The DIY Pantry (9 page)

This is a fantastic, reliable, everyday pizza dough. The advantage to making crusts ahead of time is that when you’re craving pizza or just want a quick meal at the end of a long day, you don’t have to rely on take-out or store-bought frozen pizzas; you can easily take a crust out of the freezer, throw on some simple toppings, and bake. In fact, if you’re really pressed for time, you can just bake one of these crusts as is, cut it into breadsticks, and dip it in your favorite Pasta Sauce (see
Chapter 7
). Paired with a good salad, it makes a simple yet elegant meal.

1. Pour the water into a medium bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer and stir in the yeast until it dissolves. Let it sit until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
   
2. Add the salt, sugar, and olive oil and begin to mix on slow. Add the flour 1 spoonful at a time until all 7 cups of flour have been added. Continue to mix the dough until it is smooth and springy, 5–7 minutes.
   
3. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let rise until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
   
4. Punch down the dough and divide it into four pieces. Roll each piece to about
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₄
   " thick and separate them with pieces of parchment paper. Wrap the bunch together in foil and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
   
5. When you are ready to bake, just take a crust out of the freezer, top with your favorite toppings, and bake at 400°F for 18–22 minutes.
   

These Tex-Mex style tortillas are addictively good. Being a flour tortilla (as opposed to corn), they’re not necessarily authentic south of the border, but they are still the perfect companion for your favorite fajitas, tacos, and refried beans. They also work well as an all-natural, generic flatbread. Use these any time you need a soft wrap to go with gyros, falafels, or hummus. They’re extremely versatile.

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the butter and warm milk until everything comes together in a sticky dough ball.
   
2. Knead the dough for 2 minutes on a floured surface. It should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for at least 30 minutes but no more than 12 hours.
   
3. After the dough has rested, break off twelve sections and roll them into balls. Cover and let the balls rest for another 10 minutes. This step allows the gluten to develop, so that you can roll the tortilla out to a proper thickness and shape.
   
4. After dough has rested for a second time, flatten each ball into a circle. Carefully roll out each circle with a rolling pin until it’s thin and about 8" in diameter. Set prepared tortillas aside and cover them until ready to cook.
   
5. Heat a dry skillet on medium-high heat. Cook each tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side until it is slightly browned and starts to puff or bubble. Place cooked tortillas under a dishtowel until you are ready to serve.
   
6. Store completely cooled tortillas in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
   
7. To reheat, place the tortillas in a 200°F oven for 2–3 minutes, but don’t leave them in the oven for longer than 5 minutes, as they will begin to dry out and lose their soft, chewy texture.
   

In many places in Mexico and Central America, the staple of every meal is tortillas, and no meal is complete with them. This recipe makes a fairly traditional thin Mexican-style tortilla, but if you’d like to make a more traditional Central American-style tortilla, just leave it about
¹
⁄
₄
" thick rather than rolling it thin.