Make-Ahead Pizza Dough....and Pizza Sticks for Lunch

Now that school's in session, you'll find me every Saturday in my kitchen, cooking for the week ahead. I'm determined to stop relying on basic sandwiches this year and branch out into better lunches. Pizza's great, whether warm or cold, so this was a natural starting point for me. My oldest is in middle school and has a microwave at her disposal, so she'll likely eat her pizza sticks warm. My youngest doesn't have access to a microwave, so we've compared these pizza sticks to the Lunchables pizza lunch, which kids eat cold all the time. She approves.

This dough can be made ahead and frozen so that you have two pizza crusts ready to go for dinner one night when Papa John calls out to you. Instead of relying on delivery (which can cost a family of four as much as I spend per week in groceries), pull out your dough and you'll be ready to bake in no time. If you roll your dough into pizza crust shape before freezing, the thawing time will be minimal. The other option is to keep it in a ball and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Either way, pizza night just got a whole lot cheaper and less complicated.

This is not the first pizza dough I've shared with you, but it has a different texture and taste than this one. The one I shared a while back is great for cracker-thin crusts. This dough is softer, which makes it a natural choice for my kids' school lunches.

Make-Ahead Pizza Dough
Makes enough dough for 2 medium pizzas (thin crust)

What You Need:

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (if desired. adds color and flavor. I used parsley, basil, and thyme)
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour (white or whole wheat, or a combination)

How it's Done:

1. Stir together yeast, sugar, and water, and let it sit until bubbly. Stir in half the flour, the salt, herbs, and melted butter.
2. Knead in remaining flour until a stiff dough forms. Knead about 6 minutes.
3. Turn the dough out into an oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and roll each half into desired shapes. In my case, rectangles, as I'm making pizza sticks. I want my sticks on the thick side, so I rolled my dough into rectangles that were about 1/2" thick. Place the dough on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. You can freeze at this point if you want. Otherwise, proceed.
5. Let the dough rest 20 minutes. Then, top as desired and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

For my pizza sticks, here's what I did once the dough was rolled into rectangles:

1. I placed each rectangle onto a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
2. I used a pizza cutter to cut through (but not separate) the dough, making 1" wide strips.
3. I spread a bit of pizza sauce -- just a couple tablespoons per rectangle -- on the dough.
4. Then, I topped the sauce with sliced veggies. In this case, sweet banana peppers.
5. Next, I sprinkled about 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella and a bit of Parmesan cheese on each rectangle, and baked them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I let them cool slightly before recutting the strips.

No-Bake Peanut Butter & Jelly Snacks

It's the middle of summer. Temperatures are in the upper 90s and lower 100s. There's no breeze. You could pour yourself a nice warm cup of air and drink it.

But the kids want a snack.

Here's one that will give them some protein to keep them going in the pool, sprinkler, or slip n slide.

No-Bake Peanut Butter & Jelly Balls
Makes about 20 snacks

What You Need:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (or other cookie crumbs)
• 1 cup peanut butter (I used freshly ground, just peanuts, so it's very thick)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup jam/jelly/preserves
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey

How it's Done:

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor (or mix by hand for chunkier snacks) and process until the dough forms a ball.
2. Shape into 1" balls. Roll in confectioner's sugar, coconut, or unsweetened cocoa powder.
3. Chill for at least an hour before serving. Unless your kids are like mine. Incidentally, I find that these freeze well and make good lunchbox snacks.

***WHILE YOU'RE HERE, ENTER TO WIN A SODASTREAM PACKAGE!

What's for Lunch Wednesday: Sweet Potato Pancakes

Day 153.

If you've been reading this blog for long, you know that I'm a proponent of healthy school lunches and that I am appalled at the lack of quality available to most American elementary school students in their cafeterias. Also, it's my goal to reduce the amount of garbage my family produces, so I've decided to make all of their school lunches no waste meals.

When I came across this bento-themed meme at What's for Lunch at Our House, I knew I would participate. So here's what's for lunch at our house.

Main compartment: Romaine lettuce, carrot curls, cucumbers cut into butterflies, strawberries and white cheddar cheese cut into bunnies, and a hard-boiled egg molded into a bunny shape.

Sides: strawberries cut to fit compartment; sweet potato pancakes in leaf and tree shapes.

Not pictured: salad dressing and honey-cinnamon butter

Time invested: 20 minutes (plus boiling time for eggs---pancakes were leftovers)

 The sweet potato pancakes I made were a healthy version of a Southern classic. I omitted the eggs and butter, replacing them with banana and applesauce, eliminated added sugar, and opted for almond milk instead of cow's milk.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Honey-Cinnamon Butter

What You Need:

• 1 sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed
• 1 large banana, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 cups milk (I used almond milk...feel free to use whatever milk you prefer)
• 1 2/3 cups flour (I used all unbleached white flour, but you can substitute whole wheat for even healthier pancakes)
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
• non-stick cooking spray for the pan

 

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your griddle or skillet on medium heat.
2. In a food processor, or using a mixer, beat sweet potato with banana and applesauce. Add milk slowly and beat to combine.
3. In a separate, large mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
4. Add liquid to dry ingredients, stirring only long enough to make sure all the dry ingredients are wet.
5. Drop by 1/3 cupfuls onto a greased skillet and cook 3 minutes on first side, flip, and cook until done (about 3 more minutes).
6. For the butter: In a food processor, combine 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter with 1/4 cup honey and 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon. Process until combined. Store in refrigerator.