Bentley's Favorite Dog Biscuits
Rolling & cutting dog biscuits!
These biscuits are all-natural and puppy-approved! Be sure to use all-natural peanut butter. Check the ingredients on everything you use to bake for your dog; no spices, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives. (Xylitol is toxic to dogs and is added to some peanut butters). And of course, introduce new foods gradually, so as not to upset Fido's digestive system. This makes LOTS of treats, so freeze or give away any you can't use within a week to ensure freshness.
Equipment needed: Stand mixer Rolling pin Parchment Paper Half-sheet pans
1 1/2 cup canned pumpkin or mashed, cooked sweet potato
1 cup unsweetened applesauce (all-natural)
1 cup soy milk
1 1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
2 Tablespoons molasses
3 Tablespoons flax seed meal
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup brown rice flour
2 + cups unbleached flour (enough to make a fairly stiff dough)
Preheat the oven to 325-degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low to medium until thoroughly combined. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl and mix to combine. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients a little at a time and combine. If the dough is very wet, add just enough unbleached flour, a bit at a time, until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. It should be stiff, but not at all dry.
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper, then take about 1/4 of the dough and form it into a ball on the parchment. Cover with another sheet of parchment, and using a rolling pin, roll the dough out thinly to about 1/8" thick. (Using parchment paper eliminates the need for more flour.) Even thickness is important, as the biscuits will not bake the same if they are different thicknesses. Cut out the biscuits and place them on an ungreased half sheet pan. (They can be very close, as they won't spread.)
Add more dough to the trimming of the first batch and re-roll. Continue until all of the dough is used up.
Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the treats over. Bake for another 15 minutes, then flip again. Bake for 10 more minutes, or until the treats are crisp, like crackers.
Cool on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container, freezing any that won't be used within a week.
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies cut into heart shapes for Valentines Day. Yummy, perfect dough for any cut-out cookie!
These are my favorite cut-out cookies for any occasion. The cream cheese gives them a hint of richness and you can vary the extract if you like; I love the addition of almond and vanilla, but you could omit the almond and increase the vanilla if you're not an almond fan. Decorate to make YOU happy!
Equipment needed: Cookie Cutters Rolling Pin Sheet Pans Stand Mixer
Yields about 12 large cookies, recipe may be doubled
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter and cream cheese. Beat on medium-high speed until well-combined, about 30-60 seconds. Add the powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg and extracts until well-combined. Beat in as much flour as possible with the mixer; if you need to, mix in any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.. (If you use a stand mixer, you will probably not have to mix by hand. A hand mixer may not be able to handle a dough that stiff, making it necessary to do it by hand.)
Cover and chill for about an hour. (The dough should be easy to handle, if not chill a little longer.)
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin to about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies, saving and rolling out the scraps to make more cookies.
Place the cookies on an ungreased sheet pan. (If you just want to decorate with colored sugars, lightly brush the cookies with cream and sprinkle them now. Do not overly wet the dough!) Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned. Cool on the pan for 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate as desired.
Favorite Pizza Crust
Pizza made with my Favorite Pizza Crust
Pizza! Who doesn't love it, and I would categorize it as a go-to meal in any situation, wouldn't you? Great pizza begins with the crust; crispy outside, sturdy enough to handle lots of toppings, yet tender inside with great flavor. This dough can be mixed, allowed to rise, then refrigerated for up to 24 hours to use later. I often freeze half of the dough to use later; just defrost in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. I use this recipe for all of my pizzas, including the Breakfast Pizza from the November edition. (Adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe.)
Equipment needed: Kitchen Scale Stand mixer Pizza pans
This recipe makes: 2-1/2" thick 14-inch round pizzas, 2-3/4" thick 12-inch pizzas, 1-3/4" thick Half-sheet pan Sicilian-style pizza, or 1-1 1/2" thick 9X13" pan pizza
2 teaspoons instant yeast
8 ounces warm water
7/8 ounce olive oil
13 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (plus extra for sprinkling and adding as needed)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, using a kitchen scale, hitting the tare button after each addition so that the next ingredient can be weighed. Mix with paddle attachment until mostly combined, then switch to the dough hook and mix for about 4-5 minutes on low speed, adding a bit of flour if needed so that the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough will still be a bit rough and not satiny smooth; that is what you want.
Lightly grease a large bowl, add the dough and turn it over to grease the top. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow it to rise till it's very puffy, 60-90 minutes.
(To make pizza later, place the dough in a large, greased container with a lid. Let it rise for 45 minutes, then refrigerate for 4 and up to 24 hours, or freeze. Defrost overnight if frozen before using. Allow refrigerated dough to warm and rise for 2-3 hours before shaping.)
Decide what size, shape, and thickness the pizza will be, then shape roughly. Cover the dough and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile lightly spray the pans with non-stick spray (to prevent sticking), then coat lightly with olive oil (for flavor). Place the dough in the pan(s) and press and stretch the dough over the pan. If the dough starts to shrink back, just walk away for 10-15 minutes, covering the dough so it won't dry out. Finish patting out the dough to fit the pan. Cover and let the dough rise until it's puffy, about an hour to 90 minutes.)
Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 450-degrees. Bake the pizza crust(s) until it looks and feels set on top, and is just beginning to brown around the edge of the crust, but is still pale. (Baking time will depend on the thickness of the crust.)
(The crust(s) can be cooled completely on a rack at this point, wrapped in plastic, and stored at room temperature for use up to two days later. The par-baked crusts can also be frozen for up to a month).
To bake immediately, arrange toppings over the crust and bake on the upper rack of the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the cheese is melted. Move the pizza to the lower rack if the top is browning too quickly. Both the top and bottom of the crust should be browned. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.