Crispy Thin-crust Personal Pizzas

Everybody has days they just want to curl up on their couch in front of old Friends re-runs and finish an entire personal pizza.

While you're at it, why not make this crisp, thin-crust. Full-on-flavor, generous-on-toppings personal pizzas?

They're light and heavenly, and leave room for that tub of Ben and Jerry's as a dessert.

Thin-crust Personal Pizza
Makes: 4 pizzas
Source: Starting Cooking

1/2 cup warm water
1 level tsp active dry yeast
1 level tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup plain white flour (not bread flour!)
1/2 tsp salt

Put 2 tbsp of the water in a small bowl and stir in the yeast and sugar. Leave it in a warm spot for about 15 minutes until mixture becomes frothy on top.

Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl, make a well in the center and pour the yeast mixture. Add The rest of the warm water and mix until it forms a dough. Make the dough into a ball and knead it for 10 minutes. Cover in a bowl with a damp towel on top for an hour to let it rise.

Heat oven to 425F, after an hour remove dough and knead for five more minutes until smooth. cut into four equal balls and roll each into a thin circle. Place the circles on pizza trays or baking trays lined with cookie sheets.

4 rounded tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp water
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
Vegetables, sliced. (I used Mushrooms, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers)
Pre-cooked toppings (I used Ham, Roasted Kabocha Squash)
Cheese (optional)

Mix tomato paste with water and seasoning, spread evenly on four pizza bases. Top with raw vegetables of choice and cook for 20 minutes, ten minutes on the top shelf and ten on the middle shelf.

Out of the oven, top with pre-cooked ingredients such as ham, as well as cheese and other garnishing.

Homemade Pretzels

The other day I was bored out of my wits. So I googled (with google filter on, mind you) 'Things for girls to do when they are bored'.

Apparently, baking bread is one of them. And since I am one of the few people I know that actually enjoy the smell of dry active yeast, I accepted the challenge.

Except, making a plain loaf is too boring. It lacks... Pazaaz.

So I decided that the bread in question had to have a fantastic, witty shape. It had to be individually portioned to save me the headache (and stomach ache) of eating the whole lot of them in one go. It had to be savory, because I had whacked my weight in macarons the day before.

And it had to make me look good.

Pretzels, it was.

Miniature soft pretzels
Source: Smitten Kitchen
Makes 16 full-sized or 32 miniature

2 cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons canola or other neutral oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1 large egg white
Coarse or pretzel salt
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

1. Pour warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook* and stir to combine. Sprinkle with yeast, and let sit 10 minutes; yeast should be foamy.

2. Add 1 cup flour to yeast, and mix on low until combined. Add salt and 4 cups more flour, and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Beat on medium-low until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup flour, and knead on low 1 minute more. If dough is still wet and sticky, add 1/2 cup more flour (this will depend on weather conditions); knead until combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a lightly floured board, and knead about ten times, or until smooth.

3. Pour oil into a large bowl; swirl to coat sides. Transfer dough to bowl, turning dough to completely cover all sides. Cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

4. Heat oven to 450°F. Lightly spray two baking sheets with cooking spray (parchment paper, ungreased, also works). Set aside. Punch down dough to remove bubbles. Transfer to a lightly floured board. Knead once or twice, divide into 16 pieces (about 2 1/2 ounces each) or 32 if making miniature pretzels, and wrap in plastic.

5. Roll one piece of dough at a time into an 18-inch-long strip. [I find the pretzels much easier to roll on an unfloured board, oddly enough, but see what works for you.] Twist into pretzel shape; transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel. Continue to form pretzels; eight will fit on each sheet (you may need a third sheet if making miniatures). Let pretzels rest until they rise slightly, about 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, fill large, shallow pot with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil. Add baking soda (and step back, it foams up quickly) and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Reduce to a simmer; transfer three to four pretzels to water. Poach 1 minute on each side. Use slotted spoon to transfer pretzels to baking sheet. Continue until all pretzels are poached.

7. Beat egg white with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pretzels with egg glaze. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack, or eat warm. Pretzels are best when eaten the same day, but will keep at room temperature, uncovered, for two days. Do not store in covered container or they will become soggy.

Isn't she a doll? All twisted in her full pretzel glory.

Question of the day
What is the most time-consuming thing you have ever baked and how did it turn out?
I once baked a local cake called Kuih Lapis which required you to bake a tablespoon of batter at a time in the pan, taking it out every 5 minutes to add the next spoonful. It took me easily three hours to bake. But, dammit, it was delicious.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Balls

My, my mudpie.

If you take my obsession with cinnamon, cookes and raw raw batter, we get these:

No to mention the fact that they are stuffed with those teensy tiny marshmallows that we love to throw into or hot chocolate with reckless abandon.

Of course, giving that i only bought ONE packet of mini marshmallows and was eating about 37 per marshmallow I actually put in the dough balls, I ended up with 7 marshmallow-core-less balls.

Never fear! Cut up Reese's peanut butter cups are here!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Bites
Source: Cooking Classy
Makes: 14 balls

3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
57g salted butter, softened
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

14 Mini marshmallows (Or chopped up reeses cups, or peanut butter chips. Whatever takes your fancy)
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, brown sugar, 1/8 cup granulated sugar and cream of tartar until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla extract. Sieve in flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and mix until combined.

In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together 3 Tbsp granulated sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon.

Scoop dough out 1 (even) TBSP at a time, then press one marshmallow into the center of scooped dough and roll into a ball. Roll each dough ball into cinnamon sugar mixture. Chill or serve immediately. Store Cookie Dough Bites in refrigerator.

Muah Chee

Have you ever heard about Muah Chee?

When I was thirteen, I was obsessed. I would eat two packets for recess and maybe even bring home a third. It was glutinous rice pieces in a peanut and sugar powder. Honestly, who wouldn't love it?

Nobody.

Just look at it, ooey-gooey chewy rice-flour pieces oozing chunky peanut bits with sugar crystals.

There is a cheat way to make it, and the traditional. I would like to say I did it the traditional way because I don't believe in new-age rubbish (if you consider nuking it in the microwave 'new-age'), but frankly, I steamed it because I don't have a microwave.

Radiation waves, all that. Yada Yada. But the wait was well worth it, I'll prove it to you. Try some.

Traditional Steamed Muah Chee

Serves: 8 portions (Muah Chee can get overwhelming all at once, eight is a good size, trust me.)

Source: Small Small Baker

200g glutinous rice flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shallot oil
250ml water

75g roasted peanuts, processed into a powder
75g granulated sugar

To make shallot oil, thinly slice 1 small shallot, fry with 1 tablespoons oil till golden brown. Leave to cool.

Mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, shallot oil and water in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, make sure flour mixture is completed dissolved. Pour the mixture into a deep dish (about 8" in diameter). Steam over medium heat for about 25mins. Test the centre with a toothpick to ensure it is cooked through. Leave to cool.

Mix peanut powder and granulated sugar in a plate. When ready to serve, scoop small pieces of muah chee with a spoon and toss them in the peanut powder mixture cut with a pair of scissors with a lightly greased blade. Serve immediately.

Perfection. Chewy, Nutty, Sugary perfection.