Homemade Naan

Naan Bread is basically just an Indian style flat bread..

It is soft, pillowy, full of lovely bubbles and so extremely versatile. .You can eat this along side of a meal to sop up gravies and Sauces, you can make flat bread sandwiches with it, top it with tomato sauce and cheese for a quick personal pizza, use it in place of tortillas for quesadillas…& so many possibilities!!

Ingredients:

   2     Teaspoon dry active yeast

    1    Teaspoon sugar

    1/2  cup water

    2 &1/2 or 3 cups flour

    1/2  Teaspoon salt

    1/4  cup vegetable oil  or Olive Oil

    1/3  cup plain greek yogurt

    1 large egg 

Steps:

1- In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.

2-  In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).

3-  At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.

4- Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.

5- Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface . Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter.

Enjoy!

Italian Bread Focaccia Dough (La festa del pane italiano Focaccia)

Focaccia Bread, pronounced as "FOKATCHA".  It is an Italian light flat-bread, made from a soft and sticky dough enriched with good and strong olive oil. Traditionally, the oil is sprinkled over the dough before baking and in generous quantities.

Ingredients:

2 Cups all-purpose Flour 

3 TBS olive oil 

1 TBS sugar 

7 gr dried yeast 

1 Teaspoon Salt

Some warm water enough to form a wet and sticky dough 

Steps:

1- I used a mixer with a bread hook to make this bread.  Combine the flour, salt and yeast and knead everything together,  adding gradually water.

2- Knead for at least 5 minutes, then add sugar and oil and keep kneading for another 10 minutes.

3- Adjust the dough's consistency with additional water as needed. 

The dough should be wet and sticky.

4- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise For 1 Hour , at room temperature, until it's nearly doubled in bulk.

5- After it rise Put some Olive oil in your Hand & Gently deflate the dough and you can feel how the dough can be easily stretched, and becomes elastic and smooth.

6- Preheat the oven to 395 F

7- Shape the dough into a ball and slap it onto a greased baking sheet, then roll it out (or push it out with your hands) into a rectangle.  Dip your fingers into olive oil and press into the dough to make deep dents all over the top.

8- choose any topping and dot it into your dough, let rise for some other 15 min  &  bake for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Sweet Pie Crust

I like this recipe for Pie Crust , it taste Delicious!

Ingredients:

(for 11 inch Pan)

1 & 1/2 Cup all Purpose Flour 

6           TBS Butter (in room temperature)

1           Egg

1/2        Cup Sugar

pinch of Salt 

Enough Cold water to Form  Dough

Steps:

1- In Large Bowl pour the Flour , The Sugar , Salt , and work with your finger tips the Butter till you get a sandy Mixture. 

2- Add the Egg and try to Form the Dough , Add drops of cold water to form it if the Egg was not Enough to do That .

3- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled through, 30 minutes .

4- Roll out one disk of dough into a 11-inch circle. Line a 11 inch pie pan with pastry. Refrigerate until needed or use immediately .

Dough for Pizza Crust

This is Very good Recipe for Pizza Crust , Thin or Fat Crust this Dough will Always work for you !

Ingredients:

(To make 2 Pizza Thin Crusts)

2  Cups All-purpose Flour

1   TBS Sugar

1   TBS Olive Oil 

1    Teaspoon Salt 

1/3 Cup Warm Milk

1    TBS Pizza Yeast 

Warm Water to get the Dough

Steps:

1-  in Large Bowl Combine Flour , Make a well in the center Pour Sugar, The yeast , olive oil and The warm Milk and let rest for 10 min .

2- pour enough water to get a smooth Dough , let raise for 1 Hour. 

3- Put some Oil on your Hands & Divide the Dough on 2 Balls, Spread Each one onto a Circle on a Lightly Oiled Pizza pan or onto a pizza stone with a rolling pin (sprinkles with Flour).

4- Preheat the oven at 300 F and Cook for 10 min , (it must be Cooked Halfway Through) let it cool before refrigerate Until the use or Use it Immediately .

P.S: to get a Fat Crust Don't Divide the Dough But Spread all of it onto the Pizza Pan.

homemade empanada dough

Making empanada dough is not  hard as it sounds, it's a pie crust Dough if you like , you can always make it on your own especially if you have a food processor, and even if you don’t it is still pretty easy because the dough should not be overworked and requires minimal kneading.

Ingredients :

(for 15 medium size or 25 small empanada discs)

3            Cups all purpose flour

1/4         Teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2  Sticks unsalted butter , cold and cut into 12 pieces

1             Egg

4 to 5     TBS Chilled water

Steps:

1- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.

2- Add the butter, and Mix with the Flour with your hand to have crumbly mixture , then add  egg and water until a clumpy dough forms.

3- Form a ball and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes   ( i gently rub some flour on my dough to not stick) 

4- Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut out round disc shapes for empanadas (use round molds or a small plate).

5- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator or freezer to use later.

PS: your Discs should be really thin.