by Christina Braatz, Account Executive at Companion Protect
Stuck at home and nothing to do? If you are like me, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to bake all the goodies; banana bread, chocolate croissants, blueberry cobbler… you name it! But after I gained 10 pounds the first week of quarantine, I realized I needed to change course. DOG TREATS! Below is a simple, healthy recipe for some treats your dog will surely love. It’s a very adaptable recipe with ingredients you most likely have in your pantry already!
The first thing you’ll want to do is measure out all your ingredients. My dog, Luna, loves carrots! For this recipe, I added one shredded carrot, and mixed flax seed into the flour (it was vet recommended due to Luna’s seasonal allergies). Another great, optional alternative is adding a shredded apple, and/or even a tablespoon or more of peanut butter. As always, check with your vet and see if they have any concerns or recommendations.
After you have measured all ingredients out, you want to mix the yeast with the water. Pour the yeast in the lukewarm water and give it a little twirl. Let is sit for a few minutes while it gets activated and starts bubbling up.
After the yeast has activated, you can mix all the ingredients together. Pour the yeast and water mixture in with your flour, then the egg, followed by the oil.
Now we are ready to work and knead the dough. Start by using your two hands to mx the ingredients together. You want to work your dough so that there are no dry parts. If you find your dough is a little dry, add one tablespoon of lukewarm water at a time. Once your dough is combined, knead it in the bowl until it becomes a nice smooth texture. Form it into a ball.
Cover your dough with a towel and let it rest for an hour. Perfect time to pour yourself a glass of wine!
Once the hour is up, check on your dough. It shouldn’t have expanded much, but just enough to make sure the yeast and ingredients have been able to sit and rest from all the working. Next, lightly brush your work area with some flour and place your ball of dough on the counter.
Turn your oven to 300 so it can start preheating. Lay out a few baking sheets, either lightly greased or with parchment paper.
Now, back to your dough! Roll it out into a rectangle; about a quarter of an inch. If you do not have a rolling pin, a wine bottle works perfect. I also use my hands quite a bit to help form the dough into the shape I want, so don’t be afraid to get in there!
Your dough may crack a little and that is totally fine. It should be a little dry to make for an extra crispy treat. If the holes or cracks are too big, pull a little dough from the outer edges and press down to those areas using your rolling pin or wine bottle.
Now it’s time to cut your shapes. If you have a cutter in mind, go ahead and use it. I had a bone shaped cutter, so I went ahead and used that. You could also use the top of a cup (or a perfect circle shape), or even a knife to cut out little circles. It’s really up to you! Place your shaped treats on the prepared baking sheets.
Once you have made all your shapes, round up your extra dough and roll it out again and repeat the process. You will repeat until all your dough has run out.
Place your treats in the oven for one hour. Now is a perfect time for a walk with your dog or even a quick cat nap. No judgments here, I have a pug whose ideal day is sleeping for 22 hours.
After one hour, check on your treats. They should be a noticeably darker color. I took my treats out, but depending on your oven you may want to keep cooking for 2-3 min increments until they achieve the color you are looking for. Let your treats cool for one hour or even overnight to firm and crisp up.
Once the treats have cooled down, share them with your pup! Store them in an airtight container until they are all gone, or up to six months.
Recipe for Dog Treats
Ingredients:
Directions:
- Measure out all ingredients. Place measured-out flour into largest bowl for mixing.
- Pour yeast into lukewarm water and let bubble up for a few minutes.
- Mix all ingredients together; yeast/water mixture, oil and egg.
- Mix and knead all ingredients in bowl until it forms into a nice smooth dough.
- (Add 1 teaspoon of water at a time if dough seems to dry.)
- Cover with towel and let dough rest for one hour.
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly greased.
- After one hour, lightly dust your workspace with flour and roll out your dough into a rectangular shape, about a ¼ of an inch thick.
- Cut out desired shapes and place on prepared baking sheets.
- If you have leftover dough, form into a ball, re-roll the dough and cut out your next batch. Repeat until all dough is used.
- Bake for 1 hour or until golden.
- Let treats cool down on a wire rack for one hour or even overnight to crisp up.
- Share with your dog!!!
- Store in airtight container on shelf for up to 6 months.
*As always, check with your vet before feeding a new treat to your furry friend.