Pita Bread

This pita bread isn't the fluffly, stuff with veggies variety so often found in great Greek restaurants. Instead, it's a slightly salty, hearty bread that will hand a pile of tomato salad or a scoop of hummus without bending. The kids ate it hot off the grill blowing on their fingers while the adults tried, but failed, to practice restraint.

If you are going to give this a try, make sure you start early in the morning and have the day blocked out. The process is involved, but the end result is well worth the effort. A triple batch was made for dinner and very few pitas remained by the end of the evening.

Pita Bread

1 tbsp. active dry yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

4 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading/forming

2 tbsp. salt

¼ cup and 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for greasing

1. Preheat Oven to 350°. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in ½ cup of warm water. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, dissolve the salt in 1 cup of warm water. Add the flour and turn the mixer on. Slowly add the yeast mixture and 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Mix until the dough combines. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and place on a lightly greased sheet pan. Coat lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for an hour.

4. Punch the dough down and knead for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 (5 oz.) pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cover the balls with plastic wrap, being careful not to let the plastic wrap stick to the balls. Let the balls proof for 15 minutes.

5. Lightly dust one piece of dough at a time on both sides with flour. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to get it to 7" in diameter and 1/8" thick.

6. Transfer the dough to an inverted lightly floured sheet pan. Place in the 350° oven and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the bread over and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven, transfer to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of the bread. Let the bread sit for 10 minutes, or until cooled.

7. When ready to serve, lightly brush the pitas with olive oil and grill for 1-1 ½ minutes on each side. Cut the bread into wedges and serve.

King Cake

King Cake

This traditional cake, made here with a rich brioche dough and stuffed with a decadent cream cheese filling, is drizzled with a buttermilk glaze and sprinkled with crunchy green, gold, and purple sanding sugars. 

This recipe just about had this Rookie in tears. For those of you that do not bake often and are not well versed in working with active yeast, I have a tip for you DO NOT BOIL THE WATER. I was told afterwards that hot tap water is warm enough. That whole 115 degree thing through this engineer for a loop. I ended up killing the yeast so it did not get "foamy" and in subsequent steps the dough did not double in rise...no matter how long I let it rise (and willed it to rise with my mind power). The filling is what really made this a "cake" and in the I believe the reason there was only one sliver of a slice left. Tara suggested this would make a great Sunday brunch coffee cake sans the colored sugar. You know the kids only wanted it BECAUSE of the colored sugar. Would I make this one again? Yes. because now I know it will work out in the end and not to kill the yeast!

For The Dough:

1 1/4-oz. package active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 3/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

8 tbsp. softened butter

For the Filling:

1 lb. cream cheese

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Zest of 1/2 lemon

For the Icing:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk

Green, purple, and yellow sanding sugars

Make the dough:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a hook, combine yeast, 1/2 tsp. of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water heated to 115°.
2. Stir to combine and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
3. Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk.
4. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, 1 minute.
5. Turn mixer off and add flour and salt.
6. Mix on medium speed until the dough just comes together.
7. Turn mixer speed to high and knead dough for 4 minutes.
8. Add the butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 6 minutes.
9. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap
10. Let sit until doubled in size, 1 1/2–2 hours.

Make the filling:

1. Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and zest in a large bowl and beat on medium speed of a hand mixer until combined; set aside.

Shape and Fill the cake:

1.  Punch down dough and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface.
2. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large circle, about 1/4"-thick.
3. Cut a hole in the center of the circle and pull with your fingers to widen.
4. Place dollops of filling evenly around circle halfway between outer edge and inner hole.
5. Drape outside edges over filling and continue rolling outside inward until filling is covered, widening inner hole as needed, until dough covers the seam.
6. Transfer rolled dough circle to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour.
7. Heat oven to 350°.
8. Uncover cake and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
9. Let cool completely.

Make the icing:

1. Whisk together the sugar and buttermilk in a small bowl until smooth.

Finish the cake:

1. Transfer king cake to a cutting board or serving platter
2. Spread icing evenly over top of cake and sprinkle evenly with sanding sugars.

Cajun Cake Recipe

Though it has pineapple and coconut in it, it doesn't have a tropical island taste to it. The pineapple is in the cake, and if we didn't tell you it was in there I am not sure you would know. It is subtle. The topping is reminiscent of a traditional southern pecan praline and is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of chicory coffee.

Cajun Cake

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 pound butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, salt and baking soda. 

Baking with your  kids is a great way to connect with them

4. Add eggs, pineapple and juice. Mix at low speed until well blended. 

5. Pour batter into prepared 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. 

6. Have topping ready when cake is done.

To Make Topping: 

1. In a saucepan, combine milk, 3/4 cup sugar and butter. 

2. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3.  Add pecans and coconut and combine. 

4. Remove from heat.
5. When cake comes out of the oven, Pour on the topping and carefully spread on while cake is still hot.

A little too much topping, oh well gave Tara an
excuse to give it a through taste test. 

Enjoy!

Cookie Pizza Recipe

When I was assigned a dessert pizza, I was drawn to this simple Betty Crocker recipe.

Mostly because it was simple.

And let's face it, simple is best when one is involved in a Supper Club.

And when simple tastes this good, well, that's a win all the way around.

Sugar Cookie Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

1 package of Sugar Cookie Dough (to be honest, you could also use already refrigerated dough or, if you're really ambitious, make your own)
1 pint whipped cream
1 container frosting (again, you can make your own, but why when there are so many delicious pre-made ones?)
strawberries
blueberries
2 kiwi, peeled and sliced

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375.

1.  Mix your cookie dough according to package directions.

2.  Spread your cookie dough out on a pizza stone or pan. Warning. The dough WILL expand so leave yourself a little space or else you'll be cleaning up burnt cookie dough off the bottom of your oven. Not that I know from personal experience or anything. Just trust me on this one.

3.  Bake your giant cookie crust until the edges are golden.

4. While your "crust" is cooling, whip the cream with an electric mixer (do not try to use a whisk, not that I know from personal experience or anything). When stiff peaks form - and they will - fold in frosting. Gently.

5.  Spread the whipped cream and frosting combo on the cookie crust.

6. Top with fruit.

7. Eat and pretend it's healthy. After all, there's fruit!

Enjoy!