Monday, March 19, 2012

I Almost Never Post Recipes

All morning I have been looking around recipe sites for something different to cook this week. Usually when the stores have their monthly sales, I pick up all the incredients to make my own flatbread mini pizzas to be frozen for just those times when I want a quick snack. Over the years I have perfected my recipe by using specific brands of cheese, pizza sauce, mushrooms and pepperoni. You would never again buy or order from the store once you tasted one of my tasty originals.

My current diet keeps me away from fresh bread more than I would like. On the weekend I allow myself a whole, fresh, garlic and cloves French baggette. I really like making a plate of deli meats, garlic stuffed olives, exotic cheeses and this bread when I am watching TV.

The following recipe combines all my loves into one tasty hunk of pizza bread. I will let you all know how this works out later this week. There will even be pictures.





Crazy Pizza Bread
Serves 4 to 6

Use your favorite pizza toppings for this. I used red bell peppers, green peppers and pepperoni to keep it kid-friendly. Other suggested add-ins: caramelized onions and roasted garlic (dry roast unpeeled cloves on a skillet for about 5 minutes, then finely mince or mash into a paste). If using a topping that will render fat, microwave it for a minute or two to prevent the fat from rendering into the dough while baking, which will alter the texture of the bread.

Serve with a simple marinara sauce or tomato soup for dipping.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Lindsay Chopped California Ripe Olives or 1/2 cup Lindsay Large Pitted Black Ripe Olives, sliced
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the olives and toppings and combine well. Dough will be tacky, but feel free to dust with a bit more extra flour if it feels too tacky. Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese over top. Then, using the Silpat or paper, fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.

To pack for lunch, wrap slices in foil and lightly toast before putting it in a lunchbox. Include a small container of tomato soup or marinara sauce for dipping.


http://ivoryhut.com/2010/08/crazy-pizza-bread/

2 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Yum, that sounds good -- I await your review.

Paradox Al said...

Sounds delicious. I like the name, too.