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Woman competing in bake-off

JANESVILLE — A talented Janesville cook is competing for more than $1 million in cash and prizes now that her recipe has advanced in the 45th Annual Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.

Dawn Logterman has already won a microwave, a $125 gift card and a trip to the contest in Orlando, Fla., on March 25-27.

Logterman, 49, entered her recipe for Caramelized Onion and Peppered Bacon Flatbread in the contest's appetizer category. She will compete against 100 other finalists from 34 different states and the District of Columbia.

Four other finalists come from Wisconsin. One, Cheryl Langlois of Jefferson, will compete against Logterman in the appetizer category with her Marmalade-Glazed Asian Meatball Cups.

Logterman won a spot in the contest via a new online feature called "You Be the Judge." Logterman was paired against another contestant, and her recipe received the most online votes.

Logterman said she's grateful to everyone in the community who voted for her recipe, especially her co-workers and customers at Mocha Moment.

Logterman created her recipe after ordering a similar flatbread in a Madison restaurant. She created an original recipe and started practicing.

"I knew I had something when my husband said, ‘You can keep making this as often as you have to,'" Logterman said.

Being in the contest has been a dream for Logterman, who has submitted recipes for several years.

In Orlando, Logterman will prepare the item three times in four hours: once for judges, once for bake-off VIPs and once for display.

Logterman began cooking when she was young and baked treats for four siblings.

"I enjoy cooking and baking because it makes people happy and, at the same time, I feel good, too," she said.

Recently, Logterman and her husband, Kevin, traveled to Florence, Italy, where they attended an all-day cooking class. They made bruschetta, homemade pasta with meat sauce and tiramisu.

Besides traveling, Logterman enjoys watching the Food Network—"If my TV is on, it's on the Food Network"—and looking at recipes in cookbooks, magazines and online.

Logterman also won a coffee cup for her Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake recipe from allrecipes.com, where she was a featured chef. She also has her own cooking blog at dawns-recipes.blogspot.com

Caramelized Onion and Peppered Bacon Flatbread

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne Pepper

8 slices thick-sliced bacon

4 cups thinly sliced sweet onion (about 1 pound)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter

1 can refrigerated thin pizza crust

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 15x10-inch pan with sides with aluminum foil. Place cooling rack in pan.

In large re-sealable food-storage plastic bag, combine brown sugar, black pepper and cayenne; shake to combine. Separate bacon slices and place in bag; shake to coat. Place bacon on rack in pan.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through baking, or until bacon is browned and thoroughly cooked. Cool completely. Chop bacon; set aside.

Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook onions and garlic in butter over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, or until onions are golden brown. Remove from heat; set aside.

Spray 15x10-inch pan with sides with no-stick cooking spray. Unroll pizza crust dough in pan; press dough to edges of pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

Spread onion mixture over partially baked crust; top with drained tomatoes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; top with bacon.

Bake 7 to 11 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheeses are melted.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil.

Yield: Makes 24 appetizers