-=> Quoting Janis Kracht to Jim Weller <=-  

 JK> ==pizza fritta==

 JK> 2 teaspoons yeast

Many North American native peoples make a similar fry bread but they
usually leaven it with baking powder.

 JK> Heat about an inch of olive oil in a 9-10" frying pan over medium-low
 JK> heat. Slice a bread slice size of dough from the dough ball and stretch
 JK> it with your fingers.  Add to the hot oil carefully and fry until
 JK> golden on one side then turn and fry until golden on the other side. 

We do that often when making bread, although we don't use olive
oil. Roslind's dad called them "dough gods" and used lard. Today we
usually use canola oil.

 JK> Drain on paper toweling, sprinkle sugar or confectioner's sugar over
 JK> the fried dough pieces.

Also good.... a sugar and cinnamon mix, maple syrup or raspberry jam.  

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: Beautiful, Flaky Pie Crust The Old-Fashioned Way Part 1
Categories: Pastry, Info
  Servings: 4

           pie crust tips

It's simple, it's reliable, and it produces a strong but pliable
dough that bakes into an extra-flaky crust.

Before jumping into the nitty-gritty of my technique, you must
unlearn what you have learned from other recipes. We've been warned
about the "evils" of gluten so many times we have a deep-seated fear
of overworking the dough. But then we find ourselves angry at doughs
that rip and tear, and we hate our crusts as they slump out of shape
in the oven. Gluten: It's the force that gives pastry its power,
that binds a crust together. It strengthens dough so that we can
wield it with confidence, knowing it won't fall apart in our hands.

The dark side of gluten is that it can make a pie crust tough, but
that's where butter comes in. It brings balance to the force, so pie
dough turns out tender and crisp. In culinary school, I learned that
a 1:1 ratio of flour to butter by weight is ideal. That may seem
like more than you're used to, but it's a tried-and-true pastry
formula that improves the flexibility of the dough.It also keeps the
bottom crust from turning soggy.

Happily, the technique for getting the crust extra flaky is actually
pretty fun, because it all boils down to smashing and folding.
Here's the deal: Cut up some cold butter, toss it with flour, and
squish each cube flat. That's it; no "coarse meal" or "pea-sized
bits" to try to judge by eye. No guesswork adding
the water, either, it is exactly 50% of the flour by weight. Once
it's incorporated, knead until the dough forms a lumpy ball; the
butter itself will work as a binder while simultaneously keeping the
gluten from becoming dangerously powerful.

Once all the floury bits have been absorbed, plop the dough onto a
well-floured surface and sprinkle more flour on top. Seriously, have
at it! Any excess flour can be brushed off later on, so there's
absolutely no reason to scrape by with the bare minimum. Use as much
flour as you need to feel 100% confident as you roll.

Aim to roll the dough just a little bigger than a sheet of notebook
paper, keeping it well floured on either side as you go. Bring each
10-inch side toward the middle, close both sides together like a
menu, then fold the whole thing in half (top to bottom). Unlike with
a fancy puff pastry or croissant dough, this sort of folding isn't
about precision, it's about throwing in a few quick and dirty layers
that will be thinned and lengthened as you roll out the top and
bottom crusts. For that modicum of effort, you'll be rewarded with
massive layers that make everyone go ooooh and ahhhh.

As soon as you've folded it up, the dough is ready, no waiting or
refrigeration needed. Unless your kitchen is unreasonably warm
(which means your rolling surface is warm, too), it's better to

tackle the procedure all in one go. When you refrigerate a block of
dough, rolling it out later on will soften the chilled butter and
"awaken" the gluten, requiring that it be chilled and relaxed again.
If it's not, the softened butter will melt too fast, making the
crust greasy and dense. What's worse, the unrelaxed gluten cause our
crust to shrink. Cut the folded dough in two pieces for the top and
bottom crusts. They'll be kinda square. So long as you roll the
dough until it's roughly 14 inches across, you can just sling it
over a pie plate and trim it to size.

This dough is a joy to handle, wonderfully easy to pick up without
stretching, ripping, or tearing. Thanks to an ample supply of
butter, you don't have to worry about cracks as you fold and shape
the dough. It easily conforms to the curves of the pie plate, and
curls over nicely to form the border of the crust.

Roll the remaining dough into a 9 by 15 inch rectangle. It's the
perfect size and shape to yield plenty of strips for a lattice-top
pie, but it's also big enough that you can cover the whole pie in
one solid sheet, with enough extra dough for decorative cutouts,
too. Whatever your plan, don't cut those pieces yet, or they'll
shrink as the dough relaxes. Instead, transfer the dough to a
parchment-lined baking sheet or cutting board so it can lie flat. 
Cover both portions of dough with plastic, and refrigerate at least
two hours and up to 24; refrigeration isn't strictly about relaxing
the gluten; it's about chilling the butter to help preserve all
those leafy sheets.

Also, stick with pie plates made from plain tempered glass. They may
not look like much, but they've got it where it counts! Compared to
thick enameled ceramic or heavy stoneware, tempered glass conducts
heat more quickly and evenly into the dough, for a quick-set crust
that won't absorb as much moisture from the filling.

Stella Parks  

  From: Serious Eats                    
 
MMMMM-------------------------------------------------


Cheers

Jim


... Few people understand a really good sandwich.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20