While out grocery shopping, you may have spotted something in the refrigerated section, ready-to-bake pizza dough. Now, this ready-to-use dough is great for making pizzas, but did you know you can make other things with it, like bagels, pretzel bites, and even cinnamon rolls? With flour and yeast in short supply, you need to get crafty in the kitchen, and here’s how!
Pretzel Bites
This recipe is inspired by this one from the Food Network.
Ingredients
1 lb ready-to-bake pizza dough
1 Egg
1/2 cup Baking Soda
Coarse Salt/Pretzel Salt
Method
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into four sections. Roll each section out into a rope that is about 3/4 inch in diameter and then cut them into 1-inch pieces to form your pretzel bites. Bring three quarts of water to a boil on your stovetop and add in the baking soda. Boil your pretzel bites for about 45 sec - 1 minute and then place them on a paper towel-lined plate and pat them dry. Try not to overcrowd the pot and make sure to turn the bites so all sides are exposed to the boiling water. Make an egg wash by whisking the egg with 1 1/2 TBS of water. Coat the pretzel bites in the egg wash, making sure the excess drips off, and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Sprinkle the bites with coarse salt, then bake at 425F for 13-15 minutes until they are a dark brown. Serve with a mustard or cheese sauce and enjoy!
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe is inspired by this one from Midwest Foodie.
Ingredients
1 lb ready-to-bake pizza dough
1 stick of softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs cinnamon
pinch of salt
For the Icing
4 oz cream cheese
2 Tbs softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbs heavy cream
pinch of salt
Method
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out into a 12″x18″ rectangle. Spread the softened butter over the dough. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle over the buttered dough. Roll the dough up starting at the 12″ long side so you end up with a log that is about 12″ long. Divide the log into 9 separate pieces and place them in a buttered 8x8 baking tin. Cover them with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 30 minutes. In the meantime make the icing by using a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese and butter, once well-blended add in the powdered sugar and blend again. Finally, add in the vanilla, heavy cream and salt and mix, adding more cream if needed to get it to the right consistency. After resting, bake the cinnamon rolls at 350F for about 30-35 minutes or until they are golden brown and cooked through. Smother the rolls in the icing and indulge!
Everything Bagels
This recipe is inspired by this one by Macheesmo.
Ingredients
1 lb ready-to-bake pizza dough
1 Tbs Baking Soda
1 Tbs Salt
Everything bagels spice blend (1 Tbs coarse salt, 1 Tbs granulated onion, 1 Tbs granulated garlic, 1 Tbs poppy seeds, 1 Tbs sesame seeds)
Method
Divide the dough into 6 even pieces (each weighing 2.8oz if you have a kitchen scale). To make the dough less sticky, powder your hands and the scale with flour. Let the dough balls rest for about 15 minutes in a warm area, then shape into bagels by pushing your fingers through the center and stretching the dough until it forms a bagel. Let them rest for another 15 minutes. In the meantime, bring 3 quarts of water to boil and add in 1 Tbs salt and 1 Tbs baking soda. Boil the bagels for about 1 minute on each side, and pat dry. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray and coat the tops in the everything bagel spice blend. Bake the bagels at 400F for 18-20 until they are a light golden brown. Serve with cream cheese.