What's NOT good about melted cheese and flaky dough?

I heard a tale of woe today. The puff pastry, well -- didn't.
Puff, that is.

And that got me thinking about one of the easiest and most "impressive" presentations you can make using this little puffy miracle - brie en croute. I recall rushing at the last minute for a murder mystery that Sara and I were hosting, and we needed something to inspire awe and amazement just in case my first-ever-attempt-with-no-practice-at-a-braciole didn't turn out well, and so I threw this thing together about 10 minutes before the guests arrived. Which ended up perfectly since they got to see the beauty come out of the oven with their wine already in hand!

Brie en croute

• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 1 small wheel of brie
• 1/4 c chopped walnuts (or pistachios, pecans, whatever nut you like)
• 1/4 c brown sugar (or honey)
• egg wash (1 egg plus 1 tbsp water)

Preheat oven to 400F. Gently roll the pastry to remove lines and increase size 1-2 inches. Place the wheel of brie in middle of pastry. Top with walnuts. Top with sugar. Draw up corners of pastry to the middle of the topped brie and gently press to seal, using egg wash as glue if needed. Brush remaining egg wash over top to help with browning. Bake 20-30 minutes at 400F or until nicely browned. Rest 3-5 mins (or longer if firmer brie is desired). Cut and enjoy with crackers or bread!

Variations:

• You can toast, brown, saute or candy the nuts before you package them up. I prefer a quick brown in a little butter (this isn't a diet dish), but toasting is quicker if you're in a hurry.
• Honey works just as well as brown sugar - and you can pre-mix it with your nuts and any other flavorings (like fresh herbs maybe? Rosemary or mint?)
• You can fold up the pastry neatly, or kind of pull it all up and make it messy - either way turns out pretty after baking. And you can always trim the edges, and put the trimmings on top as decoration, using that egg wash again.

It's so good, looks so good, and is too easy not to add to your emergency list.

Oh, and the braciole did come out perfectly (wish I could remember what recipe that was!), the party was a huge success, and it didn't end until the baseball player fell asleep with flapper gloves on cuddled up with the liter of Jack he successfully befriended -- and then killed. You had to be there...

Good luck, Bon Appetit, Ita-daki-mas!

Pizza Doughs

Pizza. Toppings are, of course, important. But how many times has a pie been judged by whether the crust is better than the next shop down the street? Here are a few of the recipes that I have - just keep in mind that dough is always better when it's had a chance to rise. It'll have better texture, body and taste - so if you can, use a recipe that calls for the dough to double in size. You'll end up with a light, airy crust, with more spring and stretchiness, which will also let you roll (or toss) a thinner crust that won't fall prey to holes.

Having said that, it's also fantastic to have a scratch dough made in about 15 minutes so you can do your own pizza any day after work. All the recipes here have been used pretty dang successfully with nothing more than a 10-15 minute rest while I prep the rest of the ingredients. (Still, a rise is better - or make some dough on the weekend, and refrigerate it till you want it that week for the best of both!)

General Tips/Info:

• Honey: I love using it with wheat doughs - there's not much in there, but I think it makes a difference in flavor!
• Method: I like to make sure my little yeasties are active by...
1. Proofing your yeast
• Confirms your yeast are still alive and burping. (A Good Thing.)
• Allows your yeast to wake up and start working (A Really Good Thing if you are not doing a full rise).
2. Mix your liquids
3. Mix your dry
4. Add liquids to the dry
• Note: You can also treat your yeast like a dry ingredient if you're really in a hurry (as in a couple recipes below), but I prefer to proof first.
• Humidity: How much water is needed will differ if you are in a dry clime, like, say - Phoenix, vs. a humid South Florida or Michigan. Always be prepared to adjust depending on your environs.

What should my dough feel like?

• Adjectives: smooth, satiny, like a baby's butt.
• Pictures: (I'll keep looking for some good examples of just right/too wet/too dry dough)
• Too Dry? Add water by the teaspoonful and allow to incorporate before adding more.
• Too Wet? Add flour by the tablespoonful and allow to incorporate before adding more.

White vs. Wheat

• White and Bread flours are typically more glutinous and will be stretchier, stronger and can be made thinner than Wheat.
• Most Wheat pizza doughs are actually blends - about 40-60% Wheat flour with the complement All-Purpose or Bread flour. You can make an all wheat pizza dough, but it will probably need extra time and...
• Wheat will likely require more liquid - be prepared to tweak and add a little more water if necessary.

My Almost Instant Wheat Pizza Dough

• 1 package active dry yeast (instant or quick-rising)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or white sugar)
• 1 cup warm water (110-120 degrees F)
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dissolve a teaspoon of honey (or sugar) in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Gently stir in your yeast and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve remaining honey in the rest of the water. When your yeast has proofed, mix all liquids in to the dry. Knead into a ball and let rest, covered while you prep your toppings (10-15 mins). Preheat oven to 425F. Roll or toss, top, and bake for 13-17 minutes.

Andrea Meyers' Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Andrea has a recipe designed for a KitchenAid stand mixer, if you'd like to use your dough hook. Any of these doughs can be done this way and you won't have to manually knead (though I kinda like it).

• 1 scant cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or 1 package quick-rising yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¾ cup hot water (approximately 115°F)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• coarse cornmeal, for sprinkling on the peel

Eating Well's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
And this is a recipe for a food processor...

• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 2¼ teaspoons fast rising yeast, such as Fleischmann's Rapid Rise (1 packet)
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ½ - 2/3 cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Jamie Oliver's pizza dough starter
This is a great dough, though you'll need to be able to weigh your ingredients to follow it as written (measuring by weight is recommended and more accurate in most baking situations). Also, check Jamie's page for the description of how he brings it together without a bowl - pretty cool, and it really works!

• 1kg strong white bread flour or Tipo ‘00’ flour or 800g strong white bread flour or Tipo ‘00’ flour, plus 200g finely ground semolina flour
• 1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
• 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
• 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 650ml lukewarm water

Good luck, Bon Appetit, Ita-daki-mas!