tropit

I like to always have a couple of balls of pizza dough in my freezer, ready to use in a pinch. I could go to the trouble and make my own pizza dough, but Safeway and my Co-op both sell ready-made dough in their freezer and fridge sections and it's cheap...really cheap...and frequently on sale too! So, why bother making pizza dough on a hot, summer's day when I can get it already prepared?

I have discovered so many uses for the dough beyond pizza, some by accident and some out of sheer desperation.

- pita breads: Just break off a piece of thawed dough, roll it out on a floured board and plop it on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 300 degree oven until it puffs up and is lightly browned.

- Hamburger buns: divide the thawed dough into 4 pieces and roll each one into a ball. Place the balls in a lightly greased pie pan and brush with a little oil, or butter. Let rise for an hour, or two, then bake at 350 until lightly browned. don't over cook them unless you want a really crispy crust.

- Breakfast bread: Take the frozen dough out of the freezer, put it on a lightly greased baking sheet and place in a cold oven overnight. The next morning, turn on the oven and bake until done. (Easier than making the morning coffee.)

- Dinner rolls: See hamburger buns above. Just make the balls smaller and pack them into the pie pan with the sides just touching.

- Naan (Kinda): OK...not as good as real Naan, but easy and still tastes good. Divide thawed dough into 4 pieces and pat each one out flat, but still kind of lumpy. Heat a cast iron skillet to pretty hot and place a "naan" in the skillet, turn when it starts to bubble and brown. Don't over cook or it will lose it's chewy texture.

- Crackers: Roll thawed dough out to very thin. Lay out on a lightly greased baking sheet and pierce many times with a fork. Bake at 350 until very lightly brown and crisp. Break into pieces and put into a bowl next to some hummus, guac...yummmmm.

Anyone else have ideas?

~ C