Small Batch Brownies

Posted in Brownies and Bars, Desserts by Spatula in My Pocket

What does your parents being away all weekend mean? It means a kitchen all to yourself! It means partyyy! And party means brownies.

Brownies solve everything! They even make your headaches and cold go away. I swear they do.

There I was lying sick in bed, craving warm gooey brownies but did not have the energy nor the people to make a whole batch of brownies for. With just me and my sister and brother home, it seemed like the perfect time to try this handy dandy recipe for a small batch of brownies I had bookmarked ages ago.

Small batch of brownies not meant for sharing!

The left side is obviously intended for me.

The original recipe yields 3 to 4 brownies. I cut them into 8 tiny squares just so I could savor one bit at a time. These brownies are just as fudgy and dense as the normal kind. And they are so easy to make too. Just one bowl, and only a handful of ingredients, all of which you probably already have on hand.

And the best part? The recipe calls for only half a stick of butter! Awesome for if, like me, you are always running out of butter.

Small Batch Brownies

Prep Time: 5 minutes Yields: 4 large or 8 small squares

Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup (57g) butter

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup all-purpose flour, sifted

3 Tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted

¼ teaspoon instant coffee powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.

Butter an 8×4 inch loaf pan*. Line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Heat butter in the microwave, for around 25-30 seconds, or until melted. Mix in sugar and cocoa powder. Cool slightly. Then mix in the egg. Add in the vanilla, coffee powder, and the flour; mix until just combined.

Pour into prepared loaf pan. Spread into an even layer. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*using a pan any bigger than a loaf pan will yield in thinner brownies.

Recipe source: Cooking Classy

Foolproof Pizza Dough

Posted in Savoury by Spatula in My Pocket

Homemade pizza dough; so simple, so delicious, with guaranteed perfect results every time!

*Step-by-step photos at the BOTTOM.

*Please excuse the bad quality of the pictures, light went out and I had to make do with that one tiny bulb in the kitchen.

Here you go, as promised, my foolproof pizza dough which isn’t just for pizza. You can make anything out of it!

Chicken bread
Dinner rolls
Buns
Mini pizza pies
Chicken pinwheels
Pizza pockets
Sesame swirl sticks
Chicken buffalo turnovers
Cinnamon rolls
Italian Pirazo pie

These are only some of the things I’ve made using this dough (recipes on the blog soon), there are countless other options. It freezes well too. Before use let it thaw, and then use it in the same way as you would use freshly made dough.

I first came across this recipe around five years back on a TV show, Masala Mornings, and since then I’ve made it a bazillion times, and it has never once let me down. It’s simple, tastes amazing, and rises perfectly every single time.

It comes together in just minutes, is inexpensive, and it makes a ton; 2 large pizzas, or 2 large loaves of stuffed chicken bread, or 24 mini pizza pies!

I gave you a sneak peek on Instagram a few days back of what I made out of one batch of this amazing dough. See my next post for a recipe of one of these freshly baked goods.

View this post on Instagram

Pizza pinwheels, chicken breads, and mini cinnamon rolls; all made out of “one” Miracle Dough. Recipe of which will be on the blog soon! #bakingfrenzy #treatsforthelovedones #spatulainmypocket

A post shared by Noor | spatulainmypocket (@spatulainmypocket) on Aug 28, 2015 at 5:41am PDT

You probably have all the ingredients on hand, try this for yourself now!

Foolproof Pizza Dough

Yields enough for two large pizzas

Ingredients:

4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 standard packet (1/4 ounce) or 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup whole milk

Lukewarm water, as needed

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, the egg, oil, and the milk. Slowly mix in the water with your hands till all the ingredients are mixed well and dough starts to form.

Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes on a floured counter top till the dough becomes smooth and is no longer sticky. Add more flour if it is still sticky.

Bang the dough on the counter top 7-8 times for elasticity.

Shape the dough in a ball and place in a greased bowl. Brush the top lightly with some oil. Cover with plastic or a kitchen cloth, and allow the dough to rise somewhere warm until doubled in size, around 2 hours.

Punch the dough to release air. Use or freeze as required.

Notes:

Dough can also be made in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment.

Recipe source: Shireen Anwer

Place all of your dry ingredients in one large bowl.

Add in the egg, oil, and the milk.

Now, slowly mix in the warm water. Water should be lukewarm NOT hot or else it’d kill the yeast. Mix together everything, either my hand or in your stand mixer with dough hook attached, till just combined.

When it resembles something like that, it’s time to plop this sticky piece of not yet dough on a floured counter and it’s time to knead.

Knead and sprinkle flour on the counter and the dough from time to time till it no longer sticks to your hands or the counter top. Knead for a good 5 minutes. Tip: bang dough, on the counter top, hard for a good 7 to 8 times for elasticity. Then shape it into a ball, and place in a greased bowl. Flatten it a bit and lightly brush the top with some vegetable oil.

Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest somewhere warm, for me that’s my microwave turned off, till its doubled in size, around 1 ½ – 2 hours.

And tada! Look how nicely it has poofed up.

Look at how yeasty it is!

Punch it down to release air, and it is now ready to be rolled out, customized and baked into something delicious!

AN OVERVIEW

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