one-rise pizza dough

I have a friend who swears by her homemade pizza dough recipe…all three rises of it.  It’s practically an all day affair to make it, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.  While I might spend all day making pizza dough once in a while, the vast majority of the time I just want to get it done.  Apparently, so did my mom.

This recipe came out of her archives and, in fact, was labelled “Mom’s Famous Pizza Crust.”  It’s fast, easy, and just an all-around good crust.  The recipe says it makes two, 12″ round pies but I found that resulted in the crust being too thin.  I made one thicker pie, which was plenty for the three of us with a side salad.  If you’re feeding more than that, double the recipe.  Then, top with your choice of goodies (it’s a hearty crust, so it withstands toppings well), and enjoy!

 

One-Rise Pizza Dough (courtesy my mom’s recipe collection)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 to 3 c unsifted flour
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 pkg dry yeast
• 1 c tap water, very hot
• 2 Tbps vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

1. In large bowl mix one cup of flour, sugar, salt, and undissolved yeast, gradually adding hot water and oil.
2. Mix or stir balance of flour and knead until smooth (about 10 min).
3. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until dough is double in size (about 45 min).
4. Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
5. After dough has risen, stretch over a 12″ x 18″ greased pan or cookie sheet.
6. Cover with toppings of your choice and bake 30 – 40 min.

 

 

spiced slow-cooker applesauce

Fall is a very tenuous season here in the desert.  Mostly it feels like an extension of summer.  Please note we were still in the triple digits even two weeks ago, and high 90s all last week.  This is the first week since, oh, February probably, where we’ve had a day that didn’t even make it into the 80s.  Halleluia!!!

So I can’t let what little fall we actually have slip by without making applesauce.  I love this recipe.  It’s a complete no-brainer: toss it in the crockpot and let it go.  The house smells amazing while the apples stew and I can go about my day without a care in the world.  Well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration but you know what I mean.  Enjoy!

Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce

Ingredients:

• 8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I used a combination of Gala and Fuji, but use what you like)
• 1/2 c water
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker, set to low, cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours.  If necessary, mash apples to desired consistency.  Let cool and serve.

Kitchen Notes: The original recipe called for twice the brown sugar.  I found that way too sweet.  I knocked it in half and, honestly, you could probably do away with the sugar altogether depending on what kind of apples you’re using.