Aliza Green

I have used this light but slightly crunchy pizza dough to make hundreds, if not thousands, of fabulous pizzas in the wood-burning oven in my last restaurant. Although traditional Neapolitan pizza dough is made only with flour, yeast, salt, and oil, this one has an American twist, combining bread flour for strength, all-purpose flour for tenderness, and cornmeal for flavor and texture. It makes a delicious slightly crunchy dough for any pizza recipe but especially for those with vegetable toppings like broccoli rabe and artichokes and for the Sicilian Pan Pizza here. Use a scale for accuracy.

Yield: 2 pounds dough, enough for 2 large or 3 smaller pizzas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound (2 cups minus 2 tablespoons) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound (2 cups) unbleached bread flour
• 1/4 pound (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package (21/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, bread flour, cornmeal, and salt.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the water, honey, and yeast and allow the mixture to proof for 10 minutes or until bubbling. Beat in the milk and oil. Beat in the flour mixture, then switch to the dough hook and beat on low speed for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The finished pizza dough should be soft and slightly sticky: you should be able to press a finger into the dough and pull it away cleanly after it sticks briefly.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning it so all the dough is coated with oil. Cover with plastic film and set aside in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise at warm room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 portions and form into smooth rounds. Roll out or stretch out by hand into the desired size: 12 to 14 inches is common.

Note that pizza dough doesn’t freeze very well, although it may be made one day, allowed to partially rise, then refrigerated overnight for use the following day or even punched down again and kept chilled for use the second day. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling or stretching into a circle or tongue shape.

(from Starting with Ingredients: Baking)

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 pound (about 1 cup) oven-roasted plum tomatoes, purchased or homemade
• 1 pound Cornmeal Pizza Dough
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup ) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley and/or fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds fresh spinach (or Swiss chard), trimmed and cooked until wilted
• Olive oil, as needed
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 11/2 pounds zucca (hard Italian pumpkin), butternut, sugar pumpkin, calabaza, or other firm, deep-colored squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin half-moon slices (no more than 1/4 -inch thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound thin-sliced pancetta, capicola ham, or Italian salami, such as Genoa

Directions:

Place the tomatoes in a microwavable bowl and warm briefly in the microwave until any congealed oil around them melts. Drain the tomatoes, reserving both the oil and the tomatoes. Brush some of the tomato oil onto an 18 x 13-inch half sheet pan (or other large baking pan).

Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface thinly so it is somewhat larger than the pan, rolling the ends under to make a thicker border. Brush the dough with more of the reserved tomato oil.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, grated cheese, egg, parsley, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste; reserve.

Squeeze out any excess water from the spinach and chop it roughly. Toss the spinach with about 2 tablespoons of the tomato oil (or olive oil if you’ve used all the tomato oil), the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the zucca with 2 tablespoons more of the tomato oil (or olive oil), the hot red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss the onion with a little oil.

In the following order, arrange the pizza toppings in 1-inch-wide strips diagonally across the pizza dough: the ricotta mixture, the spinach, the onion, the zucca, the pancetta, and the tomatoes and repeat until the pizza is covered and all the fillings have been used. Allow the pizza to rise at warm room temperature until light and puffy, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Bake the pizza for 20 minutes or until the dough and toppings are lightly browned. Cut into 12 portions. Store covered and refrigerated up to 2 days. Wrap cut portions in aluminum foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes or until hot, uncovered for the last 5 minutes baking to crisp up the dough.

(from Starting with Ingredients: Baking)

Yield: One 10-inch cake, 10 to 12 servings

Cake

• 3 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour plus 1 ounce potato starch or 1/4 pound cake flour
• 11/2 cups superfine sugar
• 12 large egg whites (11/2 cups), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 teaspoons rosewater
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze

• 1/4 pound (11/4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
• Juice of 1 lime (4 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon rose syrup, substitute grenadine syrup or framboise liqueur plus 1 teaspoon rose water
• Touch of rose coloring paste, optional
• Fresh or dried rose petals and leaves for garnish, optional

Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 300°F. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and potato starch and 3/4 cup of the sugar together.

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and water at medium speed until frothy, add the salt, cream of tartar, rosewater, and vanilla, and beat briefly to combine. Slowly add the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites are moist and glossy and just firm enough to hold a peak. Take care not to overbeat the whites, which will cause a dry and ill-formed cake.

Transfer the mixture to a large, wide bowl. Sift enough of the flour mixture to dust the top of the foam. Using a spatula, fold in gently. Continue dusting and folding until all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Carefully spoon the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan, preferably a special angel food pan. Using an icing spatula, cut through the batter with a circular motion to remove any large air bubbles and to draw the batter into any unfilled spaces. Shake the batter back and forth to even the top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake is springy to the touch and a metal skewer or toothpick comes out clean. If the pan has feet, invert it over a work surface; otherwise invert it over the neck of a bottle. Cool for at least 1 hour before removing the cake from the pan.     Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and the inside tube to loosen the cake onto a cake plate, inverting if the cake is upside-down.

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, lime juice, rose syrup, and rose coloring paste, until smooth and thick. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, let the cake stand for 10 minutes, or until the glaze is set, and garnish it with the rose petals. (I like to decorate the cake as my artistic daughter Ginevra suggested: a narrow band of individual rose petals surrounding the inner edge of the cake and a matching band around the outer edge.)

(from Starting with Ingredients: Baking)

Yield: About 2 pounds dough, enough for 2 large Danish; about 1 pound filling, enough for 1 large Danish

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package (21/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 pound (3 cups minus 3 tablespoons) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup minus 1/2 tablespoon) white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Grated zest of 1 orange (4 teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into bits and softened
• 6 ounces (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
• Filling and Assembly
• 1/2 pound mild goat cheese, substitute farmer cheese or dry-curd cottage cheese
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Grated zest of 1 lemon (1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 ounces (1/2 cup minus 1/2 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for the egg wash
• Crystallized or raw sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

Make the dough: In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, yeast, and sugar and allow the mixture to proof until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, white whole wheat flour, salt, and cardamom. Add the yeast mixture, orange zest, vanilla, egg, and egg yolks, and beat until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Gradually add 1/4 pound (1 stick) of the butter and continue beating until the dough is smooth again. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning so all the dough is coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place until it doubles in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch the dough down, cover tightly, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Place the chilled butter on a work surface and lightly dust with flour. Using a rolling pin, beat the butter until it is malleable and about the same consistency as the dough. Keep it in a rough block shape.

Roll out the chilled dough into a large square, forming a double-thick section in the center about the same size as the butter block. Place the butter block in the middle. Fold the edges of the dough over the butter so as to totally enclose it. Using the rolling pin, beat the dough package in parallel lines 4 or 5 times to spread out the butter evenly, then turn crosswise and beat again crosswise. This will seal the butter inside the dough package.

Turn the package upside down and roll it out into a large rectangle. Fold both edges in toward the center, then fold in half, making a rectangular shape. Cover the dough and chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator or 30 minutes in the freezer, until firm but not brittle. Roll out again and repeat the rolling and folding. Chill and repeat twice more, for a total of 4 times. This will make a many-layered dough, similar to puff pastry. (Note: If the dough ends up in a long narrow shape, cut it in half crosswise and place one section over the other to make a squarish rectangle, then roll it out lightly to flatten slightly before chilling and rolling out again.) You will need 1 pound of dough to make one large braided Danish pastry. Wrap the remaining pastry and freeze up to 3 months, defrosting overnight in the refrigerator.

Make the filling: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the goat cheese, cream cheese, and sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, cardamom, lemon zest, vanilla, and butter, and beat again until smooth, scraping down the sides several times. Add the flour, beating only long enough to blend. (The filling may be refrigerated up to 2 days before using.)

Assemble the pastry: Roll out 1 pound of the dough into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper, and refrigerate for 1 hour or freeze for 30 minutes, until the dough is firm but not hard. Cut off the edges to make clean straight edges all around that will rise well.

Spoon about 11/2 cups of filling down the center of the dough rectangle into a layer about 4 inches wide, leaving a 1-inch border at either end. (Use any extra filling for individual bear claw or pinwheel pastries or to fill crepes, sautéing the filled crepes in butter till brown. See directions below.) Cut the edges on either side of the filling in a V-shape into strips about 3/4-inch wide and about 4 inches long. Fold the top edge over pressing firmly to seal the ends. Alternate folding the strips of dough from one side over the filling followed by a strip from the other side. Repeat until all the dough strips have been folded, yielding a long pastry with a top that appears as though it is woven. Fold the bottom edge over to seal the other end, pressing firmly to seal.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with the crystallized sugar. Drape the pastry with lightly oiled plastic wrap and allow it to rise at warm room temperature for about 45 minutes or until nicely puffed.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the pastry for 25 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and well-puffed. Cool to room temperature before cutting into portions. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

(from Starting with Ingredients: Baking)