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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 22, 2009 17:39:11 GMT
What to do when it's late evening, you live out in the country, and don't have an oven or any yeast ~~
I made stove-top pizza last night with whole wheat crust.
Mixed together a dough of mostly whole wheat flour & just a little white to lighten it, small amount of baking powder, small amount of baking soda and a dash of salt, then added olive oil & water & a quick sprinkle of vinegar. Kneaded it right in the bowl, then rolled it out. I put it into a pre-heated 10" iron skillet, gently pushing it down all around the edge in order to make a little rim. Topped that with the pre-heated iron lid and turned the heat way down. Once the bottom was brown, I turned it over. Towards the end I had to remove the lid as there was condensation. A couple of minutes cooking with the lid off made the the crust nice & crisp.
While that cooked, I cooked the sauce -- blenderized plum tomatoes, garlic, oregano, & a bit of chile. I just let it cook until it was well reduced. I had to add a little sugar, as it was fairly acid.
With the heat off, but the crust in the still hot skillet, I topped it with the tomato sauce, some crumbled queso fresco (feta-like) chopped onion and pepper, swiss chard and emmenthaler, then drizzled a little olive oil over it & put the top back on the skillet. I let it set long enough for the cheese to melt, then feasted.
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Post by gyro on Feb 26, 2009 20:11:39 GMT
Make a normal bascic pizza base with yeast etc.
Heat a large frying pan with plenty of olive oil.
Pre-make a basic tomato sauce (ie, onions garlkic etc..)
Squash golf ball size pizza doughs into a flat disc and fry a minute or so on each side in the hot oil.
Add sauce, a little parmesan and some fresh basil leaves.
BEEEAAAUUUTIFL.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 26, 2009 20:40:42 GMT
Really?! It will puff up and everything? Thank you -- I'll definitely try that. Would that be a way to make pita bread, too? I wonder what they do to make the pocket in it.
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Post by gyro on Feb 26, 2009 20:47:30 GMT
It doesn't puff up too much, but it does rise, and IS really gorgeous.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 27, 2009 1:04:49 GMT
I can't wait! *must buy yeast*
Does the dough disk need to be pricked all over before cooking? It sounds like something I'd have to control myself from eating plain.
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Post by hwinpp on Feb 27, 2009 2:57:04 GMT
Really?! It will puff up and everything? Thank you -- I'll definitely try that. Would that be a way to make pita bread, too? I wonder what they do to make the pocket in it. You mean like a calzone? I think it's just folded and sealed.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 27, 2009 5:07:19 GMT
Oh ~ I wasn't very clear. I understand how the pizza crust dough could be folded over to make calzone, but I meant making actual pita or something like it. You know, so it would come out as a piece of bread that could be slit open like a pita.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2009 6:04:43 GMT
I sometimes buy a sort of Malaysian onion roti in the frozen food section of my Chinese supermarket, and it puffs up in the frying pan, so I'm sure that pita would do so as well.
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Post by gyro on Feb 27, 2009 6:17:28 GMT
No, you don't have to prick it, and it doesn't come out like a pita.
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Post by cristina on Jul 6, 2010 2:04:46 GMT
Oh ~ I wasn't very clear. I understand how the pizza crust dough could be folded over to make calzone, but I meant making actual pita or something like it. You know, so it would come out as a piece of bread that could be slit open like a pita. Thanks for pointing me over here! I've made pita before, although it was a very long time ago. It has a bit less yeast than pizza dough, but I do know it shouldn't be pricked as the interior steam is what forms the pocket. I don't make pita anymore as I have a really good Middle Eastern grocer/bakery that makes theirs on premise. Like the tortillas you (or I) can buy freshly made, some things aren't worth making myself. My cast iron skillet pizza directions do not include covering it. But I have enough dough in progress to make a few different attempts.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 6, 2010 2:28:26 GMT
Oh Cristina -- I should have seen the logic of that about the pita.
I don't know that it should be covered. I was just winging it.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Jul 6, 2010 8:58:05 GMT
I will try this! Sounds like a way to get the bottom of the crust nice and brown.
And the toppings "meld" together nicely, not using a cover, which I would think might make the whole thing soggy?
Apart: I almost never cook my pizza sauces, as they will cook further in the oven. Besides, most of my pizza sauces are made from various canned tomatoes, which are already cooked.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 6, 2010 17:08:45 GMT
I think there are several ways to do this. My logic in the OP was that I was turning the skillet into an oven by using the heated cast-iron lid. Thus, the crust did not get flipped and was only topped after it was fully cooked.
I would think that if an unflipped crust were cooked with the toppings on it, it would get soggy, covered or uncovered, as there wouldn't be any dry heat surrounding it as there would be in the oven.
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