Quick Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS
2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work
surface

DIRECTIONS
1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand
until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky
dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl
with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled
in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently
knead 1 or 2 times before using.
Watch: How to Measure Flour
3. To freeze, you can wrap the dough in plastic and freeze it in a resealable
freezer bag for up to 3 months. If you plan to use it in a recipe that calls for
half a batch, divide it before freezing.

Unleavened Pizza Crust

1 c whole wheat flour (or white, or a mixture of both)

2 tsp salt
4 T oil
1/3 c milk
Cornmeal for the pizza peel
There�s nothing challenging about this dough. You mix the dry ingredients, add the
wet to the dry, knead it a few times, then roll it out. You can pre-bake it on a
pizza stone to make sure it�s crisp before adding your ingredients.

The crust is thin, crisp, salty and buttery (and yet contains no butter). Yeasty
doughs will always have their value, but this dough can fill in nicely when you�re
in a time crunch, or if you just happen to not have any leavening.

Basic Biscuit Dough

Ingredients
90g Butter (unsalted) (softened)
100g Unrefined golden caster sugar
1 Egg(s) (free range)
0.5 tsp Vanilla extract
200g Plain white flour
0.5 tsp Baking powder
0.5 tsp Salt

Method
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the egg and vanilla
extract.
Add the flour to the butter mix and mix until the dough is formed. Wrap the
biscuit dough in clingfilm and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 170�C (150�C fan, gas mark 3). Roll the dough out on a lightly
floured surface to about 0.5cm.

Cut out the biscuits and transfer to baking sheet. Roll up the trimmings and repeat
stages above to make more biscuits. Bake for 8 � 12 minutes until golden.

Remove and transfer to a cooling wire and leave until completely cool before
decorating.

Basic Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in
shortening with fork or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour milk into flour mixture while stirring with a fork. Mix in milk until dough is
soft, moist and pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and toss with flour until no longer
sticky. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet and cut with a floured biscuit
or cookie cutter. Press together unused dough and repeat rolling and cutting
procedure.
Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven until golden
brown, about 10 minutes.

Rough-puff pastry

Ingredients
250g strong plain flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
250g butter, at room temperature, but not soft
about 150ml cold water

Method
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Roughly break the butter in small
chunks, add them to the bowl and rub them in loosely. You need to see bits of
butter.

Make a well in the bowl and pour in about two-thirds of the cold water, mixing
until you have a firm rough dough adding extra water if needed. Cover with cling
film and leave to rest for 20 mins in the fridge.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board, knead gently and form into a smooth
rectangle. Roll the dough in one direction only, until 3 times the width, about 20
x 50cm. Keep edges straight and even. Don�t overwork the butter streaks; you should
have a marbled effect.

Fold the top third down to the centre, then the bottom third up and over that. Give
the dough a quarter turn (to the left or right) and roll out again to three times
the length. Fold as before, cover with cling film and chill for at least 20 mins
before rolling to use.

Basic biscuit dough

Ingredients
250g butter, softened
140g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
300g plain flour

Mix 250g softened butter and 140g caster sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon,
then add 1 egg yolk and 2 tsp vanilla extract and briefly beat to combine. Sift
over 300g plain flour and stir until the mixture is well combined � you might need
to get your hands in at the end to give everything a really good mix and press the
dough together

How to Make Doughnuts

Gather the Ingredients
You'll need:

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
vegetable oil or shortening for deep-frying
desired coating or icing

2. Make the Batter

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large
mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on medium
speed for 3 minutes or until thick. In a small bowl combine milk and melted butter.
Add the flour mixture and milk mixture alternately to the egg mixture, beating on
low speed after each addition just until combined. Cover and chill the dough for 2
to 4 hours.

3. Prepare the Coating, Glaze, or Icing

About a half-hour before the end of the chilling time, get the coating, glaze, or
icing ready for the doughnuts. Coatings and toppings should be prepared before you
start to fry the doughnuts, as they should be applied while the fried doughnuts are
still slightly warm. Doughnuts can simply be coated with powdered sugar or
granulated sugar. Place the sugar in a shallow dish, such as a pie plate. Or you
can ice the tops of the doughnuts with one of the following:

Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan melt 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate and 3

tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 cups powdered sugar
and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Stir in 4 to 5 tablespoons warm water until the glaze
coats the back of the spoon.
Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon
milk or orange juice, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in additional milk or juice, 1
teaspoon at a time, until the icing reaches drizzling consistency.
Chocolate Powdered Sugar Icing: Prepare Powdered Sugar Icing as directed, except
add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to the powdered sugar and use milk, not
orange juice.
Toppings: You can top iced donuts with chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or candy
sprinkles. Have these ready to go as well.

4. Roll the Dough

On a well-floured surface, roll the dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Do not stir

additional flour into the dough; this can cause the finished product to be heavy
and dry.

5. Cut the Dough

Use a floured 2-1/2-inch doughnut cutter to cut the dough into rings. Dip the
cutter into flour between cuts to prevent the dough from sticking to the cutter.
Each cut should produce one doughnut and one doughnut hole.
Reroll dough scraps as necessary to make about 16 doughnuts and 16 doughnut holes.

. Fry the Doughnuts

If using an electric deep-fat fryer, heat the oil to 365�F according to

manufacturer's directions. Or, in a heavy, deep large saucepan, heat the oil to
365�F.
Tip: The amount of oil you'll need depends on the fryer you use. Follow
manufacturer's directions if using a deep-fryer. If you are using a heavy, deep
large saucepan, you'll want to pour the oil to a depth of about 4 inches -- deep
enough allow the doughnuts to float in the oil.
Ease a doughnut into the heated oil with a long-handle slotted spoon, taking care
not to let the oil spatter. Fry the doughnuts, two or three at a time, in the oil
for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are golden brown, turning once.
Remove the doughnuts with the slotted spoon, allowing excess oil to drain back into
the fryer or pan.
Drain the doughnuts on paper towels.
Repeat with remaining doughnuts.
Cool the doughnuts slightly.

7. Coat or Ice the Doughnuts

Add these optional finishing touches while the doughnuts are still slightly warm:

To coat the doughnuts with powdered sugar or granulated sugar, simply roll them in
the sugar until coated on all sides.
To glaze, dip the tops of the doughnuts in the Chocolate Glaze, Powdered Sugar
Icing, or Chocolate Powdered Sugar Icing (see Step 3, above). If desired, sprinkle
iced doughnuts with chopped nuts, flaked coconut, or candy sprinkles. Allow the
doughnuts to dry on a wire cooling rack.

How to Make Easy Puff Pastry Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups (11 � oz/ 325g) plain flour
14 tablespoons (7 oz/198g) butter, frozen
Pinch salt
8-10 tablespoons chilled water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Place your butter in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight.
In a jug mix together your water and lemon juice and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt. Now I�m going to sound like a home
eccomnoics book but you need everything to be cold to yield you great pastry so
feel free to put the bowl of flour in the fridge to chill.
On the larger side of a grater, grate the frozen butter directly into the flour
mix. Stir the butter into the flour with a knife in with a knife. Frozen butter is
my secret ingredient. The colder the butter the flakier the pastry. So remember,
this is a shortcut short crust pastry, so we aren�t folding and doing that whole
process. I�m all for process but if you get a great result with less work then I�m
all for that.
Add in the liquid, holding a little back just in case you don�t need it all. Using
your hand bring your pastry together gently. You want to add just enough water to
bring the pastry together. Too much water will not yield you a flakey dough.
Bring the dough together to form a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge
for a minimum of 1 hour. You can refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze to use
at a later day.
Note: Once you put pastry in the fridge and it relaxes it will get a little wetter
so factor that in.
To use your pastry: Follow instructions required by the recipe you are making.
Alway bake in a HOT oven for best results.

Croissants

Ingredients
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup warm milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Combine yeast, warm water, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Allow to stand until creamy and
frothy.
Measure flour into a mixing bowl. Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar and salt in warm milk.
Blend into flour along with yeast and oil. Mix well; knead until smooth. Cover, and
let rise until over triple in volume, about 3 hours. Deflate gently, and let rise
again until doubled, about another 3 hours. Deflate and chill 20 minutes.
Massage butter until pliable, but not soft and oily. Pat dough into a 14x8-inch
rectangle. Smear butter over top two thirds, leaving 1/4-inch margin all around.
Fold unbuttered third over middle third, and buttered top third down over that.
Turn 90 degrees, so that folds are to left and right. Roll out to a 14x6-inch
rectangle. Fold in three again. Sprinkle lightly with flour, and put dough in a
plastic bag. Refrigerate 2 hours. Unwrap, sprinkle with flour, and deflate gently.
Roll to a 14x6-inch rectangle, and fold again. Turn 90 degrees, and repeat. Wrap,
and chill 2 hours.
To shape, roll dough out to a 20x5-inch rectangle. Cut in half crosswise, and chill
half while shaping the other half. Roll out to a 15 x 5 inch rectangle. Cut into
three 5 x 5 inch squares. Cut each square in half diagonally. Roll each triangle
lightly to elongate the point, and make it 7 inches long. Grab the other 2 points,
and stretch them out slightly as you roll it up. Place on a baking sheet, curving
slightly. Let shaped croissants rise until puffy and light. In a small bowl, beat
together egg and 1 tablespoon water. Glaze croissants with egg wash.
Bake in a preheated 475 degrees F (245 degrees C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Ciabatta

For Sponge (Biga):1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/3 cup warm water
1 cup bread flour
For Bread:1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

To Make Sponge: In a small bowl stir together 1/8 teaspoon of the yeast and the
warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast
mixture, 1/3 cup of the water, and 1cup of the bread flour. Stir 4 minutes, then
over bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature for at least
12 hours and up to 1 day.
To Make Bread: In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5
minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough
hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until
flour is just moistened; add salt and mix until smooth and elastic, about 8
minutes. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough
will be sticky and full of air bubbles.) Turn dough out onto a well-floured work
surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an
irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust
tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at
room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone on oven rack in
lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425 F (220 degrees C).
Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of loaf
parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far
edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto
back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone in a
similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool loaves
on a wire rack.

Homemade Chocolate Croissants

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons; 60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling/shaping
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon active dry or instant yeast
1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold whole milk
one 4-ounce bar (113g) semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
optional: confectioners' sugar for dusting

Butter Layer
1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks; 345g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 Tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
Egg Wash
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons (30ml) whole milk

Directions:
Preliminary notes: I have lots of information to prepare you to make homemade
chocolate croissants. A complete guide to making the croissant dough, with a video
and step-by-step photographs, can be found in my original croissants recipe. That
post will help you get through the first several steps. Additionally, you can watch
the video above to see how the chocolate croissants are shaped, which begins in
step 13. I suggest reading the whole recipe before beginning. Make room in the
refrigerator for a baking sheet. In step 6 and again in step 13, you will need room
for 2 baking sheets.
Make the dough: Cut the butter in four 1-Tablespoon slices and place in the bowl of
an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or you can use a
handheld mixer or no mixer, but a stand mixer is ideal). Add the flour, sugar,
salt, and yeast. Turn the mixer on low-medium speed to gently combine the
ingredients for 1 minute. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the milk. Once all
of the milk is added, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat the dough for
at least 5 full minutes. (If you don�t have a mixer, knead by hand for 5 minutes.)
The dough will be soft. It will (mostly) pull away from the sides of the bowl and
if you poke it with your finger, it will bounce back. If after 5 minutes the dough
is too sticky, keep the mixer running until it pulls away from the sides of the
bowl.
Remove dough from the bowl and, with floured hands, work it into a ball. Place the
dough on a lightly floured silicone baking mat lined, lightly floured parchment
paper lined, or lightly floured baking sheet. (I recommend a silicone baking mat
because you can roll the dough out in the next step directly on top and it won�t
slide all over the counter.) Gently flatten the dough out, as I do in the video
above, and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the entire baking sheet
in the refrigerator and allow the covered dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30
minutes.
Shape the dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. I like to keep the dough
on the silicone baking mat when I�m rolling it in this step because the mat is
nonstick and it�s a handy guide for the exact measurement. Begin flattening out the
dough with your hands. You�re rolling it out into a rectangle in this step, so
shaping it with your hands first helps the stretchy dough. Roll it into a 14x10-
inch rectangle. The dough isn't extremely cold after only 30 minutes in the
refrigerator, so it will feel more like soft play-doh. Be precise with the
measurement. The dough will want to be oval shaped, but keep working the edges with
your hands and rolling pin until you have the correct size rectangle.
Long rest: Place the rolled out dough back onto the baking sheet (this is why I
prefer a silicone baking mat or parchment because you can easily transfer the
dough). Cover the rolled out dough with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, place the
entire baking sheet in the refrigerator and allow the covered dough to rest in the
refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. (Up to 24 hours is ok.)
Butter layer (begin this 35 minutes before the next step so the butter can chill
for 30 minutes): In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with
a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and flour together until smooth and
combined. Transfer the mixture to a silicone baking mat lined or parchment paper
lined baking sheet. (Silicone baking mat is preferred because you can easily peel
the butter off in the next step.) Using a spoon or small spatula, smooth out into a
7x10-inch rectangle. Be as precise as you can with this measurement. Place the
entire baking sheet in the refrigerator and chill the butter layer for 30 minutes.
(No need to cover it for only 30 minutes.) You want the butter layer firm, but
still pliable. If it gets too firm, let it sit out on the counter for a few minutes
to gently soften. The more firm the butter layer is the more difficult it will be
to laminate the dough in the next step.
Laminate the dough: In this next step, you will be rolling out the dough into a
large rectangle. Do this on a lightly floured counter instead of rolling out on
your silicone baking mat. The counter is typically a little cooler (great for
keeping the dough cold) and the silicone baking mat is smaller than the measurement
you need. Remove both the dough and butter layers from the refrigerator. Place the
butter layer in the center of the dough and fold each end of the dough over it. If
the butter wasn�t an exact 7x10-inch rectangle, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife
to even out the edges. Seal the dough edges over the butter layer as best you can
with your fingers. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough into a 10x20-inch
rectangle. It�s best to roll back and forth with the shorter end of the dough
facing you, like I do in the video above. Use your fingers if you need to. The
dough is very cold, so it will take a lot of arm muscle to roll. Again, the dough
will want to be oval shaped, but keep working it with your hands and rolling pin
until you have the correct size rectangle. Fold the dough lengthwise into thirds as
if you were folding a letter. This was the 1st turn.
If the dough is now too warm to work with, place folded dough on the baking sheet,
cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before the
2nd turn. I usually don�t have to.
2nd turn: Turn the dough so the short end is facing you. Roll the dough out once
again into a 10x20-inch rectangle, then fold the dough lengthwise into thirds as if
you were folding a letter. The dough must be refrigerated between the 2nd and 3rd
turn because it has been worked with a lot by this point. Place the folded dough on
the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 30
minutes before the 3rd turn.
3rd turn: Roll the dough out once again into a 10x20-inch rectangle. Fold the dough
lengthwise into thirds as if you were folding a letter.
Long rest: Place the folded dough on the lined baking sheet, cover with plastic
wrap or aluminum foil, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. (Up to 24 hours is
ok.)
At the end of the next step, you�ll need 2 baking sheets lined with silicone baking
mats or parchment paper. The dough is currently on a lined baking sheet in the
refrigerator, so you already have 1 prepared!
Shape the croissants: Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured
counter, roll the dough out into an 8x20-inch rectangle. Use your fingers if you
need to. Once again, the dough is very cold, so it will take a lot of arm muscle to
roll. The dough will want to be oval shaped, but keep working it with your hands
and rolling pin until you have the correct size rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or
sharp knife, slice the dough in half vertically. Each skinny rectangle will be 4
inches wide. Then cut 3 even slices horizontally, yielding 8 4x5-inch rectangles.
See photo and video above for a visual. Cut each rectangle in half lengthwise so
you have 16 2x5-inch rectangles. Work with one rectangle at a time. Using your
fingers or a rolling pin, stretch it to be about 8 inches long. Do this gently as
you do not want to flatten the layers. Place a few small pieces of chocolate in a
single layer at one end and tightly roll the dough up around the chocolate. Make
sure the end is on the bottom. Repeat with remaining dough, placing the shaped
croissants on 2 lined baking sheets, 8 per sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap
or aluminum foil and allow to rest at room temperature (no warmer! I suggest just
keeping on the counter) for 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to rest for
1 hour or up to 3 hours. I prefer the shaped croissants to be cold going into the
oven. When you poke the dough with your finger, it will slowly bounce back. That
means they are ready to be baked.
Preheat oven to 400�F (204�C).
Egg wash: Whisk the egg wash ingredients together. Remove the croissants from the
refrigerator. Brush each lightly with egg wash.
Bake the croissants: Bake until croissants are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Rotate the pans halfway through baking. If croissants show signs of darkening too
quickly, reduce the oven to 375�F (190�C).
Remove chocolate croissants from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for a
few minutes before serving. They will slightly deflate as they cool. If desired,
dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Croissants taste best the same day they�re baked. Cover any leftover croissants and
store at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
You can also freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw on the counter or overnight in
the refrigerator. Warm up to your liking.
Make ahead tip: Croissants are perfect for getting started ahead of time. The dough
can rest for 4 hours or overnight in step 5 and again in step 11. You can also
freeze the dough after the 3rd turn in the lamination process (after step 10).
Instead of the 4 hour rest in the refrigerator in step 11, wrap the dough tightly
in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, place in a freezer zipped-top bag, and freeze for
up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and continue with step 12.

Recipe Notes:
I use and recommend Red Star Platinum, an instant yeast.

You can find 4 ounce chocolate baking bars in the baking aisle. I recommend using
Ghirardelli brand because the bars are thin and the thin pieces roll up neatly in
the croissant dough. I use bittersweet chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate,
semi-sweet, or darker chocolate.

Make sure the dough is ALWAYS cold. If it warms up too much, stop what you�re doing
and place the dough back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Lightly flour the work surface, your hands, the dough, and the rolling pin as you
work.

If there are air bubbles in your dough, pop them with your fingers or a toothpick,
then lightly flour where you popped the air bubble.

Do you want these croissants for brunch? I recommend starting the recipe the day
before in the early afternoon. Complete steps 1-10, then let the laminated dough
have a long rest in the refrigerator overnight (step 11). Begin step 13 2-3 hours
before brunch.