Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (25 page)

Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Master Recipe
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
, other non-enriched dough or
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Bread

1 pound (grapefruit-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above

4 garlic cloves

2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed

½ cup pine nuts

2 ounces grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 cup olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, brushed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Extra flour for dusting the pizza peel

THERE’S PLENTY OF BASIL IN THIS PIZZA,
one of the vegetable world’s richest sources of vitamin K (essential for normal blood clotting).

1.
Process the garlic, basil, pine nuts, cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth.

2.
Grill the chicken over medium heat on an outdoor grill, until just cooked through. Cool briefly, then chop coarsely.

3. Thirty minutes before grilling time, preheat a baking stone on an outdoor gas grill over medium flame on all burners;
try to achieve a constant temperature of about 500°F.

4.
Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a rough ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. You don’t need to be as careful about shaping a perfect ball because it won’t be your final shape anyway.

5.
Directly on a wooden pizza peel, flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin to produce a 1/8-inch-thick round, dusting with flour to keep the dough from adhering to the board. A little sticking to the board can be helpful in overcoming the dough’s resistance to stretch. Use a dough scraper to unstick the dough as needed. When you’re done, the dough round should have enough flour under it to move easily when you shake the peel.

6.
Thinly coat the dough with pesto and top with the chicken (you might have enough pesto left over for using as pasta sauce or on another small pizza).

7.
Slide the pizza directly onto the stone (it may take a number of back-and-forth shakes to dislodge the pizza) and close the grill lid. Check for doneness in 8 to 10 minutes; at this time, turn the pizza around if one side is browning faster than the other.

8.
Bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the heat your grill delivers. Watch carefully and remove from heat before the bottom burns. Keep the lid closed as much as possible, and use your nose to detect when the bottom crust is just beginning to char in places.

9.
Allow to cool slightly on a rack before eating.

THE GAS GRILL MAKES GREAT LOAF BREADS, TOO
!
The gas grill with a baking stone can also be used to bake loaf breads (free-form or pan). Preheat the stone to the desired temperature for 30 minutes and place the loaf (or pan) onto it. Then cover it with a roomy aluminum roasting pan and bake for the usual time (with the grill’s lid closed). You can also use any of the steam alternatives (see
Chapter 3
).

Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
is our first choice, but you can also use the
Master Recipe
, any other non-enriched dough, or
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Bread

1 pound (grapefruit-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above

2 large garlic cloves, sliced as thinly as possible with a very sharp knife

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling

¼ to ½ cup canned or jarred marinated artichokes, drained well and sliced thinly (you can use both the “hearts” and the leafy layers)

¾ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves (or 1½ teaspoons fresh)

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper for sprinkling on the top crust

1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F,
with an empty metal broiler tray placed on any rack that won’t interfere with the
focaccia
. The baking stone is not essential when using a cookie sheet; if you omit the stone the preheat can be as short as 5 minutes.

2.
Sauté the garlic slices in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened but not browned; if you brown them they’ll burn in the oven. Set aside while preparing the dough.

3.
Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil or line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

4.
Flatten it into a ½- to ¾-inch-thick round, using your hands and/or a rolling pin and a minimal amount of flour. Place the round on the prepared cookie sheet. Using your fingertips, deeply “dimple” the surface of the dough to hold olive oil.

5.
Scatter the garlic sparingly over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border at the edge, then do the same with the artichoke slices. Allow some of the dough surface to show through as bare dough. You may have leftover garlic and artichoke at the end. Sprinkle the loaf with rosemary, coarse salt, and freshly ground pepper. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil from the sauté pan. You can drizzle with additional olive oil, but not so much that it starts dripping off the sides.

6.
Allow the
focaccia
to rest for 20 minutes.

7.
Place the cookie sheet on the stone or on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is medium brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic. The baking time will vary according to the
focaccia’s
thickness.
Focaccia
will not develop a crackling crust, because of the olive oil.

8.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Master Recipe
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
, any other non-enriched dough, or
Gluten-Free Olive Oil Bread

1 pound (grapefruit-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above)

½ cup dried cherries

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch salt

¼ cup finely minced shallots

2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper for sprinkling on top crust

CHERRIES
are a healthy winner because they contain three fantastic phytochemicals (beneficial plant chemicals): the antioxidant quercetin, in addition to anthocyanins and cyanidin. They’re also rich in vitamins C and E (which work together as a dynamic duo of antioxidant effect;), and the essential mineral potassium, which can lower blood pressure, especially in people eating lots of sodium.

“There’s some evidence that cherries may also help prevent jet lag, though it’s too early to tell if that’s going to hold up. But they were a much healthier snack than the weird box the airline was selling on my family’s recent transatlantic flight.”
—Jeff

1. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 425°F,
with an empty metal broiler tray placed on any rack that won’t interfere with the
focaccia
. The baking stone is not essential when using a cookie sheet; if you omit the stone the preheat can be as short as 5 minutes.

2.
In a small bowl combine the cherries, wine, water, pepper, salt, and shallots. Allow to sit while your dough is resting.

3.
Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil or line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

4.
Flatten it into a ½-to ¾-inch-thick round, using your hands and/or a rolling pin and a minimal amount of flour. Place the round on the prepared cookie sheet. Using your fingertips, deeply “dimple” the surface of the dough to hold olive oil. Allow the
focaccia
to rest for 20 minutes.

5.
After the
focaccia
has rested, strain the cherries and spread them over the surface of the dough. Press them into the dough so that they won’t pop off while baking. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

6.
Place the cookie sheet on the stone or on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot top water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door (see
Chapter 3
for steam alternatives). Bake for approximately 25 minutes, but check for browning at 20 minutes. Continue baking until medium brown without burning the cherries; baking time will be dependent on the
focaccia
’s thickness.
Focaccia
does not develop a crackling crust because of the olive oil.

7.
Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Use any of these refrigerated pre-mixed doughs:
Mesquite
,
Master Recipe
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread
,
100% Whole Wheat Bread with Olive Oil
, or other non-enriched dough

1 pound (grapefruit-size portion) of any pre-mixed dough listed above

1 ear fresh corn (can substitute ¼ cup frozen corn niblets, especially the roasted variety)

1 dried chili pepper (New Mexico red,
guajillo
, or
ancho
variety), or substitute 1½ teaspoons of your favorite chili powder

1 tablespoon olive oil for the sauté pan

1 medium onion, chopped

1 fresh poblano pepper, seeded, stemmed, and diced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

One 14-ounce can pureed or diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ounces semi soft goat cheese

1 or 2 grilled chicken thighs (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Additional kosher salt to sprinkle on the finished
focaccia

Corn masa or cornmeal for dusting the pizza peel