Re: Aaj kya pakaaya/khaaya
Gals, here is the recipe i used for stromboli (taken from pizzamaniac.com)
1 1/4 c warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
3 c flour (i used Pillsbury bread flour)
1 tsp yeast
Garlic powder, italian seasoning etc (optional)
Mix everything like you normally would for pizza and let rise for a few hours in a warm place.
For the filling: traditionally, stromboli has a filling of salami, provolone and mozzarella. Since we dont have halal salami here, i used mushroom, green olives, jalapenos (everything chopped) and chicken strips that were seasoned and cooked in a bit of oil.
When ready to assemble, i divided the dough in four part and saved 2 of them for later use. Roll out the dough to an oval shape of about 1/8 inch thickness. Now on one of the longer sides, spread some pizza sauce, not a lot though but make sure to keep a border of atleast 1 inch around empty. Now pile on the filling ingredients and top with cheese (i used both mozarella and a bit of strong cheddar). Now from the long side with the filling, start rolling into a log form. Make sure you seal the edges and no filling is peeking out.
Make small slashes on the top in either straight or horizontal lines to let the steam escape. Make sure not you dont cut a lot since the filling can seep out. Brush teh top with some butter and a beaten egg. I only used egg white and mine didnt brown nicely the way i wanted it to. Sprinkle and pat some sesame seeds, poppy seeds and/or some italian seasoning, whatever is availible. Bake at 420 degree preheated oven for about 10-15 mins. Keep watching till the top is nicely browned.
Both of us found the two logs to be a lot for us so we just cut one of them in half and ate as sandwiches. Serve with marinara or ranch dressing on the side if desired.