Since we have been asked to stay at home, I’ve tried to master baking bread. As much as I enjoy being in the kitchen, bread has always been tricky for me. My grandmother gave me a bread machine at a young age and I was a pro at making dough creations in that machine. Bring on the carbs! When we got married and moved in to our first home, somehow the paddle from the machine went missing in the move. I searched forever to find a replacement paddle for that bread machine with zero success.
With most grocery stores being out of bread products and the fact that I enjoy being a homebody, there’s no better time to master bread than the present. I got on the Food Network app and searched for pizza dough. With pizza being a family favorite and always having topping worthing supplies in the refrigerator, I felt that it was a good place to start. And if the dough tasted terrible, hey, there would be plenty of toppings to mask any failure!
Here’s the recipe that I used for the pizza dough: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe-1921714
With over 600 – 5 star reviews, I thought that it would be a good recipe to try. What made this recipe so easy was my awesome stand mixer with a dough hook that I got when I was 18. Here is the one I use: KitchenAid 4-1/2-Quart Ultra Power Stand Mixer, Grey
I simply made the recipe linked above and wrapped my mixing bowl in plastic wrap. I let it sit for one hour, prepping it for dinner. We ended up ordering take out that night and I threw the bowl in the fridge and crossed my fingers.
The next day, I went to prep the dough and it was so fluffy! It was a yeast success! Below is the recipe that I created!
Pear and Bleu Cheese Tart
1/3 recipe of pizza dough (linked above)
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
1 garlic glove
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 pear, I used Bartlett
1/4 cup Bleu Cheese
salt
pepper
balsamic glaze, use your own or what I used: Nonna Pia’s Classic Balsamic Glaze (12.85 Ounce)
Mixed Green Salad Topping:
2 cups mixed greens
2 tablespoons of good quality of olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt
pepper
Directions: Pre heat oven to 450 degrees. Take pizza dough and shape to the approximate size of 5 by 8 inches. Cover with tea towel and let rise for 10 minutes. Chop garlic and let sit in two tablespoons of olive oil. When dough is ready, brush on garlic and olive oil mixture. Sprinkle dough with mozzarella. Slice pear and arrange on dough. Place blue cheese over pears. Season with preferred amount of salt and pepper. Drizzle with remaining amount of olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes. While the tart is baking, arrange salad and balsamic glaze, if needed.
Remove tart from oven when cheese is melted and dough is browned. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of balsamic glaze, cut in to slices and place salad in center.
Salad: toss salad with 1/2 lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
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