dough essentials: savory dough recipe

How To Make dough essentials: savory dough recipe

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  1

  PREP/PREPARE
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  2

  You will need (want) a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook to make this recipe. Otherwise, you could make it by hand. Up to you.
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  3

  Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
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  Add the two eggs to a bowl with a few drops of water, whisk to combine, and reserve.
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  Add the milk, sugar, and butter to a small saucepan, and lightly heat until the butter melts, and the sugar is dissolved. Take the pan off the heat, and allow the temperature to drop to 105f (40c). Then, whisk the contents, sprinkle the yeast over the top, and wait about 10 minutes.
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  What we are doing is called “proofing” the yeast. If after 10 minutes the yeast creates a foamy surface on the liquid, the yeast is good. Congratulations, have a glass of wine, and press on. If, after 10 minutes, nothing has happened, your yeast is dead, give it a proper burial, and buy some good yeast. FYI: I buy my yeast in bulk, and store it in the freezer until needed.
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  While the yeast is proofing, add the flour and salt to mixer, and whisk to combine.
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  Chef’s Note: You could mix this dough by hand, if you wish; however, a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, would be less labor intensive.
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  With the mixer set to slow speed, slowly add the yeast/milk mixture, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
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  Mix until combined 3 – 4 minutes, and then add the eggs, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
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  Continue to knead the dough for an additional 4 – 5 minutes.
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  The dough will probably still be a bit wet, so here is what you do. Every 20 seconds or so, throw in a tablespoon of flour, and let it combine. Keep doing that until the dough becomes silky, and begins climbing up the hook. Mixing dough can be a enlightening experience. You follow the recipe to a tee, and it comes out too wet, or too dry. There are so many mitigating factors that no single dough recipe will work for all. So, I purposefully made this one a bit wet, and that allows you to slowly add more flour until it is just right.
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  Add a tablespoon of grapeseed oil, to a bowl, add the dough, and coat with the oil. Then cover and place in a non-drafty corner of your kitchen, until it is doubled in size, about an hour.
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  Punch it down, lightly flour a clean working surface, and roll out into your culinary creation.
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  Chef’s Tip: This type of dough will rise a bit, after rolling out, so before baking, give it about 20 minutes to rise, before filling.
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  PLATE/PRESENT
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  Savory pies, meat pies, calzones, bierocks, pizzas… this is your one-stop dough recipe. Enjoy.
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  Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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