Multigrain Pizza Dough

After numerous failed attempts at making pizza dough, I have finally come up with an absolutely fabulous, and semi-healthy, recipe.  AT LAST!!!  I'm sure you can relate...

So the story is, my dear friend sent me one that she had tried but I totally had to tweak it because I always have to use at least some whole wheat flour in any bread recipe.  Therefore, this is a combination of recipes that I have arrived at and really think is great.  It has been approved by the hubby and additional pizza dough critics.  The recipe below is for one large pizza.

Partygoers:

• 1 cup AP (all purpose) flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (Yes, it has to be pastry flour.)
• 2 t granulated sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 T dried rosemary
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t dried basil
• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 T EVOO

How to have fun at the party:

1. Measure out your warm water and add the packet of yeast.  Mix together and let stand for 10 minutes or until creamy and frothy looking.
2. Get out your mixer.  I mean the big guns.  Attach the bread hook.
3. Dump the dry ingredients into the bowl.
4. When the yeast mixture is creamy/frothy, add the EVOO and the yeast mixture.
5. Mix/beat until combined.  Do not beat crazily after all ingredients are incorporated.  Less is more here, people!
6. Turn off your mixer.  Remove the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Your dough should have doubled in size.

You can use this immediately, after kneading the dough out a bit, or, you can stick the dough in the fridge in a Ziploc bag and use later that week.  Which is what I like to do.  If the pizza dough has time to rest it will listen to you a little bit better when you're rolling it out.

Side note, if you're not a multigrainer, you can use 2 cups of AP flour.  It won't harm anything... besides your waistline, that is.

I hope you love it as much as we do!  And who knows, maybe this is the last pizza dough recipe you ever try!!

CKC

Coffee Crusted Steaks

Last night my Sous Chef and I had a Dine In Date Night.  So that makes this a Dine In Date Night Dinner (DIDND). 

We had pulled out a couple of beautiful ribeyes out of the freezer the day before, and had left them in the fridge to thaw out in preparation for our date.  Is it weird to think meat is beautiful?  I love my freezer, but I know you already know that so I will spare you my emoting.

Anyway... Sous Chef/Hubby had heard about about coffee crusting steaks somewhere along the line a long while back.  We decided to try it last night and it was completely and surprisingly delectable!

Here were the weapons of choice:

• 2 bone-in ribeyes
• S&P
• Garlic powder
• Freshly ground coffee
• EVOO
• Butter

Here was the plan of attack:

1. Complete this super simple steak prep... season the steaks with EVOO, S&P, a little garlic powder and "crust" them with freshly ground coffee.  It is critical that it be freshly ground, friends.  Leave in the fridge to "marinate" for about 20 minutes.  Long marination isn't a big deal for this prep.
2. Preheat your oven to 425.
3. Heat your cast iron pan over high heat and add a few pads of butter. 
4. Once the butter is melted and your pan is screaming hot (but not burning/smoking), put your steaks in the pan. 
5. Sear the steaks for 3 minutes on each side, depending upon the thickness of your meat.  Our steaks were about an inch thick.  If yours are thinner shorten the time.  Thicker steaks are fine with this time.
6. Once the steaks are seared, transfer them to a baking sheet and put them in the preheated oven.
7. For medium rare steaks, leave them in the oven for 6-7 minutes.  For medium steaks, 9 minutes, etc... Adjust your cooking time relative to the thickness of your steaks and how you like your steak cooked.
8. When done, remove from the oven and let the steaks rest for at least 3 minutes.  Please please please do not cheat yourself of excellence by not letting your steak rest.  The resting process keeps the juices in the meat and doesn't "bleed" out all the incredible flavor you just imparted when you cut into your steak.  Your patience will be rewarded, I promise.

Okay... now that you've patiently waited for the resting period, plate your steaks and enjoy!  I know... so easy you thought I wasn't done.  That's it!

Let us know what you think!  We loved this non-grilling steak method more than any other we've tried to date.

Good eats to all! XO,

Sous Chef and Cowtown Kitchen Chief