Flourgirl &raquo; a bit of Dutch cooking and favorite recipes

Make some ooey-gooey sticky buns with leftover pizza dough.

Homemade caramel sauce and a sweet filling turn extra dough into something extra special.

NUTTY CARAMEL STICKY BUNS

1/2 recipe pizza dough

1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, divided

1-1/4 cup brown sugar, divided

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

In a saucepan, melt 6 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Gradually add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour 1 cup of the caramel sauce into a 13×9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Tilt pan to evenly coat with sauce. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. On a well floured surface, roll dough out to a 10×15 inch rectangle. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter and brush over surface of dough. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch margin. Scatter chopped pecans over sugar mixture. Starting with a long side, roll dough up tightly, pinching the seam to close. Slice into to 12 sections. Place cut side up in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm and draft free spot for 45 minutes. Bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a serving plate.

Pour caramel sauce into prepared baking dish. Tilt pan to evenly coat.

Roll dough out on a well floured surface into a 10×15 rectangle.

Brush melted butter over surface of dough.

Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 inch margin. Scatter chopped pecans over sugar mixture.

Starting with a long side, roll dough up tightly, pinching the seam to close. Slice into 12 sections.

Place cut side up in baking dish.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm and draft free spot for 45 minutes.

Bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Sauce will be bubbly and tops starting to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately invert on to a serving plate.

STICKY BUNS

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PIZZA MARGHERITA

January 31, 2013

MY FAVORITE PIZZA

I love this pizza so much I decided to learn a little more about it.

Italian chef Raffaelle Esposito first made this pizza in 1889 when Queen Margherita visited Naples. Using Tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese and basil he was able to imitate the colors of the Italian flag.

The Queen liked it so much that she wrote a thank you letter to Esposito. He decided to name the pizza after her.

It is suggested that this pizza made Esposito the father of modern pizza.

The royal letter is still on display in his restaurant that is now named Pizzaria di Brandi.

PIZZA MARGHERITA

PIZZA DOUGH

(WILLIAMS-SONOMA)

2 packages (5 tsp) active dry yeast

2-1/4 cups warm water (105 -115 degrees F)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cups bread flour, plus extra as needed

1 tablespoon sea salt

All-purpose flour for shaping

corn meal for baker’s peel

DIRECTIONS

In a 5-qt bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, oil, flour, and salt. Place the bowl on the mixer and attach the dough hook. Knead on low speed until soft, smooth , and elastic, about 10 minutes. Add up to 1 cup of flour while kneading so the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. For a more flavorful crust, make the dough up to this point, punch it down, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use, even overnight. Let the dough come to room temperature before shaping.

(When ready to make the pizza, place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees for 30 minutes before baking)

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide the dough in half or up to four sections. Gently shape each section into a loose ball. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Lightly dust 1 dough ball with all-purpose flour. Roll it out into a desired size round shape. Spread corn meal on a baker’s peel. Transfer dough round to the peel.

(Time to top the pizza with sauce and toppings)

Slide the ready to bake pizza off the peel onto the hot stone. Bake the pizza until the crust is crisp and brown, about 15 minutes. Using the baker’s peel, carefully transfer the pizza to a cutting board. The pizza will just crawl up the peel off the hot stone.

Cut into wedges and serve hot

TOPPINGS

shredded mozzarella cheese

fresh basil, shredded

Roma tomato, thinly sliced

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

(I like it with a red sauce)

PIZZA SAUCE

(my own)

yields approx. 2 cups

16 ounce can tomato sauce

6 ounce can tomato paste

1 tablespoon ground oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground paprika

1/2 tablespoon basil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

To top the round, spread desired amount of pizza sauce, sprinkle with desired amount of mozzarella cheese, and shredded fresh basil. Cut tomato in half and gently squeeze the juice and seeds out. Thinly slice tomato and place on top. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle the top evenly with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Making Pizza Margherita

Using this dough and sauce you can also make your favorite pizza.

To please my husband, I add hot Italian sausage, and roughly chopped bell pepper, mushrooms, and olives.

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GRAHAM CRACKER COOKIES

January 29, 2013

Graham Cracker Cookies loaded with your favorite candy chips, bits and nuts

Make a delicious cookie dough and customize your cookie to your taste.

GRAHAM CRACKER COOKIES

3/4 cup butter, softened (do not use cold butter)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups flour

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups of candy chips, bits or nuts

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture. Stir in 2 cups of your choice of candy chips, bits or nuts. Roll dough into walnut size balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool on wax paper.

For Spumoni cookies; add 2/3 cups each of mini chocolate chips, chopped dried cherries and chopped pistachios.

For S’more sandwich cookies; cut large marshmallows in half. Place chocolate chip cookies bottom side up on a microwave safe plate. Top each with marshmallow halves. Microwave, uncovered for 20 seconds or until marshmallows begin to puff. Top each with a chocolate chip cookie.

Cream softened butter and sugars together.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Gradually add flour mixture to cream mixture.

Add 2 cups of your choice of candy chips, bits or nuts.

Roll dough into walnut size balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer cookies to wax paper to cool.

When making S’more sandwich cookies; place chocolate chip cookies bottom side up on a microwaveable plate and top each cookie with 1/2 of a large marshmallow.

Microwave uncovered for 20 seconds or until marshmallows puff.

Top with chocolate chip cookies.

Your cookie your way!

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AWARD WINNING BROWNIES

January 22, 2013

GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE CHAMPIONSHIP

2005

AWARD WINNING BROWNIES

I entered the Ghirardelli chocolate Championship in Los Angeles County. I had never done anything like this before and I was pretty scared. I went by myself. My husband and I were dating at the time and he lived in the Bay area. He stayed on the cell phone with me the entire time.

As you can see, I couldn’t smile any bigger!

GHIRARDELLICIOUS BROWNIES

Brownies

1/2 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa

1/2 pound butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1-1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Marshmallow Center

5 cups mini marshmallows

Icing

1 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup evaporated milk

3-1/3 powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients to make the brownies and mix well. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Pour into a 9×12 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Add the mini marshmallows and bake until soft. Cool completely. In a medium size bowl combine ingredients to make the icing and mix until well blended. Frost completely cooled brownies.

Note: Use a sharp knife warmed in hot water to cut the brownies. It can get a little sticky. You may have some leftover frosting. I put it between two graham crackers and freeze them. This is a favorite snack idea my mom would make when I was little with her extra cake frosting.

Mix together the brownie ingredients and then stir in the walnuts.

Pour into greased baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Top with 5 cups of mini marshmallows.

Bake until soft.

Combine ingredients for icing and mix until well blended and creamy.

Frost completely cooled brownies.

THEY ARE GHIRARDELLICIOUS!

Our first date was in San Francisco. We went to Ghirardelli Square. It’s our favorite chocolate and sweetest memory.

After getting married and living in Idaho, we went back in 2009 for…

our favorite chocolate and…

another kiss!

This brownie is a reminder of how our love story began.

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CITRUS SHORTBREAD

January 17, 2013