Pizza Dough Ideas
If you've worked in a pizza restaurant for any length of time, you know what it's like to eat pizza day after day. Sometimes the tedium finally gives way to creative efforts to invent new uses for pizza dough. Try using different shapes and stuffings for this versatile yeast dough. Does this Spark an idea?
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Stuff It
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To make a classic single-serving calzone, roll out an 8-inch circle of pizza dough, fill it with with traditional Italian foods like pepperoni, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, fold it in half and bake it. Now try something different. Begin with the basic idea of a calzone and then let your imagination soar. Cover half of your rolled-out pizza dough with sloppy joe mix, chicken lo mein, beef stew or corned beef and sauerkraut. Fold the top half over the filling, seal the edges tightly and bake in a 350 F oven for about half an hour. You'll have a filled bread loaf that works as a meal or a snack. Or, make a dessert calzone with canned pie filling or apple slices, dried cranberries and a little cinnamon and sugar, and drizzle on top a simple glaze made of milk, confectioners' sugar and a touch of vanilla extract.
Shape It
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Pizza dough bakes up well no matter how you shape it. Pull off small balls and drop three in each cup of a greased muffin tin. Bake, and these simple bread balls turn into yummy dinner rolls. Form the dough into smiley faces, dinosaurs or flowers to use as an attractive garnish for soup or stew. Or, wrap dough strips around hot dogs, cheese sticks or jerky strips to make a tasty hand-held snack. All baked snacks go in a 350 degree oven and are done when the crust is golden brown.
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Flavor It
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Flavored pizza crust has been around for years, usually pleasing the Parmesan cheese and garlic camps. Use your imagination and go beyond the ordinary. Roll dough into strips and, before baking, sprinkle with hot pepper seeds, salt-free herb combinations or cracked pepper and sea salt. Or, add your favorite spice blends to the dough before baking. Try mixing in ranch dressing powder, grated cheddar cheese or popcorn seasoning. Finish the meal with a sweet treat -- coat dough balls or sticks with butter, dip them in a cinnamon/sugar mix and bake. Serve with a warm vanilla glaze or smooth chocolate sauce for dipping.
Blow It Up
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Turn a flat piece of bread into a fluffy pocket to fill later with your favorite sandwich ingredients. Roll out a piece of pizza dough somewhat thicker than normal -- about 1/4-inch thick. Don't flatten the dough or make holes in it. Place the flat dough disk on a pizza pan and bake it in a pizza oven on the regular temperature, or in a home oven set at the highest temperature setting, until golden brown. The dough discs will puff up like beach balls in the oven, but will deflate when you take them out, leaving empty pocket in the middle. Use this pita-shaped bread with a pizza crust flavor when you make your next ham and Swiss or salami and Provolone sandwich.
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References
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