affair, believe me, when I say this, not because of the effort involved- which was minimal, but because we were 'making pizza at home' the very idea and  a snack so 'foreign' in our totally Indian kitchen with it's usual, pohe, upma, idli-dosa and the likes.

We did not, for many years, have an oven ( does anyone remember these?) at home and  baking was out of the question, it was best left to Monginis and the like.

So, when we did make pizza, we hopped out to the nearest  Monginis or the grocery store and bought ready made pizza base the sauce and the cheese ( sometimes just cheese cubes, we did not really bother about mozzarella or cheddar or any type, indeed , I hardly knew about the different types! ) and used the good old 'tawa' to make and bake the pizza.

I used to help my Mother with the prep work and assembly and watch keenly, every nerve tingling in anticipation of the feast. I would gingerly lift the pizza  corner with a wooden spatula to check how evenly brown the base was getting and  wonder at the melting cheese. So different from what it is today, where one can walk into a pizza parlor and buy an entire pie or slice and not think twice or wonder and anticipate and enjoy every bite .

But over the years, I have grown weary of store bought pizza and have always wanted to re-create the magic at home, to once again feel the thrill I used to as a child. I wondered if I was capable of such enthusiasm now.

 

 For all those who have lately started reading this blog, I want to admit, I was afraid, *very* afraid of yeast and making breads. In my opinion, there was nothing as daunting as baking breads, for all the simple list of ingredients, I shied away from making pizza base at home, I would willingly walk a mile in tight shoes, but not bake. Yes, that about sums up my phobia! 

Then one day, the blogger in me reared  her head and demanded that I drop my cowardly attitude and swap it for the yeast packet and APF (all purpose flour) and use them up. What, if at worst can happen? a disaster, pshaw! so what, there is a large trash bin, dump it and move on....  Made sense. 

I popped in at the library and after a lot of pondering ( and finally using the 'in-pin-safety-pin' method) settled for this book on 'How To Bake'.

Leafing through the book I realized, I had picked the best book, for a person like me, who had limited knowledge and a lot of fear to deal with. The book outlines simple steps for making basic pizza dough and clear instructions. 

I bookmarked this dough and basic White Bread ( recipe to follow) as my favorites.

The Pizza base was *awesome*! It worked, I watched the flour yield to the kneading, I watched it rise, reducing my nails to shreds and listening to a drumming in my ear (which in a calmer moment I  realized was my heart) . I put it in the oven and watched it bake, yes, I did, I placed a small step stool in front of the oven and parked myself in front watching like a hawk. And boy! was I rewarded!  I sliced it up and gave M the first slice.... the  drumming was louder now, as he took his first bite and then the next and the next and gave me the thumbs up sign! I DID IT!  I MADE PIZZA AT HOME! I felt a rush of the thrill I had felt long ago. I was happy and this was a feast.

Here's how I made the Home Style  Pizza Dough: (Makes 1 - 101/2 x 15 1/2 inch Pizza)

2 1/2 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour ( APF)

1tsp. Salt

1 Cup Warm tap Water

21/2 tsp. or 1 envelope Active Dry Yeast

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Stir the flour and salt in a 2 quart mixing bowl to combine and make a well in the center

Measure the water and pour onto a small bowl, whisk in the  yeast and 2 T Olive Oil

Pour the liquid mixture into the well  in the flour and stir with a rubber spatula, until a soft sticky dough forms

Beat the dough for a minute until it looks  smoother, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap  and allow the dough to rise doubled in bulk (about 1 hour)

Grease the jelly-roll pan  with the remaining  Tbsp. of Oil. Without stirring or folding the dough, use the rubber spatula to scrape it from the bowl into the oiled pan. Oil your hands and press, pull and pat the dough into the pan. If it resists, let it rest for 5 mins. and then continue. Let the dough  rise for 30 mins or until it puffs slightly

Prepare topping of choice ( I used a ready made sauce from Trader Joe's, red and green bell pepper and red onions and mozzarella cheese)

Set rack at the lowest and highest level of the oven and preheat at 450 F

Bake the pizza  on the bottom rack for 25-30 minutes 

(After about 10 minutes, lift the end with a spatula and check that the bottom is not burning, if it is  coloring too quickly, slide a pan under the first one.)

Remove the pizza, slice and enjoy! 

* Notes: 

I used a fork to poke small holes ( do not stab at the dough)  in the pizza dough, this is not a part of the chef's recipe, it is my own

I baked the pizza on a pizza stone. I ensured that the stone was heated through and this takes a great deal longer than the normal pre- heating, I'd say about 25 minutes or more. The end result is a crisp and amazing base! 

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