Italian Cheese Bread

Soup weather is back with a vengeance. We got at least 6" of snow over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and there's a day this week that they high temperature....the high, mind you, will be 18°. You can bet that soup sounds really good. I'm a fan of soup. I'm also a fan of bread with said soup, even when the soup is sub-par.

We had this bread with a recipe for butternut squash soup that won't be making a return appearance. I had high hopes for the soup, but the bread was the real star of the show. Notes on this recipe-----> Since it's just the two of us at home, I made a half a recipe and instead of baking it in a pizza pan, I put it into a small cast iron pan to bake. I also didn't bake it at the screaming hot oven temperature that was requested. I rarely bake any bread above 375°. Pizza is the exception.

Italian Cheese Bread

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon quick-rise yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water (120° to 130°)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Topping:

• 1/4 to 1/3 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Dash pepper
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella chees

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Beat in water and oil until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 1-2 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; place on a greased 12-in. pizza pan and pat into a 12-in. circle. Brush with salad dressing. Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over top. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Comments

[SD Boy]

That looks good!