NEW U-Bake Whole Wheat Pizza Dough!
After receiving lots of requests we are finally unveiling our U-Bake Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! With the various low- carb diets of the past several years, whole grains have captured the culinary imagination of this country. Grains and seeds that have long been forgotten are returning to the spotlight. We're eating them for health benefits, certainly, but we've also been rewarded with great flavors and texture. These grains and seeds can be sweet and nutty and complex. However, if used indelicately, they can also make baked goods kind of heavy and dense. My first foray into baking as a teenager began with a copy of the Tassajara Bread book. I remember many leaden whole wheat-molasses loaves that would go uneaten, getting hard and stale on our counter before being chucked with a thud into the garbage can.
This, thankfully, is a new day and we have learned the art of baking with whole grains. Here at Grand Central we often mix whole grain flours with unbleached white flour to achieve the texture we love. In the case of the our U-Bake Whole Wheat Pizza Dough that texture is chewy and crisp and honeycombed; the crust should be every bit as delicious as any topping.
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This dough features both white and whole wheat Shepherd's Grain flours, as well as whole toasted flax seeds. It is pretty, easy to work with, and most importantly, it tastes great. It's slightly sweet whole wheat flavor is a top-notch foil for bitter spring greens and salty, oily anchovies or sausage. I love it with kale, anchovies, a little tomato sauce and good, bright eggs. The richness of the egg, cracked on top of the pie in the last five or six minutes of baking, plays against the saltiness of the anchovy, the earthiness of the kale, and the nutty chew of the pizza dough.I also like it in the style of Alsace's tart flambée, with crème fraiche and bacon and just a bit of salty cheese.
This whole wheat dough also makes fantastic flatbreads. I've made naan, pita and (this may be my favorite) Chinese scallion pancakes. A classic street snack and a great appetizer, scallion pancakes are flaky, chewy, salty and crisp. They are great with green garlic or fresh chives, rather than scallions, making them perfect for this time of year.
Chinese Scallion Pancakes using Grand Central U-Bake Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• Cut thawed U-Bake pizza dough in two. Cover with a non-terrycloth tea towel and let rest for 15-20 min.
• Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a rectangle, about 8" x 4"
• Top rectangle with 1-2 tablespoon chopped scallions, ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and a pinch of kosher salt
• With the long side facing you, roll up dough, tucking in any loose bits of scallion
• Roll the log into a coil. Cover with tea towel and let rest for another 15-20 min.
• Using a rolling pin flatten the coil into a 7" diameter circle
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil (preferably peanut oil) in a skillet over medium-high heat until oil shimmers
• Add pancakes to hot oil and fry until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes per side
• Blot on paper towels, eat and enjoy!
Posted by Laura Ohm, Cuisine Manager / Portland