Today is my day off work & it is one of those days that I have a loooooong to do list. I don't seem to mind so much today because it is sunny outside & I am sure I will take a little break midday to layout & enjoy it! Also Dan had a surprise date day planned for us tomorrow, so it looks like we have an exciting weekend ahead of us! Oh yes, now to the point of this post, the food!
These paninis are fabulous let me tell you. It was the perfect meal for a hot summers night! My in laws made this when we went for a visit last summer & I have been dying to make them myself! So here we are. The perfect grilled panini.
You are going to need:
- 1 bread dough recipe. this will make about 16 paninis. feel free to cut the recipe in half.
- 3-4 grilled chicken breasts OR we used leftover chicken thighs from a few nights ago. You would even use the store bought whole chicken & break them into pieces. Anyhow, you just need some chicken :)
- grilled veggies of your choice! we used grilled zucchini, green & red peppers
- red onion, sliced
- lettuce of choice. we used spinach
- hummus of choice. we bought chipotle hummus. it gave it a really good spice!
- grated mozzarella cheese
Whole wheat bread dough:
IN a large bowl pour 2 cups of lukewarm water
ADD:
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 1 tablespoon of yeast
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of Italian herbs
Gradually add 2 cups of whole wheat flour, then 3 1/2 cups of white flour. At first stir it with a fork, but once you can't do that any more, take the ball of dough and put it on a lightly floured surface. Kneed the dough down for about 8-10 minutes. Shape it into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl and roll the dough around so it gets covered in the oil. Let it sit for 30-45 minutes so it can rise.
Step one:
While your bread dough is rising prepare your chicken & grilled veggies. I brushed some olive oil & fresh garlic on my zucchini & I cooked the peppers on the stove top because I didn't want to risk losing them on the bbq! Also prepare your chicken however you would like & grate your cheese.
Step two:
Once your bread dough has risen, pound it down & then break it into pieces. I recommend rolling it out to about the size of a medium dinner plate. We rolled out our dough into massive paninis & we only made 6 LARGE paninis. We ended up cutting them into "sandwich size" after the cooking was done. So please roll them out to be the size of a medium dinner plate. You also don't want it too thick because that it will make it harder to cook. Then oil them on both sides.
rollin..
Step three:
Make sure that both sides of your dough are greased then plop it onto the bbq! Only let it sit on the bbq for a few minutes each side. You don't want it to burn, but you want it to cook all the way through. Once cooked take it off the bbq.
**please remember that our paninis are extremely large. Basically they were the size of pizzas!**
Step four:
Now that it is off the bbq fill it will everything delicious! We bought chipotle hummus & it was amazing. Totally recommend it. Make sure you leave enough to fill all the paninis! Don't get to excited on the first one & overfill it ;)
Fold it over and grill it just for a minute or two to make the cheese all melty.
Lastly, enjoy every single bite! We will be enjoying these paninis today & probably tomorrow seeing as we have so many left!
Sorry everyone that was a really long post! I just really wanted you guys to see the process step by step!
I am off to go do my devos, and go for my workout!
What are your plans for the weekend? anything exciting?
xo
yum yum yum! Those paninis look terrific, I just love that kind of food (: The picture is great to, really looks delicious. Sounds pretty exiting with that date, let us know how it went! (:
ReplyDeletewww.happymeanshealthy.blogspot.com
Thanks! I will let you know how the date goes! He already spoiled the surprise & he told me that we're going on a motorbike trip tomorrow all day with a picnic for lunch :)
DeleteThis looks so yummy! I have to admit, I would probaby buy the panini bread and throw it on the grill. Anything to save time!
ReplyDeleteBuying the panini would be just as yummy I am sure!
Delete