Cheesy Bread

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When we visited Utah last month, my friend Mary had made this really yummy crazy bread for us that my kids (and I) couldn't get enough of. This bread is in honor of that deliciously soft bread. I got the recipe from your homebased mom and only made a few changes. I did have to make this twice. The first attempt resulted in an over-floured, hard lump. The next batch was perfectly soft and pliable. I am posting my adjustments to her recipe. My husbands first words were "this is really good. It is restaurant quality." I knew it would be delicious. We are what you would say bread snobs at our house. We have certain qualifications for what we consider to be good bread and this had all of them. You must give this a try. It is simple and while you wait for it to rise, you can finish making the other dishes for your dinner. Or this would be a really great appetizer. Either way, trust me, you must try this!

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Ingredients

  • Dough:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon yeast
  • 1 cup warm (hot) water (120*F)
  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • ............................................
  • Topping:
  • 1/4 cup prepared Italian salad dressing
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoonground oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 dash pepper
  • 1-2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Step 1

In a bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Combine water and oil in a separate bowl; begin adding 2 cups of flour to water mixture. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough. I used a little less than 2 1/4 cups of flour. Don't add it all at once; after the two cups add the flour a little at a time, while mixing with your hands as little as possible. You want it to be soft, not overworked. Knead for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Punch the dough down; place on a greased 16″ pizza pan (or cookie sheet) and pat into a 16″ circle. Combine salad dressing and seasonings, brush evenly over dough, all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with cheeses. I only had mozzarella cheese and it still tasted great. I bet any combination of Italian cheeses would be good.

For a fluffier cheese bread, at this point, allow the bread to rest for 15 minutes or so. If you’re in a hurry, just skip this rise. (The bread will rise while it bakes, too.) I did this step too and thought it added a really great texture to the dough overall, so if you have the extra time, try to let it rest. Preheat the oven to 450*F. Bake for 11 minutes or until golden brown. Slice. Serve warm.

NOTE: I love my KitchenAid mixer, but I found through trial and error that this dough works best when I use my hands.

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