Cookin' with Robbie Dawg
Monthly canine culinary tips and recipes from Lisa Fortunato, founder and owner of Robbie Dawg, Inc., an all-natural dog treat bakery based out of Brooklyn, NY. She is also the author of her own doggie cookbook.
Pet-Friendly Cooking Tips from Lisa Fortunato
Helpful baking tips
1. Don't be intimidated about baking for your dog. Your dog won't mind if the biscuits aren't perfect, and even if you overwork the dough, they will still be fine.
2. Get to know the feel of "good" dough. Too sticky, add more flour, too dry add more liquid. You ultimately want dough that doesn't stick to your hands and is soft and malleable.
3. When using cookie cutters, first dip them in flour and tap off the excess. Press cookie cutter straight down and try not to wiggle it, as this motion will distort the cut shape. Rather, use the heel of your hand to cut straight down and through the dough.
4. If you are planning to bake large "cookies" be sure to prick them with a fork or skewer before baking. This will prevent the top from puffing and eventually cracking.
5. Store baked biscuits in a cookie tin at room temperature. Storing in a sealed plastic bag can trap moisture and cause mold to grow. The basic difference between commercially baked biscuits and homemade biscuits are how dry and for long the biscuits are baked. If you don't have a convection oven and want them to last longer than two weeks, you need to keep them in the oven till they are rock hard, and don't "give" when you press them with your finger.
6. If your dog is sensitive to wheat, you can substitute regular unbleached flour with brown rice flour, rice flour, oat flour, spelt, or even rye flour. These flours do not contain gluten, so they are more difficult to work with and can crumble easily. To avoid frustration, rather than attempting to roll the dough, press it into a log shape and slice with a knife.
7. Get the kids involved! Baking is fun and easy and they will enjoy being able to share their results with an enthusiastic taste-tester.
8. Pre-measure dry ingredients into a labeled Ziploc storage bag, and when you want to bake all you will need to do is to add the "wet" ingredients.
9. You can store unbaked dough in the freezer for up to three months. Just wrap in saran wrap and store in a labeled zip lock bag.
10. Have fun and try to use organic ingredients whenever possible. Don't be tempted to add salt or sugar, and avoid fancy icings. Remember, you want to offer a treat that is both healthy and nutritious, not something that can cause tummy trouble.
Enjoy!
Please always be cautious when altering your pet's diet in any way.
Try These Recipes:
Vegetable Medley
Broccolini & Orecchietti Soup
Doggie Pizza Biscotti
Pumpkin Pie Dog Biscuits
Thanksgiving Recipes
Robbie dawg is a woman-owned Brooklyn, New York based business that bakes handcrafted organic dog biscuits in 15 flavors. Each month sine its founding in 2005, robbie dawg has donated over 30 pounds of biscuits to the dogs at Bideawee. For more recipes, Lisa recently completed a cookbook for Adam's Media called The Everything Cooking for Dogs Book. The cookbook contains 150 recipes, as well as a section on nutrition and ingredients.
Sew Velcro strips into the sock opening so it can be closed up and easily reopened. Next, fill the sock with batting, scrap fabric, or dried catnip, and seal shut. In no time, your kitty will have a new favorite plaything!
