This is a fathead keto bagels recipe, made with yeast for flavor and gelatin for stretchiness. You can use it like a bagel or think of it as a great sandwich option. It’s a superb roll, shaped like a bagel and holds together. It might be my favorite keto sandwich bread to date.

I came to this recipe from a bakery customer, Kate, who was a student in my keto bread baking class. She found it somewhere on web, adapted her own changes and sent it to me. I made more adaptations, reducing the amount of mozzarella and added a secret ingredient that improved the texture. I’m sure she loves her as much as I love mine.

This is made with a version of fathead dough and yeast.

I am usually not a fan of Fathead Dough. I make an exception here and adapted the recipe to my taste.

Fathead dough often uses more mozzarella cheese in the dough than I’m comfortable with. I only use 8 ounces of high quality mozzarella, which is one ounce per bagel. They are filling and one will be all you need.

Keto Bagel Dogs

You can warp the dough around uncooked hot dogs. Bake for 15-20 minutes. So good.

Macros

Calories: 275 Carbs: 4 Fiber: 4 Net Carbs: 0 Fat: 22 g Protein: 16 g

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The boys, who are major bagel lovers, liked these and thought they would be amazing for egg sandwiches.

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Fathead Keto Bagels

Keto Friendly Bagels made with yeast and gelatin. Easy to prepare, bake, toast and freeze.

Course keto bread

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free, keto bagels, keto bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Bagels

Calories 275kcal

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar, honey or Inulin
• 2 tablespoons warm water 30 ml
• 8 ounces mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 170 grams almond flour 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon gelatin powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 eggs 2 for dough, 1 for brushing
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• various toppings sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything bagel

Instructions

• Warm water to 110 F. (42 C.) to activate yeast. No higher or you kill yeast.
• Add yeast and sugar, honey or inulin to water. Allow to sit for 7 minutes. It should look foamy if it's alive.
• Gather all dry ingredients and whisk.
• Make a well in midst of dry ingredients and mix in yeast mixture with hands to form dough.
• Add 2 beaten eggs to dough and mix thoroughly.
• Microwave mozzarella 30 seconds at a time until melted. Add in cream cheese. Add to dough. Mix with hands thoroughly.
• Prepare baking sheet with parchment or silpat.
• Divide the dough evenly into 8 balls. Form bagels, by pressing a hold in each center. Do this on the baking sheet you are going to use, as the dough is sticky and hard to move. To maintain that hole, it should measure two inches or It will close up. If it closes up the bagels will still be fine.
  
• Set in a warm place to proof for about fifteen minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. 180 C.
• Beat remaining egg beaten and brush on bagels. Top with your choice of sesame seeds, poppy seeds etc. We like adding Maldon Flaked Salt.
• Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. You want them as brown as you can get them without burning them.
• Once bagels are placed in plastic bag, they will become more moist and will be eaten reheating in oven or toasting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 8 | Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 22g | Fiber: 4g

The post Fathead Keto Bagels Recipe with Yeast appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The good news here is you only need the oven for about twenty minutes. The dough for overnight focaccia is made the night before (while you’re watching TV) and baked the next day.

This is an overnight focaccia recipe, because when the dough ferments and proofs in the refrigerator (slowly) it is benefited by added flavor.

I have made focaccia before, but never an overnight version. I like doing bread overnight because it breaks up the time and gives the dough a chance to ferment longer and taste better.

The Night Before

(2 Hours, 20 Minutes, 5 Minutes Active Time)

You will need more than two hours at night available.

• First Twenty Minutes: Prepare the dough.
• 1. Mix yeast with water. Add remaining flour. Mix till incorporated..
• 2. Add remaining flour. Mix for two minutes.
• 3. Add salt. Mix until fully incorporated.
• 4. Add olive oil. Mix. Rest, covered, 10 minutes.
• Next Two Hours:
  • Stretch and Fold. Cover for one hour.
  • Stretch and Fold. Cover for one hour.
  • Stretch and Fold. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.

The Next Morning (1 hour, 20 minutes)

• Take dough out and put on baking sheet (with parchment paper). Cover for one hour.
• Bake Time: 20 minutes.

Baked with some salt and rosemary, it is so good, and a family favorite no matter how you eat it. Pulled into pieces at the counter, served with dinner or made into sandwiches, you will make this over and over again.

What Kind of Flour Do You Use for Focaccia?

I like a combination of bread flour and all-purpose flour in a 1-1 ratio. The bread flour gives structure and all purpose flour keeps it fluffy. I always use organic unbleached.

How Do You Know When the Focaccia is Ready to Bake?

The focaccia dough should spring back slowly. If you look below you might see the pattern of me hands pushing the dough to fit the pan. The dough was full of bubbles and you and you want that.

Trust me, this overnight focaccia recipe is perfection. It’s easy and so good for sandwiches for game day or any day.

Game Day Party Sandwiches

I will come back with another post on how to make the perfect Italian focaccia sandwiches, so be sure to subscribe and never miss a recipe.

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More Recipes You May Love

• USA Baking Pan (this is the perfect size for this recipe)
• Plastic Bowl with Lid for Dough
• Organic Bread Flour

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Overnight Focaccia

Make focaccia dough tonight and bake it in the morning.

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Keyword focaccia

Ingredients

• 350 grams bread flour
• 350 grams all purpose flour
• 500 grams water
• 30 grams olive oil
• 1 teaspoon yeast (I used instant yeast)
• 25 grams salt
• Mixture olive oil/water as needed for top
• 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Instructions

Day 1 – The Night Before

• Mix yeast and warm water (85 degrees).
• Add half of the flour. Mix with wooded spoon until creamy.
• Add remaining flour. Knead in mixer for two minutes on low or until fully incorporated.
• Add salt. Mix another minute, making sure all salt is incorporated.
• Add olive oil until completely absorbed.
• Cover, rest 10 minutes.
• Stretch and fold. Rest for one hour.
• Stretch and fold. Rest for another hour.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, 12-18 hours.

Day 2 – Baking Day

• Remove from refrigerator.
• Focaccia should be more than doubled by this time.
  
• Oil a large baking sheet (13 x 9.5) with olive oil. Place dough on baking sheet. Do not stretch out yet.
• Cover for one hour. Set the oven 500 degrees on bake mode.
• After one hour, stretch dough out to fit the pan.
  
• Pour water and olive oil mixture over the focaccia (about 1/4 cup).
  
• Use finger tips to make the focaccia holes all over.
• Sprinkle with flaked sea salt.
• Reduce heat to 480 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. After ten minutes turn around in oven for more even baking.
  
• Focaccia makes great sandwiches. Cool. Cut into squares and use bread knife to cut crosswise.
  

The post Overnight Focaccia appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I made the decision to go gluten free, I was a little sad, thinking that I might never enjoy avocado toast or crusty bread with Irish butter ever again.

True Crusty Gluten Free Artisan Bread

I can live without bread most days, but truly who could live without weekend avocado toast?  The store-bought gluten free breads just don’t work for me, so I set out to find a crusty bread recipe that would satisfy that comfort food craving.

I found it from the American Test Kitchen. This Gluten Free Artisan Bread Recipe is very straight forward and completely satisfies my desire for a big hunk of bread with soup.

You’ll remember that I made the ATK gluten free pizza here, and we loved it.

If you notice, I’m taking you on my personal ride of baking gluten free with the idea of making very remarkable products, not just some humdrum baked goods made with rice flour.

I don’t want second hand substitutes. I want to make products that can stand on their own.

We believe everyone will love this bread, even if they don’t eat gluten free. Bread is so super challenging because the thing I’m avoiding is the thing I and the world loves about gluten.

Gluten gives the bread that amazing stretch, chew, crustiness. Typically, dough with gluten will rise up and yield a crumb that is soft, yet pulls (the elastic in the gluten does that).

Gluten Free whole grain artisan bread is more challenging, as it will not rise up, but wants to spread out.

Non gluten flours (rice flours mainly) can’t rise up, but with help will bake into a bread that takes you close enough to yield a hearty crusty and soft enough inside which still taste divine.

I love this bread slathered with Irish butter or topped with avocado and olive oil.

Gluten Free Artisan Bread will yield a Crusty Crust

The ingredients that you will need aside from gluten free flour is psyllium husk powder and golden flax meal. I’ve listed all these below for your convenience.

You can use a homemade gluten free flour mix or use your favorite gluten free flour blend. I use Bob’s Red Mill One to One, which I think is excellent.    In fact I use all of their products even when I make my own gluten free flour mix.

Baking artisan gluten free whole grain bread can be intimidating, which is why I made a video.

Make Sure to Cool gluten free bread for two hours.

This bread will take a long time to cool, as is typical of gluten free bread, which when hot is gummy. However, this is a worthy bread when a rustic artisan bread is desired.

Once cooled, I slice it and freeze each slice individually. When I want the bread, I either toast it or stick it in the oven. It  makes the perfect avocado toast. I think the bread is too heavy for two piece sandwiches, but makes wonderful tartines (open faced sandwiches).

Next week, I’ll be posting one of my most favorite gluten free baked goods, gluten free french bread, so do come back.

More Gluten Free Baking from Spinach Tiger

Gluten Free French Bread

Gluten Free Biscuits (the most popular food post at Spinach Tiger), with Video

Grain Free, Gluten Free Tortillas YOU MUST TRY

Grain Free Gluten Free Dinner Rolls

Gluten Free Chicken and Biscuits

Gluten Free Pizza Dough with Video

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Gluten Free Artisan Bread with Video

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword bread, gluten free

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups warm water 110 degrees
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 2 large eggs
• 15 ounces gluten free flour (recipe link in notes) 450 grams
• 3 ounces golden ground flaxseed meal 85 grams
• 1 1/2 ounces non-fat dry milk powder 42 grams
• 3 tablespoons powdered psyllium husk 45 grams
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 7.5 grams
• 3/4 teaspoons baking soda 3 grams
• Kitchen Equipment
• 8 inch cast iron pan

Instructions

• Rapid rise yeast can be directly added to dry ingredients, but I like to still add it to warm water with sugar and allow it to bubble first. After a few minutes, add in eggs.
• Using a stand mixer, mix all dry ingredients together,
• Slowly add liquid mixture and mix for about a minute on medium speed.
• Spray a piece of parchment paper that fits into either a small 8 inch cast iron skillet or a dutch oven. Spray with water, cover loosely with plastic and allow to rise for two hours. Slash top with knife to prevent splitting.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place bread in oven on cast iron griddle or baking sheet. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F. and bake for 90 minutes rotating half way.
• Once out of the oven, cook for two hours before slicing.
• Slice, freeze with parchment between each sheet.
• To eat, either toast bread or place in oven for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees.

Notes

Gluten Free Flour Recipe

This site earns a commission from affiliate links, which keeps Spinach Tiger up and running.

The post Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread: Artisan Bread with Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The first time we went to Italy we walked down to the corner cafe in Radda Chianti for a quick dinner. The menu said, “giant pizza for two.” That is unique in Italy, as most pizza is served personal-pan style. The other thing that was different was that there was no description.

You get what you get. We think we got the best pizza of our life.

The crust was crispy, chewy and little bit charred. We ate the whole thing with such gusto, you would have thought we were in a pizza eating contest. Truth is we had just left a wine festival and needed something to eat fast, after having sampled 21 amazing wineries, all for 8 euros.

So take a good look. There’s a little of this, a little of that, spread out in whatever order the owner decided. He was thrilled with our appetite and brought limencello to the table afterwards. This still stands as our best pizza memory of our life and one of our best Italy memories.

That was 2008. This is now 2017 and Spinach Tiger eats gluten free. What’s a girl to do about pizza?

Spinach Tiger finds the world’s best gluten free pizza crust recipe.
She gets busy trying to make a thin, chewy, crispy gluten free pizza crust recipe that delivers the pleasure that only pizza can bring.

I show you how to get close enough to not feel like you’re missing out on Italy’s greatest gift to America. Pizza Pie.

Here is a video for the Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe.

I want to make sure you understand this is not going to be tossed or slapped on the counter. It’s gluten free. We have to take a different tact, but we are thrilled with the results we got!

Mr. Spinach Tiger said this is not just good for gluten free. It’s just good!

I will warn you that the pizza crust starts white and turns a whole wheat color. Don’t let that scare you away. It’s most likely the almond flour that tends to brown easily, but it does not affect the taste whatsoever!

Instead of trying to figure out the ins and outs, I first went to the America Test Kitchen. It’s tricky the first time, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy. I adapted the recipe, used Bob’s Red Mill one to one and made a few slight changes.

The Main Ingredients for a Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe

• Gluten Free Flour (We use Bob’s Red Mill One to One)
• Instand Yeast or Rapid Rise (must be this kind)
• Psyllium Husk
• Blanched Almond Flour
• Olive Oil

1. Use a Stand Mixer with a fitted Paddle or use an electric mixer.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Mix warm water with olive oil. Make sure this is at least 100 degrees, no warmer than 110.
4. Slowly pour into dry ingredients.
5. Mix for what seems forever. Six minutes.
6. Using a plastic wrap sprayed with olive oil or baking spray to spread the dough.
7. Pre-Bake, low and slow, for 40-50 at  325 degrees F, starting with a cold oven.

You must partially pre-bake the crust for long time, up to 50 minutes. A hot oven will only end up in a cracker crust and without the chew, you can’t call this pizza. This ensures the right texture.

I also got a little help with my gluten free pizza dough recipe from my friends at OXO.

OXO sent me a pizza pan, pizza cutter and this vegetable slicer (amazon affiliate). If you take notice at many of my recommendations for kitchen tools, OXO is always in the line-up. I’m brand loyal because I don’t like like a lot of useless gadgets, and they make things that work well and save time. I used these to slice uniform coins of zucchini and to grate parmesan.

The new pizza pan is amazing. It’s not heavy stoneware, but bakes like stone. It stores away more easily than stone and can be used for my famous gluten free biscuits. So famous, that google has put them at the top of the pack. 

Why this pizza pan from works for a Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe

• It’s a heavy gauge aluminized steel, which promotes even heating.
• It has a micro textured pattern, allowing for airflow.
• It bakes like a baking stone, only is not as heavy.
• The Gluten Free Pizza Dough

If you know anything about Spinach Tiger, it’s that I have high standards for my baking recipes and especially for pizza crust. This gluten free pizza dough hits all the points I was hoping for. I didn’t think possible in a gluten free crust, because it’s the elasticity of the gluten that makes pizza dough great.

We used fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, zucchini coins, fresh corn, fresh oregano.

How Does this Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe Taste

The taste is excellent. This gluten free pizza dough recipe is above and beyond what most gluten free breads taste like. My only problem with the pizza crust was wanting to eat too much of it.

Anytime I think about living a gluten free life, I think about losing the ability to eat crusty bread. When we made the first pizza crust, before we put anything on it, we all ate it, like it was bread. I put Irish butter on mine. Some ate it just as it. We loved it that much.

The second time I made this, I made myself a vegan pizza with no cheese, using zucchini, roasted tomatoes, olive oil and fresh corn. It was so delicious, because the crust was amazing. My next plan is to make smaller rounds, freeze them and use for avocado toast or bruschetta.  Stay tuned for that post.

Use the Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe to Make a Giant Pizza for Two

• Apply a tomato sauce or roasted tomatoes in moderate amount.
• Apply a smattering of fresh mozzarella but not too much. 4 ounces is more than enough.
• Apply sliced vegetables, olives, cured beef, bacon, pepperoni, ham (or whatever you like) here and there. Do not stack. Do not overload.
• Bake the final pizza in a hot oven at 500 degrees F.
• When it comes out of the oven, top with arugula or fresh herbs.
• Use the OXO pizza cutter and enjoy!

Oxo supplied the pan, cutter and vegetable slicer for this post: this is not a paid post.

Gluten Free Life Style

You’re here because you eat gluten free. I have good news for you. I have tested and retested the basics. I have biscuits, cobblers, pie crust, cakes and cupcakes. Next week, we’re featuring a gluten free country crusty bread.

So please subscribe and never miss a tested, gluten free recipe that always fits the big fat healthy life style. I’ll link to my whole line of pizzas as you can still use those toppings.

More Gluten Free Baking from Spinach Tiger

More Pizza Recipes from Spinach Tiger

This post and recipe contains Amazon links. As an affiliate, Spinach Tiger gets paid a small commission.

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Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe

Gluten Free pizza dough adapted from the America Test Kitchen, and applied to the famous giant pizza for two we had in Italy.

Course Entree

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 16 ounces (454 grams) Bob's Red Mill one-to-one gluten free flour Order Here
• 2 1/2 ounces (71 grams) almond flour 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Order Here
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (23 grams) powdered psyillium husk Order Here
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (18 grams) baking powder gluten free
• 2 teaspoons (12 grams) salt
• 1 teaspoon (3 grams) instant or rapid rise yeast MUST BE THIS KIND OF YEAST
• 2 1/2 cups (585 ml) warm water 100 degrees
• 1/4 cup (54 grams) extra virgin olive oil
• olive oil spray
• Kitchen tools
• spray bottle water
• Kitchen Aid Mixer
• Plastic Wrap
• Large Spatula I used this
• Pizza Pan for Giant Pizza I used this
• Pizza Cutter I used this
• Good Grips Vegetables Slicer I used this

Instructions

• Mix together, flours, psyllium husk, baking powder, salt, yeast.
• Mix using the paddle of electric mixer.
• Mix together warm water and oil and slowly add in steady stream until incorporated.
• Mix for about six minutes on medium.
• The dough will be very sticky, almost like a batter, but will pull away from the sides with a spatula.
• Remove bowl from mixer and top with plastic wrap or 1 1/2 hours or until you see that the dough is bubbly. Use spatula to look at the dough.
• I made one 15 inch pizza and one ten inch personal pizza. You can also make (2) 11 inch pizzas.
• You want your dough about 1/4 inch thick with thicker edges.
• Place dough in center of your baking pan.
• Spray a piece of plastic wrap with baking spray.
• Using a big spatula like the OXO smooth out. You can also use your hands and then use the spatula once you take the plastic off, to smooth out.
• Place in a cold oven.
• Set the temperature to 325 and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Smaller 10 inch sized pizzas will be done at 40 minutes. Larger pizzas take up to 55 minutes.
• Remove and and put toppings on. (You can freeze cooled crusts).
• If you do freeze, you can top and put in oven frozen.
• To Make PIzza:
• Heat Oven to 500 degrees.
• Place toppings on pizza.
• Bake for about 8 -10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. We baked the largest pizza for 15 minutes.

The post Step by Step Gluten Free Pizza Crust Recipe (Video) appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I’m going right to the heart of pizza. The toppings are never as important as the crust itself. I remember when my mother came back from Italy when I was a teenager. She told us the pizza over there is different. It’s thin. At first I was appalled. I liked that thicker pizza that I grew up on. Fast forward many decades and trips to Italy, and now I only eat the thin crust pizza.

In order for it to be authentic (in my eyes) it has to be chewy and crispy. I tell you all about this in my pizza crust making video.

I got the original recipe from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking. It’s a funny video because while she says you can throw your dough into a mixer, she prefers to throw it on the counter.

I’ve tried it both ways and it’s easier to put in in a Kitchen Aid Mixer, but don’t feel like you have to have a mixer to make pizza. It’s really a matter of bringing the dough together. The hard part is waiting the three hours for it to proof.

There is something very rewarding about getting your hands into dough, kneading, and banging it on the counter. A few days ago I experimented and tried bread flour, but I’m going to say use all purpose flour. You can use the yeast for bread machines, because that makes no difference.

I prefer to use jarred yeast instead of the packages, but make sure you put it in the refrigerator after you open it, and always check the date.

Here is a Video Showing You How I Made the Dough

Come back to get the recipes here for the Pear Prosciutto Goat Cheese Pizza and the Brussels Sprouts, Bacon Pizza.

I can guarantee these combinations are a must for your next pizza party.

Spinach Tiger Pizza Recipes 

Italian Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Authentic Italian Easy Pizza Crust Video

Authentic, crispy, chewy Italian easy pizza crust, adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Course Pizza

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 3 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 3 hours hours 28 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 cup (236 grams) warm water divided
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) yeast
• 1 tablespoon (14 grams) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
• 3 1/4 cup (390 grams) all purpose flour divided

Instructions

• Add yeast to 1/4 cup lukewarm water.
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
• Add salt to one cup flour
• Divide flour and water into 1 cups flour, 1/4 cups water.
• Begin by adding in one cup flour to yeast mixture with 1/4 cup of the warm water.
• Add in olive oil.
• Mix well with hands or a large wooden spoon.
• Add next cup of flour, and 1/4 cup water.
• Mix.
• Add third cup of flour. Mix.
• Hold back on final water. Use if needed to create shaggy dough.
• Hold back on final 1/4 cup flour. Use only if needed.
• Begin to knead dough. At this point, you can mix in a kitchen aid type mixer with kneading attachment for about five minutes or until a dough is formed.
• Or, you can knead by hand, and (watch video) throw on counter several times.
• Once you have dough formed, glisten with olive oil, wrap in plastic, place in large bowl.
• Cover with towel and place in warm spot for 3 hours. Dough will double in size.
• Makes 4 individual pizzas.
• Roll out or hand stretch. Put toppings on of your choice. Bake in hot oven of 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes on bottom rack of oven, or until the bottom is very well done.

The post Italian Pizza Crust with Video appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Here in the South, people love two things when it comes to bread baskets. Yeast rolls and biscuits.

This is a combination of the two, more biscuit than yeast roll, but still has that “yeasty” taste and feel. The good news about this biscuit is that it’s pretty easy, and is made with all purpose flour.

If you are used to making my most popular Southern fluffy biscuit which is best made with a soft wheat flour, this is better using the all purpose flour.

I’m new to yeast biscuits and, not being exactly sure, what they should taste like, I made three different test batches. This was the clear winner. This is a bit nerve racking for me, because it’s the first time I’ve ventured away from my regular (not yeast) biscuits. I was curious as to what an angel biscuit was and how it might taste.

It’s denser than my fluffy biscuit and browns quickly. It is the perfect biscuit for sandwiches ,and I suspect it’s the biscuit that’s made more often in restaurants.

I made an amazing burger slider with bacon jam using this angel biscuit recipe. It is dense enough to hold the meat. Yes you do see peanut butter and you have to try this to believe me when I say this is one of the best burgers you could ever eat.

This might make my 20th biscuit recipe and I’m not done yet. I hope you check them all out here. I’d love to connect with you on facebook and instagram.

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Angel Biscuits Recipe, a Biscuit with Yeast

Angel biscuits, rise high because they have yeast as an ingredient.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour 256 grams
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 6 tablespoons cold butter cubed or grated
• 3/4 cups buttermilk you may need a little more
• milk for brushing on top

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450
• Mix all dry ingredients together with a whisk.
• Measure flour carefully, not packing tight. It’s best to weigh if you can.
• Mix in butter. You can grate or chop into cubes. Keep it cold.
• Add buttermilk. You want a sticky dough.
• Pat or roll and put flour on bottom and top of dough but not in middle. Keep middle sticky.
• Cut with biscuit cutter.
• Brush milk, cream or butter on top to brown biscuits.
• Bake at 450 for 23-15 minutes

The post Angel Biscuits Recipe, a Biscuit with Yeast appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Goldilocks didn’t really eat porridge at the home of the three bears. She ate focaccia. As the first bite of Mama Bear’s focaccia landed into her little mouth, she was heard to say “this focaccia is too soft.” As she grabbed the second piece off of Papa Bear’s plate, she gasped “this focaccia is too hard.” Just as she was about to go hungry, she took one more chance and ate a bite from the piece off of Baby Bear’s plate. And, it was just right.

At first she heard a little bit of crunch, and then she discovered the warm pillowy softness of the middle to be delighted by a crispy bottom. Goldlocks finished off the piece that was still warm. The aromatic rosemary sprinkled on top of extra virgin olive oil made her feel so good she decided to eat all the pieces from Baby Bear’s plate until she was so full, she had to take a nap. And, you know how that ends.

My point is that not all focaccia is created equally. Nor is it served appropriately. Focaccia is a rustic bread, best served right out of the oven, often losing its appeal when it sits and gets stale. It’s perfectly wonderful re-heated, but then takes on a different, crunchier texture. It’s not so good piled high under a glass cake dish and used for sandwiches. But, we’ve all seen that, right? Well, not if you are in Italy. Focaccia is not sandwich bread over there, but here in the States, it became trendy to take some meat and cheese and bury it between two mattress thick pieces of stale bread that you can’t get your mouth around. I’m wishing away this trend (along with everything being made with goat cheese), but that’s another post.

Focaccia is not pizza. It’s not sandwich bread. It’s focaccia, a rustic, flat bread glistening with olive oil and other savory ingredients, baked by very opinionated Italians, who each have their own way of approaching this bread.

Focaccia can be a bit finicky. A dry dough or too long of a cooking time and focaccia is toast. But a good focaccia has just the right crunch of a flat bread with a surprise of soft bread inside. It is baked with olive oil on top and then any kind of mediterranean topping you can think of, although I have a focaccia post coming that takes a walk on a different part of the globe.

The Process for Rosemary Focaccia

Never having made focaccia before, I set out to perfect it, although I was starting with a perfect teacher, Marcella Hazan. But, for some reason, my first focaccia, adhering to the recipe didn’t produce the expected result. It was a bit too crusty and that may be my own doing. However, after googling a few others who used the recipe, I found that other cooks had a hard time with the dough. One package of yeast for the 6 1/2 cups of flour does not an easy, soft dough make, and I should have known that.

So I set out to rework the recipe, looking for a softer dough. I increased the yeast and changed over to bread flour. The pictures you see are my second try. It rapidly disappeared, but I was still curious and made a third try.

Goldlocks Says  this focaccia is “Just Right”
For focaccia number 3, I made it again, and allowed it to rise even longer from 90 minutes to 2 hours,
It was the focaccia that Goldlocks would be most drawn to, a perfect balance of crispy and soft. However, it is addicting, and most likely Baby Bear would have never left any on his plate for her to try.

What I learned about Rosemary Foccacia
There are many variations and recipes. The two most important things are “knowing your dough” and not going too thick. A good focaccia is about 2-3 inches thick once baked. The dough should be very workable and more to the softer side (just like good pizza dough). You may come to make it differently every time, depending on your mood. You can use the long cookie sheet, or try other baking vessels. My next focaccia will be in a cast iron pan, but that should come as no surprise.

Tell me, how would you top your focaccia? I’ll bet you have ideas I have never thought of.

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Cooking Italy: Rosemary Focaccia with Olives, Roasted Tomatoes

Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

Course Bread

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 package active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water
• 6 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• heavy duty rectangular baking pan about 18 x 14
• olive oil for pan
• pastry brush
• A mixture of 1/4 olive oil 2 tablespoons water, 1 t salt
• Roasted grape tomatoes (roasted in oven at 300 for 20 minutes with olive oil)
• Oil cured olives pitted and divided
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

Instructions

• Dissolve yeast into 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Rest 10 minutes.
• Add 1 cup flour, mix. Add olive oil 1 t salt, 3/4 cup water and half remaining flour. Mix well with hands. Add remaining water and flour. At this point you can put into mixer with dough hook, or food processor. If you knead by hand, slap down on counter several times and knead for 8 minutes or until the dough is very workable and soft.
• Rest in oiled bowl with covered damp towel for two hours.
• At end of this rising time, punch down, place on oiled baking sheets, stretch by hand to the edges.
• Preheat oven to 450.
• Allow to rise for two hours
• Using a wooden spoon, small ball or finger tip, make indentations.
• Using pastry brush, brush olive oil water mixture over top. Top with olive and tomatoes.
• Put in oven, reduce heat to 400 and bake for 15 minutes. Top with rosemary and bake for another 7-8 minutes.

The post Rosemary Focaccia with Olives, Roasted Tomatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Continuing in my series of Purple Food, candy onions have been one of my most rewarding discoveries, and are high in flavonoids and are considered a super anti-oxidant.

One recent lazy Sunday night, D.C. and I sat on our deck under an umbrella table eating two pizzas, one cooked in the oven at 450 degrees on a pizza stone with tomato and basil and one (just for kicks) thrown in a cast iron pan and placed in our gas grill hovering between 700 and 900 degrees, topped with mozzarella, caramelized candy onions, spinach and mushrooms.

As we both bit into our respective pizzas, we had a “food” moment. “This is closest we have come to tasting Italy.” And, we realized, not only was it clever to try the “grill” method, which did beat out the oven method, but, we owe it all to Marcella Hazan.

We had tried many recipes for pizza dough, with marginal to good results. Nothing comes close to Marcella’s recipe. My husband is a pizza aficionado. The right crust for pizza, the correct method for making cappuccino and a love for red wine are the three things he brought back from Italy. Ever since our trip where he devoured about 17 pizzas all the way from Venice to Sicily, he has been on the search for a good pizza made the way the Italians make a pizza.

A good pizza must be thin, crispy, and chewy and not weighed down by heavy toppings.

It’s easy to get the thin, crisp part, but you usually end up with a cracker or a pizza that breaks in half. We call that flatbread. It must have the “chewy” and in order to get that chewy, you must start with a good dough, and manage to get your pizza into a very hot oven.

What does this mean, and why is it so hard to find? The Italians, namely, the Neopolitans set the standard using a thin crust that is cooked very quickly (2-3 minutes) in an extremely hot brick oven. And, not just any brick oven. There are some families in Italy that have such a special recipe for the making of the brick oven, that they place a privacy screen in front of the construction. Note the importance and commitment Italians give to the crust. It’s paramount to what makes a pizza good.

After Marcella’s pizza dough recipe, we will NEVER try another recipe again. It cannot be improved upon.

The Process
Her recipe is more work than most, and the technique a little unusual, but I implore you to follow it exactly and once you get the kneading by hand, just consider those 10 minutes as exercise, and do NOT get our your processors and kitchen aids. I banged the dough on the table like a wild girl, but at the end you will reach pizza dough perfection. It will move in your hands like silk. You will NEVER need to reach for more flour as the stickiness disappears and if you can think back to the feel of play dough, you will understand what you are looking for, but with a little more give.

You can roll it out thinly, but if you like a thicker pizza, this is still your recipe. Prep time is about 20 minutes just to get to the dough and then a minimum of three hours waiting for it to rise. It’s worth every minute.

Dissolve the yeast in a small portion of water for 10 minutes. Then in alternation fashion, you will add olive oil, more water, more flour, more water, more flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Intense kneading will result in a supple, perfect dough.

Notice what three hours will do for your dough.

Using a little corn meal, the pizza dough easily slides into a pre-heated cast iron pan.

Notice how nicely done the bottom crust is. When you bite it, it snaps, crunches and chews.

Candy Onions – Best Purple Food Find of the Summer

As if it wasn’t enough to discover the perfect pizza dough, my local farmer’s market provided me with a new (to me) beautiful onion, the red candy onion. They are a gorgeous purple and they stay this beautiful jewel tone when sauteed. Of course, they have a bit of a sweetness (thus the candy) and come close to a shallot, which is why I assembled them with fresh thyme out of my garden. I ask you, is there a better herb for shallots or candy onions than fresh thyme? I think not.

Using a few shiitake mushrooms, and just a bit of raw spinach, the result was thing crunchy crust, with perfectly edited ingredients. There was an onion in every bite, but some bites had spinach, some had mushrooms, some had both.

Make your dough in advance and then enjoy the pizza making process. You can make the dough the day before, and refrigerate. Just leave out for one full hour to bring to room temperature before using.

If you don’t have a grill, you can use a pre-heated pizza stone at the highest setting you can set your oven. Some ovens only go to 450. That will work. If you are using a grill, pre-heat for 30 minutes at the highest setting. The issue I have not solved yet with grilling is that the top doesn’t get as much heat. I sauteed the onions in advance, as well as the mushrooms and spinach.

We tested this dough in the oven at 450 on a pizza stone and it was very good. We further tested it in a cast iron pan, inside of our gas grill that at one point measured 700 degrees, and it was outstanding. This dough will not fail you. It is not sticky. It will slide right into your oven, and with a bit of practice, you can get it nice and thin. The crust will turn out crisp on the bottom, NOT doughy and gooey, but firm and chewy on top.

His comment made me happy. We are sitting on the deck, each with our own pizza and he just happily remarks, “not since Italy.” He’s thinking, “I just fell more in love with my wife.” And, I’m thinking I hope this is the right tease for another trip back to Italy.

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Grilled Candy Onions, Sauteed Mushrooms, Sauteed Spinach
Onions were caramelized on top of the stove in a tad of butter and olive oil and removed to a bowl. Spinach followed in same pan for a few minutes. Mushrooms were sauteed quickly.

Baking/Grilling
Grilling at highest heat for approximately 4 minutes. Time may vary according to the pan you use, the thickness of the crust, the heat of your grill.

MORE PIZZA From Spinach Tiger

Summer Fruit Pizza: Corn, Peaches, Blackberries, Prosciutto, Honey, Vidalia Onions

The post Authentic Italian Thin Crust Pizza appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you are afraid to bake your own bread, try this bread. It’s fabulous and it will be gone quickly. It’s no fail. It’s no knead. And, you can put your own spin to it. I did by adding in chopped rosemary. The no knead bread has a crusty crust and soft inside. It’s memorable. I’ve made this bread a lot and have come up with some tips I think will be helpful.

My baking tips:

1. Invest in a pizza peel and baking stone.  You can use a seasoned cast iron skillet if you don’t have a baking stone.
2. Use lots of corn meal.
3. Brush each loaf with egg white before baking to get a nice golden tone. Add a little sugar to the dough. I’m not sure why, but it seems to make a difference in flavor, and I got used to that from a french bread recipe I used to make.
4. Don’t be afraid to use a lot of flour to form the bread.
5.  Vary the types of loaves you make. The book shows a boule (a round loaf) in the master recipe, but you can shape baguettes or rolls. Don’t forget t the cup of water on a tray in the oven for steam.
6. Spray the oven with a water bottle after you put bread in oven. This creates steam.  And, don’t forget to put the cup of water in a baking dish in oven to keep that steam going. This is the secret to the crustiness.
7. Use different types of flour. White whole wheat is an excellent choice.
8. Add olives, or finely chopped fresh herbs (rosemary is our favorite). Top the bread with cinnamon sugar before baking for a great breakfast treat. The dough will stay in the fridge for up to two weeks. I have taken the dough from the master recipe and rolled flat to make a simple flat bread.

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Rosemary Bread - Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes

This remarkable recipe makes four 1 pound loaves. No kneading required and will turn anyone into a bread baker. Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes by Jeff Hertzbert and Zoe Francois

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups lukewarm water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast 1-1/2 packets
• 1-1/2 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
• 6-1/2 cups unsifted unbleached, all-purpose white flour,
 measured with the scoop-and-sweep method
• 2 tablespoons sugar my addition, not in original recipe
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary optional
• Cornmeal for pizza peel

Instructions

• Mix in large bowl with a wooden spoon. Allow to sit for at least 2 hours.
• Shape into loaves. Allow to rise for 40 minutes minimum.
• Using plenty of flour, make slices into bread using a serrated knife.
• This is when I brush away the flour and use egg white so bread bakes a golden brown.
• Bake in hot oven in shelf in middle, 450 degrees on baking stone for 25 minutes.
• Place bread in oven. Shut door. Open door and put one cup of water onto a tray that has been placed on any other shelf. Follow up with spraying sides of oven with water bottle.
• Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

Notes

The scoop and sweep method means measure one cup at a time, merely sweeping with knife. Do not pack flour in a large measuring container, as that will yield too much flour in the recipe.

There are two great books on Five Minute Bread by Jeff Hertzbert and Zoe Francois, and I highly recommend them. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and Healthy Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.

Now tell me, are you ready to bake some bread?

The post Rosemary Bread – Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

These are just as delicious as they look, and how could they not be when they have white chocolate inside and dark chocolate outside? What a lovely idea for a breakfast bread served in bed on Valentine’s Day.  After all, that’s the day that we allow ourself to indulge in chocolate, and I think that should start at sunrise, don’t you?

There is a love story behind these rolls, but not the kind you might think. I never set out to make brioche for Valentine’s Day. These little beauties evolved from a tribute to my friend, Annie, who died this past new year’s eve of cancer. It came suddenly and took her life far too early.

I wanted to bake something special for the memorial service, and decided to try to create a recipe with white chocolate. She loved candy, and I wanted it to be sweet and special, just like she was. And, my hope was that her husband and friends, who loved her so dearly, would be comforted. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble looking up a recipe, but I had this need to bring something new to life.

We celebrate with food, and we talk and write about our celebrations a lot. We also grieve with food, and we don’t talk about that as much, but isn’t that the time when we most need the comfort to be given to our spirit and to our body, a reminder that we are not alone? A carried supper, or a freshly baked bread, made from scratch, not only does the recipient some good, but the preparer as well.

As I kneaded this bread for Annie, I think I let a few tears drop into the dough, and it was my way of saying goodbye, and I thought, “this is my last way to spend some time with you.” Although, to be honest, I feel she is right here with me as I write this, and I’m not quite finished saying goodbye.

Valentine’s Day might seem to be an odd time to talk about this, but isn’t it about love? And, if you could have seen the relationship she had with John, her husband, you would think this to be quite fitting.

Annie’s Bread, pictured above, was filled with white chocolate and was just a bit too dense, which is why it may have cracked, but it caused me to trial and error my way to a delicious sweet bread. I like to think of my little brioche rolls as something Annie left behind for me and maybe for you too.

Although I put white chocolate inside the bread, I also drizzled in on the top. It’s delicious and festive. When I ran out of white for the rolls, I used dark chocolate, and that was an even better idea. That hit of dark chocolate with a really good breakfast cappuccino is perfection!

When you read the recipe, you’ll note the options for adding more cinnamon and fresh orange flavorings and some options for the sweetener. I cook (and bake) from a creative heart and soul; and I am constantly changing the ingredients for my mood, and I always encourage my readers and friends to be improvisational. I know how tricky that can be with baking, and I have a lot of
bread pudding to show for that insistence.
Venetian plaster backdrop created by Angela Roberts

Orange Cinnamon Bread Pudding, a result from a bread that didn’t pass the test.

Have a a Happy Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t have to be about a romantic lover…it can indeed be a time to show your love to anyone or many. How are you going to spend your day? Do you have anybody special you would like to prepare a dish for or with?

Recipe
3/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon (gives a slight cinnamon flavor, you may desire more or less)
4 eggs, slightly beaten
juice of 1/2 orange (gives a slight orange flavor, you may desire more or less)
zest of half orange
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar (keep in mind the white chocolate will add sweetness)
4 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into tablespoon sizes
4 ounces softened unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sizes
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate (use premium baking chocolate, instead of chips
2 ounces dark chocolate for melting
1 egg, beaten for glazing prior to baking (to give that beautiful golden tone)

Place into large bowl, yeast, warm water (let sit for a few minutes. )
Add flour, salt, cinnamon, eggs, orange juice and zest, vanilla, sweetener

Knead for few minutes, making sure the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated. You can use your kitchen aid, but, I did this all by hand.

Add butter and cream cheese, kneading in a little at a time. Knead for about 5 minutes, until it looks like a slab of marble. (add flour when necessary). This is the therapeutic part.
Add chopped white chocolate until evenly distributed.
Place in bowl, cover and sit out for two hours.
Refrigerate covered overnight.

The Next Day:

Before baking, allow to warm up a bit, and put into greased stone muffin pans, or bread loaf pans.
Allow to rise for two hours.

Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes at 350. (This was in a stone muffin pan (no paper wrappers used. You may need to make your own adjustments with different cookware.)

Bake loafs of bread for 45 minutes at 350.

To add chocolate drizzle, melt chocolate in microwave at power 5 and check every 60 seconds, stirring to just melted enough to be able to drizzle, using a fork.

Drizzle over bread AFTER it is taken out of the pans. Enjoy!

Notes on Ingredients in this Recipe

Chocolate: Chocolate is a matter of the quality of the beans, the amount of cacao, taste and what is affordable. I like dark chocolate and I seek it out with at least 70% cacao. Purchased at Whole Foods, I used El Rey Apamente 73.5% cacao and El Rey white chocolate discs, made only with cocoa butter which accounts for its 55% cacao composition.

I suggest reading labels on the white chocolate you purchase. I avoid waxy chips.

The loaf makes an excellent bread eaten as is, but is extra good when toasted. It can made as french toast or can be made into a delicious bread pudding that will not require much sugar to prepare. I will post my bread pudding recipe at a later date.

The post White Chocolate Brioche with a Dark Chocolate Drizzle appeared first on Spinach Tiger.