100% Whole Wheat Cheese and Mushroom-Stuffed Half Pies

So the other day, my dearest brother-in-law mentioned to one of my kids that he would like to watch a movie in our theater downstairs. I'm not sure if he wanted to watch it alone, but whether he did or not, I invited our whole family to watch it with him and his wife and son.

It seems that one thing the kids LOVE to do is prepare food and eat it downstairs while they are watching a movie. And on this night especially, since we were trying to cram in tons of stuff we needed to do, I was happy to support them. Why not kill two birds with one stone and take dinner downstairs and spend family time together?

Now, my dilemma was what to make. I needed something the kids could just grab with their hands so we wouldn't have to worry about plates and forks and knives. I thought of what movie theaters serve. Nachos wouldn't work because I didn't want cheese all over the carpet. Hot dogs wouldn't work because hot dogs are disgusting. I kept thinking and thinking and finally I received a revelation. I would use the super-easy-to-make bread stick dough, then fill it when mushrooms, cheese and onions, then bake it! I followed some of my pizza-making techniques and these stuffed bread pie things turned our surprisingly delicious! Below is the recipe, and don't forget to check out the nutrition data HERE. Enjoy!

Ingredients
For the Filling:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
20 chopped mushrooms
3 cups of shredding cheese (I used mozarella, but whatever you prefer is fine, too.)

For the bread:
2 1/2 cups warm water
5 teaspoons yeast
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup oil
6 cups whole wheat flour
6 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

Olive oil for brushing
1/4 cup butter for brushing
Salt and garlic powder or granulated garlic for sprinkling

Directions

1. To make the bread, dissolve the yeast and sugar in water warm enough that you can barely stand to hold your hand under it when it’s running.

2. When the yeast starts to foam like root beer (after about 5 minutes), add all of the other ingredients, then knead dough in a food processor or by hand for ten minutes.

3. While bread is mixing, saute onions, garlic and mushrooms in butter, then set aside.

4. When bread is finished mixing, divide the dough into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then roll out into a 7” to 8” circle. Brush with olive oil to keep the dough from getting soggy.

5. Fill with about 2 tablespoons of the mushroom mixture and cheese, then fold the dough over, pressing the edges with a fork to help them stick together.

6. Place the pies on a greased cookie sheet, then let them rise for about half an hour. Brush with butter and sprinkle with garlic salt, then bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 35 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.


Today on some of my other blogs...
365 Days of TV-Free Toddler Time: 100% Whole Wheat Bread Stick Time!l
life in mexico {a picture a day}: {a red pot}

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