Kevin's Pizza Dough

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast   If doubling the recipe don't double the water amount.
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 c very warm water
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP olive oil
3 1/3 C all purpose flour.

In a large bowl, dissove the yeast and brown sugar in water. Let sit for 10 minutes
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast mixture. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of flour
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, cover with a cloth. ( **At this point I have put it in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it later in the day). Let the dough rise until double, this should take about an hour. Punch dough down and form a tight ball. Allow dough to relax a minute before rolling out.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I have baked it on a pizza stone or a pizza pan. If using a pan, I grease it with olive oil. No need to preheat your pizza stone.
Bake in a preheated oven , until cheese and crust are golden brown  about 15-20 minutes.
This makes one 12" pizza. I usually double it. Enough for 2 regular size pizzas with a little left over.

** The dough will rise will in refrigerator. Let warm to room temperature.

Cheese Blocks

This recipe has been in my family for years. It was one of my mothers favorites. Very simple to make. They go get with soup, chop suey, and much more. You may be turned off by the thought of velveeta cheese but these are really good.

1 pound velveeta cheese
1/2 pound ( 2 sticks oleo or butter)
1 loaf homemade bread unsliced.
Let both come to room temperature. Beat throughly.
While cheese mixture is beating cut up bread. Remove all crusts except bottom crust of bread. Cut in half lengthwise. Turn on side and cut lengthwise. Cut loaf into 16 pieces.
Spread mixture on all sides except bottom. Place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and browned.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is an all time favorite cookie recipe.

1 c oleo
1 c peanut butter
     
1 c sugar
1 c packed brown sugar

2 eggs
1/4 c milk
2 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

1 bag of Hershey Kisses.


Cream oleo and peanut butter. Add both sugars and cream throughly. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients.

Chill dough- if needed.

Shape into 1" balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2" apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes till edges are firm.
Immediately press chocolate kiss atop each cookie.

French Croissants

These croissants are absolutely delicious!!!  They are a bit time consuming and are best if the dough is made the night before. These are great with apple butter, nutella or your favorite jam. Bet you can't eat just one!!!!!!!
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the butter and mix it together with your hands in a mixing bowl or on a work surface. Transfer the butter to a length of foil or parchment paper and pat it into a 6 inch square. Fold up the foil to make a packet and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.
2. Combine 2 cups of the flour with the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (100 degrees F/38 degrees C) and set aside until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the milk and the heavy cream to lukewarm. Add the yeast, milk, and cream to the flour mixture and stir well. The dough will have a batter-like consistency.
3. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour 1/4 cup at a time to form a soft dough. It should no longer be sticky. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. To begin the rolling and folding process, both the butter and the dough should be at a cool room temperature. [See Cook's Note.] Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it into a 10-inch square. Set the block of butter diagonally on the square dough. Bring each point of dough to the center of the butter square; the edges of the dough should overlap. Pinch the edges together to seal.
5. Starting from the center of the square and working outward, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a rectangle. The butter should be pliable enough to roll smoothly with the dough; if it's too soft and starts to ooze out the corners, wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate before proceeding. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, approximately 8 by 18 inches. Fold the length of dough into thirds, like a business letter.
6. If the dough is still cool, you can continue with another fold. Otherwise, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it warm up for about 10 minutes before you begin rolling it out again.
7. Position the dough so that the open ends are at 12 and 6 o'clock. Roll the dough into a rectangle, working from the center of the dough and pressing outwards. Reposition the dough as necessary to fit your work space. You should have a long rectangle for the "book fold." Fold both ends of the dough into the middle; the ends don't have to be touching, but should be close. Fold the already-folded dough in half; it will look like a thick book. Wrap the dough well with plastic and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Roll the dough into a rectangle again and fold it into thirds, like a business letter. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
9. To shape the croissants, roll the dough into a 10- by 38-inch rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza wheel or sharp paring knife to trim the edges of the dough. Divide the rectangle in half so that you have two 5-inch wide strips of dough. Use a clean yardstick to mark each strip into triangles that are 5 inches wide at their bases. Cut the triangles and place them onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes, if necessary.
10. Starting at the base of the triangle, roll the dough up into a log; the tip of the triangle should be under the body of the croissant to prevent it from unraveling. Bend in the corners to form the traditional crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining dough.
11. Arrange the croissants on the parchment-lined baking sheets and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
12. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water to make the egg wash. Brush the croissants with egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until deep brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack before serving.

Cook's Note

The key to rolling out the butter and dough layers is to have them both at the same temperature when you begin. The butter should be bendable but not greasy; if it's too cold, it will be prone to cracking. Tip: take the butter square out of the refrigerator about an hour before you start laminating

Footnotes

Breakfast Scones

This is an excellent and easy recipe for Scones. I found the original recipe on Allrecipes.com and made a couple changes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2 c flour
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

 8 TBSP unsalted butter-cold
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c sour cream
1 large egg

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Grate the butter into flour mixture. Use your fingers to work in the butter. (Mixture should resemble coarse meal ) . Mix in raisins.

In a small bowl whisk together the egg and sour cream until smooth.

Use a fork to stir sour cream/egg mixture  into flour mixture until a large dough clump forms. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)               

Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.               

Orange/Cranberry Scones-- Replace raisins with fresh chopped or dried cranberries and 1 1/2tsp orange zest.