Kalofagas - Greek Food & Beyond » Yeast

Potato Pizza

Peter Minakis — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:59:00 +0000

Last year I was watching a local Greek program that also has a cooking segment included in each episode. I’m interested in this show as I like to keep abreast of local Greek community affairs and, see what other dishes are being presented (I too have appeared on this show). A dish that I had bookmarked on the show was presented by Barb Bliangas, who made an unusual pizza with a potato topping. Pizza with potatoes…double-whammy one-two punch of carbs…potato pizza? Yep, I took the plunge and tried this out and after also having several potato pizzas pointed out on local pizza menus, I guess the concept isn’t that odd.

Boy am I glad I tried potato pizza out! This is another case of trying something (anything) out and if you like it…you’ve added a new dish to your repertoire and if you don’t – the dish never has to touch your lips again. I’m a big fan of dishes with the very basic of ingredients – where a certain combo of ingredients is so simple yet they fly just under the radar, evading our attention. Such is the beauty of this potato pizza.

You can use store-bought pizza dough but making your own is fun and the result is so much better. This is another dish where high quality olive demands to be used here. Don’t settle for olive oil from big-box stores or those folks that also dare to market “light olive oil”. Read the label, buy extra-virgin olive oil and know that $6.99 will not buy you quality olive oil.

The absolute must for this recipe is to slice the potatoes thin, we’re talking wafer-thin so that the potato cooks in the period needed for the pizza dough to bake. The best way thinly slice your potatoes is with mandoline. Visit your local cookware store and ask to see what’s in stock. There are many affordable mandolines out there, like this one.

I bake bread and make pizza using a pizza stone and a pizza peel/paddle but if you don’t have these kitchen tools you can still pull-off a really good pizza. Open the dough, place in a round pan and you’re good! I made this last night, was kinda stuck for a dinner option and thought to make the potato pizza. Rave reviews from family (even the older folks liked it) and I’ll looking forward to having this again…Lent or not!

Potato Pizza – Πατατοπιτσα (Νηστισιμοι)

half of one pizza recipe

four medium-sized potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet), peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline

4 cloves of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. dried Greek oregano

1/3 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil + extra for drizzling

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

fresh rosemary

coarse sea salt

Pre-heated 450F oven

Place your pizza stone in the oven and pre-heat. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a pizza peel/paddle, then place your dough on it and roll out or press out the dough with your fingers and carefully stretch out into a 15-inch (approx) circle. In a large bowl, add the potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano and toss until well-coated. Lay the potatoes in a circular overlapping fashion until the dough is covered. Give the peel/paddle a shake to make sure your dough moves and you have enough cornmeal underneath.
Now top with sliced red onions, drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and top with some fresh rosemary. Open your oven door, slice the pizza onto the pre-heated pizza stone and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges and top of pizza are golden-brown. Take out of the oven and and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Cut into slices and serve with a Gerovassliou Chardonnay.

“Potato Pizza“

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Kritsinia (Sesame-Covered Bread Sticks)

Peter Minakis — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:06:22 +0000

When in Greece, you will see Kritsinia in many places/spots as you sight-see, travel through the city or to the countryside. Kritsinia are bread sticks that often covered in sesame seeds or with an array of edible seeds. You may find Kritsinia at one of the many farmer’s markets that set up in neighborhoods in the city and in towns. They will also be found at patisseries and bakeries: there’s a bakery on almost every corner in Greece at least one in every village.

Kritsinia will be found sold on the streets by vendors who will also sell Koulouria, the ringed snack that’s also very popular amongst Greeks. The periptera (kiosks) that are found on almost every street corner in Greece sell Kritsinia amongst the other snacks, drinks, candy and anything else one can stuff into a grab bag. Why, you’ll find Kritsinia sold at supermarkets and made by one of Greece’s large biscuit makers.

Bread is an integral part of the Greek diet and I don’t see this changing much in the near future. Kritsinia may be offered as part of a breakfast with some cheeses. Kritsinia are definitely a snack food; pop two or three (or four) in your mouth to hold you over ’til lunch. I’ve seen Kritsinia appear at parties or afternoon coffee (tea) gatherings and even at the beach!

Kritsinia are not expensive and the variety that’s available seem to expand each time I go to Greece. My favourite Kritsinia (Kritsini is the singular form) are generously coated in sesame seeds and flavour-wise, they are definitely savory with some sweet undertones. My take on Kritsinia contains sea salt (ONLY sea salt is used in Greek cooking), honey and some tahini to accentuate the sesame seed theme. To make the Kritsinia more colourful, I’ve added some black sesames seeds into the mix with the more familiar white sesame.

Borrowing from the technique I used to coat my Koulouria last September, I’ve once again diluted some Petimezi with water to be used to coat the Kritsinia and ensure the sesame seeds stick well on them. Petimezi is a grape syrup made from the must of grapes and although there recipes to make your own Petimezi (I’m crazy enough to do it one day), the ready-made stuff in jars is just fine. You will definitely find it in Greece, some Greek grocers/delis will carry it outside of Greece as well. Middle-eastern and Turkish shops will also sell Petimezi. You may have to ask for a grape molasses or syrup but they will also carry it.

This recipe is easy and one you can get the kids to help you with. Make the dough, allow it to double in size and then call the kids in to help roll the dough into pencil shapes then coat them with the sesame seeds. You’ll love the Kritsinia, the kids will love making them (and eating them) and you’ll have a healthy snack on hand around the house. Here’s another reason to cut some of the crap from your weekly shopping list. Here’s to your health….with Kritisina!

Kritsinia (Κριτσίνια)

(makes about 40)

1 tsp. of active dry yeast

2 Tbsp. of honey

3/4 cup of tepid (warm) water

1/4 cup Tahini

3/4 tsp. of fine sea salt

1 3/4 to 2 cups of all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. of Petimezi (grape molasses) diluted in 1/4 cup of water (or just water if you can’t find Petimezi)

1 1/3 cup of sesame seeds

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

Pre-heated 350F oven

In a large bowl, add the honey, tahini, yeast and tepid water and gently mix then allow to sit for 5 minutes. Add the salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour and begin kneading with your hands (you may use a food processor). Keep on adding flour while kneading until the dough becomes smooth and no longer tacky (sticky). Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow for the to double in size (60 – 90 minutes).
Place your dough on a lightly floured work surface and simply flatten in with your hands. Cut the dough into 20 pieces and roll each piece into a ball (about the size of a walnut). Using your hands, roll the ball of dough into about 11-12 inches in length and to about the thickness of a pencil. Cut in half (repair the cut ends) and reserve on a tray. Continue to roll-out the remaining balls of dough and form and cut the Krtitsinia.
Prepare your dipping station: one bowl with the white and black sesame seeds mixed and another bowl with the Petimezi and water mixed in. Pre-heat your oven to 350F (middle rack) and place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray.
Dip each Kritsini in the Petimezi mixture and then place in the bowl with sesame seeds then roll in the seeds and place on your parchment-covered baking tray (keeping them as straight as possible). Do not allow more than 15 minutes to pass until they are baked as they will continue to rise ( you want thin breadsticks).
Place in your pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until just golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an air-tight container. Serve with coffee or tea, as a snack or breakfast and pair with cheese.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Wholewheat Artisan Bread

Peter Minakis — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:04:45 +0000

I’ve been raving alot about making homemade bread and it all started when I bought the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes. I had an utter fear of making bread but it is fear of the unknown that breeds more fear. Plenty of practice, getting a feel for the dough and one will find their own recipe for making homemade bread.

Although bread made with white (all-purpose flour) is hard to beat, I do eat wholewheat slice bread for toast & such but I also want to add some fiber when I eat the “good, crusty bread” you see me recommend with many recipes. Here, I offer you a riff on the artisan homemade bread but this time we have what I think is the ultimate combination of all-purpose and wholewheat flour.

Oh one could go 100% whole wheat but you will likely end up with a heavy, leaden result. The 4 cups white to 2 1/2 whole wheat flour is just right: the white flour giving the dough lift and the whole wheat flour giving you that healthy aspect and fiber without being a heavy weight or deterrence to your goal of a fluffy bread with a nice crust, a bit of chew to the crumb.

If you want the your bread to look like this, then buy the equipment I have listed below – they are all necessary. The pizza peel so you can slide the bread in a pre-heated oven, the pizza stone to help recreate a brick oven environment in your home oven, the serrated knife to slice the bread before baking (helps release moisture while baking) and the cooling rack. Go on, get some wholewheat flour and start baking your own bread. If you’re lucky, you’ll become a bread snob like me!!

Wholewheat Artisan Bread

2 Tbsp. active dry yeast

3 1/2 to 4 cups of warm/tepid water (whole wheat flour will draw in more water than white flour)

1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt

4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

+ extra flour for work surface

coarse corn flour or semolina flour

Equipment needed

pizza stone

pizza peel

serrated knife

cooling rack

Pre-heated 500F oven

In a large bowl or pail, add your salt, yeast and warm water and stir. Allow for the yeast to activate. After a couple of minutes, add your flour and mix with a large wooden spoon (or use the paddle on your mixer). When the water has been absorbed by the flour, the dough might still be too dry. Add up to another 1/2 cup of tepid water. The dough should feel smooth and not too sticky. Cover but allow an opening so that the gases may escape as the dough rises. You may use the dough to make bread after a minimum of two hours. Ideally, make the dough before you go to bed and form and bake the bread the next morning.
When you’re ready to form your bread, sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and on your hands. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface as well. Grab a piece of dough and cut it off. Using your fingers, stretch the dough outwards and then fold under the center of the dough for 2-3 minutes. You should now have a smooth round ball of dough. You may keep this shape to make a “boule” style loaf or you may form into a longer loaf, tapered at the ends with your hands. Another shape you can make is a baguette. Roll the dough into a rectangular flat and then roll up into a cylindrical shape. Place your formed dough on your work surface and sprinkle each loaf with all purpose flour. The ring shape you see here is very easy: make the French boule and then stick your hand in the middle and form a hole. Spread the dough out to form a ring and you’re set!
You must allow the dough to rest and rise for at least 45 minutes (uncovered). Pre-heat your oven and sprinkle some coarse corn flour on your pizza stone’s surface. Place the stone on the middle rack of your oven. Now sprinkle some corn flour on your pizza peel’s surface and place as many loaves as will fit onto it.
Once your oven has reached 500F, add some hot water into a broil pan and place it on the highest position in your oven. Now using a serrated knife, make slices into the tops of your bread (a cross, three parallel lines or one long slash and then slide the loaves off your pizza peel and onto the stone in the oven.
Bake your loaves for 10 minutes then lower the heat to 450F and bake another 20 minutes or until just the tops of the bread are golden-brown. Carefully remove your loaves from the oven and place on a cooling rack are they have cooled to room temperature. Your bread is ready to eat!

NOTE: If you can’t find a pizza stone in your area, square terra cotta tiles can be placed on your rack. Go to a gardening/landscaping store and ask to see the squares tiles and make sure they have haven’t been treated with any chemicals (merely baked). Fill the area of your oven rack with inverted tiles and you have a great alternative to a pizza stone!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

© 2010 – 2011, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Artisan Bread in Almost 5 Minutes

Peter Minakis — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:50:17 +0000

It must be two years since I began to make and bake my own bread at home. I haven’t made anything too adventurous – crusty loaves of bread, pizza dough, pita bread, Koulouria. I’d like to make a good loaf for sandwich bread and that’s a project in the near future. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy making artisan-style bread, the kind of bread you find at the Italian/Greek/French bakery.

The inspiration and spark that ignited this passion for bread making is owed to Zoe and Jeff, co-authors of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes. The success of the first book was immense and the overwhelming demand for healthier bread brought about the release of Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. First thing’s first: it takes more than five minutes to bake this sexy, gorgeous loaves of bread but don’t that to discourage you. Making bread is easy, the first loaves you will make (like I did) will be very good but they will also need improvement. It’s all in the feel of the dough.

Make your first (edible) loaf of bread and you’ll be hooked (like me). You’ll want to make your own homemade bread. I look forward to mixing the flour, allowing the dough to rise, punching it down, forming the various shapes of loaves and ultimately, baking the bread. The aroma that fills the home, the crackle of the crust as it comes out of the oven and the smear of unsalted butter or a dunk in extra-virgin olive oil can’t be beat (well, almost).

Regardless of what kind of oven one has, I believe the most important aspect is getting a feel for the dough. This takes some experience but it will come. Keep on making your own bread. Ultimately you want a dough that feels smooth, not tacky (sticky) to the touch and you’ll have a light, airy bread with a fabulous crust that has a bit of chew. Dough is sensitive to humidity and amounts may vary depending on the weather of the day, the season and even altitude!

Although not mandatory, it’s highly recommended to invest in a pizza peel, a pizza stone and fine a small tray around your kitchen to add hot water to. The pizza peel is necessary for forming your loaves and for easy transfer into your pre-heated oven. The pizza stone should already be in the oven warm up and I would say its purchase is mandatory. The pizza stone helps emulate the environment that exists in a traditional brick oven. The dough hits the hot stone and wonderous things begin to occur. Simultaneously, a tray of hot water is also placed in the oven (I like placing this tray high up in the oven on the broiler tray) and it’s purpose is to emulate the humidity that also exists in the traditional brick oven.

There are some other kitchen tools and utensils required but most of you already have them: a serrated knife to to slash your dough just before the bread goes into the oven, and a cooling rack to place your just-baked bread on to when it comes out of the oven. The temptation to cut into the bread immediately is great but try and hold off…wait until the bread cools. Okay, I admit it…I’ve sliced into my just out of the oven bread (mea culpa).

Finally, not all ovens were created equally. Many bake unevenly, some are gas and others run on natural gas. The positioning of the rack in your oven will vary. With my electric oven, the rack was set to the middle position. Now that I have a natural gas oven, the best results are achieved with the rack set to the position just below the middle and once again, the broil pan with hot water placed on the highest rack position. My point? Test to see which position in YOUR oven gives you the best results. To play it safe, you can’t go wrong with the middle rack setting.

Be bold, buy either of the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes books. Zoe and Jeff’s wisdom plus the experience and confidence you will gain from baking your own bread will reward you with the best bread you’ve ever eaten, made the way you like it, you will become a bread snob and turn your nose up at inferior bread that’s offered at many restaurants and you’ll return to your comfy abode, knowing that you may enjoy the best bread in the world….homemade bread in your own kitchen!

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes

(recipe based on Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes master recipe)

2 Tbsp. instant dry yeast

1 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt

3 1/2 cups of warm/tepid water

6 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

(or 4 cups all purpose flour + 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour)

+ extra flour for work surface

coarse corn flour or semolina flour

Equipment needed

pizza stone

pizza peel

serrated knife

cooling rack

Pre-heated 500F oven

In a large bowl or pail, add your salt, yeast and warm water and stir. Allow for the yeast to activate. After a couple of minutes, add your flour and mix with a large wooden spoon (or use the paddle on your mixer). When the water has been absorbed by the flour, the dough might still be too dry. Add up to another 1/2 cup of tepid water. The dough should feel smooth and not too sticky. Cover but allow an opening so that the gases may escape as the dough rises. You may use the dough to make bread after a minimum of two hours. Ideally, make the dough before you go to bed and form and bake the bread the next morning.
When you’re ready to form your bread, sprinkle some flour on top of the dough and on your hands. Sprinkle some flour on your work surface as well. Grab a piece of dough and cut it off. Using your fingers, stretch the dough outwards and then fold under the center of the dough for 2-3 minutes. You should now have a smooth round ball of dough. You may keep this shape to make a “boule” style loaf or you may form into a longer loaf, tapered at the ends with your hands. Another shape you can make is a baguette. Roll the dough into a rectangular flat and then roll up into a cylindrical shape. Place your formed dough on your work surface and sprinkle each loaf with all purpose flour.
You must allow the dough to rest and rise for at least 45 minutes (uncovered). Pre-heat your oven and sprinkle some coarse corn flour on your pizza stone’s surface. Place the stone on the middle rack of your oven. Now sprinkle some corn flour on your pizza peel’s surface and place as many loaves as will fit onto it.
Once your oven has reached 50oF, add some hot water into a broil pan and place it on the highest position in your oven. Now using a serrated knife, make slices into the tops of your bread (a cross, three parallel lines or one long slash and then slide the loaves off your pizza peel and onto the stone in the oven.
Bake your loaves for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 450F and bake for another 20 minutes or umtil just the tops of the bread are golden-brown. Carefully remove your loaves from the oven and place on a cooling rack are they have cooled to room temperature. Your bread is ready to eat!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Pizza Dough Recipe

Peter Minakis — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:04:32 +0000

This past summer (both in Canada and Greece), I found myself experimenting with different pizza dough recipes. I was looking for something easy, great tasting, didn’t take too long and with consistent results. The ingredients are basic: active dry yeast, tepid water, olive oil, honey, sea salt and all-purpose flour. I like substituting honey in a recipe whenever I see sugar and in the instance of pizza, the yeast loves honey as much as sugar.

Some points on making pizza: a proper pizza peel is a good buy. With this valuable baking too, you can slide bread, pizzas, flat breads with east into your oven (and remove). You will also need semolina flour or corn meal – either is fine so that when you sprinkle it on the pizza peel, your pizza won’t stick and it will slide off the peel and into your oven.

Since we’re talking oven, you should also invest in a pizza stone. Pizza stones are now available at most kitchenware stores and they can start at $20. The pizza stone’s purpose is to emulate a brick oven. The stone is placed in the oven (with semolina or corn meal sprinkled on it) and then you pre-heat your oven. Pizza should be baked at a high heat. I like 450F and some even go as high as 500F!

This pizza recipe is relatively quick….you need wait just over an hour for your dough to rise and then be ready for the toppings. The first step is activating the yeast: active dry yeast is added into a large bowl with honey (or sugar), and tepid water. Tepid water is body-temperature water. DO NOT add hot water as it kills yeast. If anything, the water can be cooler – the dough will later just take longer to rise.

After 10 minutes, you add your remaining tepid (warm) water, the sea salt, olive oil and all-purpose flour. Like in any bread recipe, flour amounts can vary depending on the weather and temperature you’re experiencing on that day and even altitude can play a role (dough rises in 1/3 the usual time at high altitudes). Practice makes perfect and you have to get used to the fact that some kneading will be done. Kneading the dough is imperative to activating the gluten in the flour and you will get and learn the “feel” of when your dough is ready.

Your dough is ready when it’s smooth to the touch and no longer sticky (tacky). I’ve made this recipe with as little as 3 cups and a bit of flour to almost 4 cups! Learn the feel of the dough. It is also forgiving: too much flour, add a little water and conversely if too wet – add some more flour.

This recipe requires two periods of rest: one 10 minute break to allow for the yeast to come alive and after kneading the bread, approximately another hour for the dough to rise to about double. Again, times may vary, depending on the temperature and humidity of the day or altitude. I’ve seen dough double in size in as little as a 30 minutes or take as long as ninety minutes.

Don’t sweat it, don’t you have some toppings to prepare? In the summer I’m a big fan of the Pizza Margherita – the simple classic from Naples. The Margherita contains tomato sauce, slices of fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. I deviate by sprucing up the sauce with some olive oil, salt, pepper, minced garlic and some dried Greek oregano. It should also be mentioned that the Margherita should be a think crust pizza.

This recipe will yield you two large thin crust pizzas. If you’re like many Greeks and you want something thicker, you’ll probably get just one pizza out of this recipe. Another reason (it’s a big one) is that the dough is easy to handle. If you’ve allowed your dough to rise to dough the size, after punching it down you see that the dough is very pliable and one can simply stretch and shape your pizza with your hands. You may still use a rolling pin if that’s how you roll.

Toppings? That’s the easiest part of making pizza. Place the toppings of choice on your pizza. If you have a party, create a toppings station with an array of choices. Allow your guests to build their own pizza. You’ve got kids? Let them choose their own toppings. You can make a mini-pizza just for them! The only caveat I can share with you on toppings is to not overdo it with toppings on a pizza. A heavy pizza will weigh down the dough, make it soggy and likely slide off. Not cool.

Pizza Dough Recipe

(makes 2 15-inch pizzas)

2 tsp. of active dry yeast (1 packet or 11gr.)

1 tsp. of honey

1/2 cup tepid water + 1 cup tepid water

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

3 1/2 to 3 3/4 all purpose flour

semolina or corn flour for pizza peel and pizza stone

In a large bowl, add the yeast, 1.2 cup tepid water and honey and gently swirl to mix. Wait 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. Now add the olive oil, sea salt, remaining cup of tepid water and begin adding the flour one cup at a time – all the while mixing the dough with your hands. Keep on adding flour in increments all the while working it into the mixture until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky (tacky).
At this point (important), knead the dough (inside the bowl) or on a counter-top for 10 minutes. Rub some oil on the ball of dough (so it doesn’t form a crust), place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm, draft-free spot (I simply place the dough in my oven). Allow the dough to double in size (takes approx. an hour). If making two pizzas, divide into two and reshape into balls and place in bowls
Once your dough has doubled in size, punch it down and tuck the outer edges inwards and remove your dough ball and place on your work surface. Spread some regular flour on your work surface and press your fingers down on the dough to spread it out and form your pizza. Use a rolling pin to help open the dough. Sprinkle some semolina flour or corn meal on your pizza peel and carefully transfer your pizza dough onto it.
Pre-heat your oven to 450F and set your rack to the middle position. Sprinkle some semolina flour or corn meal on your pizza stone and place in the oven to pre-heat as well. In the meantime, add the toppings to your pizza and remember not to overdo the toppings.
When your oven has reached 450F, take your pizzas (on the peel) to the oven and slide it onto the pre-heated pizza stone in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the pizza are golden-brown. Carefully remove from the oven, cut into slices and enjoy with a good wine or ice-cold beer.

*Note: If you do not have a pizza peel or pizza stone, simply open your pizza with fingers and then rolling pin and sprinkle some semolina or corn meal onto your round (or rectangular) baking pan and then bake.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.