bake 52: cheddar cheese bread

A cheesy quick bread.  Mmmm.

 Parmesan, grated on the large side of the grater.  Cheddar cut into cubes.

Sprinkle half of parmesan on the bottom of a loaf pan.

Dry ingredients.  That red stuff is cayenne pepper.  Interesting.

Add milk, sour cream and melted butter.

Fold together until just combined.  Batter should be thick and heavy.

Put in pan and top with the rest of the parmesan.

Bake.  Allow to cool slightly in pan.

Doesn't that look yummy?  Love that melted, toasted cheese top.

Look at those cheese pockets.

Mmm.

I really loved that it was a quick bread, so no need to wait for it to rise.

For the full recipe, hop over to Betsy's blog.

bake 52: Basic Pizza Dough

Who doesn't love pizza?!  And this was a great recipe to LOVE!

I'm a bit picky when it comes to homemade pizza crust.  Usually I don't love it... too thick... too bready... too undercooked, to name a few.  Pizza for me is about a thin, crispy crust, and really good toppings.  I thought this was a great recipe.  Great crust.  Simple.  Just right.

Starts with 5 ingredients:  flour, yeast, salt, olive oil and hot water.

The recipe actually suggests doing this in the food processor, but I don't have the dough blade, and I was afraid that it might not turn out right without it, so I just made it in the Kitchen Aid... and it worked great!

Mix the ingredients to form a dough.

Let rise to double.  (This picture was actually taken after it had been raising for a bit.  So, if you compare between the two risings, there may not seem to be much difference.)

Divide the dough in half and make two 14-inch pizzas.

I made cheese breadsticks out of half, and then a pizza from the other half.  It was perfect.  Used this recipe for the breadsticks.  So, even if you already have your own favorite pizza crust recipe, at the very least you should check out this recipe... it's the BEST!

As part of the recipe (well, the next page over actually), we tried the Quick Pizza Sauce.  It was okay.  I added some to it.  Originally it was just 1 can crushed tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.  So, I added a bay leaf, and some sugar.  I always add sugar to my pizza or pasta sauce.  Not a lot, maybe 1 Tbl.  Even to the store-bought stuff.  That way I can stand the store brand sauce.  Just adds a little sweetness, helps to cut the acid from the tomatoes.  Give it a try.

So, I simmered the sauce

And topped the pizza.

Then topped with cheese and pepperoni.

The recipe included some great tips on preheating the oven to the very hottest possible, 500 degrees.  Using a baking stone, on a lower rack.  I loved this crust, and will use it again.

 Great pick Betsy!  Visit her blog for the full recipe.