Beth’s Homemade Pizza (Dough)

1 ½ cups Hot water

2T sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp olive oil

4 ½ cups bread flour

1 pkt yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp.)

Above makes 2 pizzas; also need:

1 jar pizza sauce

toppings

16 oz mozzarella cheese  (8 oz/pizza; use 12 oz/pizza – if you like extra cheese)

Option 1: By hand

Mix all. If too sticky to knead, add more flour.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.  Knead about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.  Use as much flour as you need. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up.  Cover and let rise in warm place 1 hour.

Option 2: Stand Mixer (like Kitchen Aid) with dough hook

Mix yeast with all dry ingredients except 1-2 cups flour. Mix on low speed 15 seconds. Add liquid ingredients slowly (continuing to mix on low speed about 1-2 minutes).  Add rest of flour ½ cup at a time (continuing on low speed). Mix until  dough clings to hook and forms a soft ball. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 hour.

Option 3: Bread Machine

put all ingredients into bread pan in order listed (for 2 crust recipe). Choose pizza dough cycle. After cycle finishes, remove pan and sit in warm place to allow 30 additional minutes rising. (Do not leave in bread machine – may overrise breadpan, causing damage to machine.)

Proceed with shaping, topping, and baking pizzas.

ANY OPTION – CONTINUE

 Preheat oven to 550°. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Toss, stretch, or roll out  dough into pizzas (about 12-14”). Top with pizza sauce, toppings, and cheese. (I use 1/3-1/2 jar pizza sauce and 8-12 oz cheese per pizza.) Bake for about 7 minutes each. (Best baked one at a time.)

 Cool for about 5 minutes before trying to slice. Enjoy!

for 4 crusts

double all ingredients. By hand is the same. By stand mixer, check stand mixer for 

maximum capacity. (Mine is 8 cups flour) I do in two batches or do 1 ½ batch. My bread machine (2 lb capacity) can only do 2 crusts recipe max. 

Sugared Drop Doughnuts

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for frying
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
3 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar


1. Pour enough vegetable oil into a large heavy saucepan or deep-fry fryer to measure 3 inches. Preheat the oil to 365 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg into a large bowl and mix well.

3. Whisk milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract in a small bowl until blended. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and mix well.

4. Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls into the hot oil; do not crowd the doughnuts. Cook until golden on all sides, about 2 minutes per doughnut. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle doughnuts with the confectioners' sugar.

Variations

Sprinkle doughnuts with a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar or with sweetened cocoa powder.

Ham and Cheese Strata

8 slices of bread, cubed
4 ounces processed cheese, cubed
1 cup ham, cubed
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. salt
1 t. onion flakes
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Lightly grease 8X8 or 9X9 and put in half of the bread cubes. Place processed cheese cubes and ham over bread. Add remaining bread. Beat eggs, milk, seasonings and onion flakes to combine. Pour mixture over bread, ham and cheese. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top. Refrigerate overnight (I didn't do this). Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until set.