Friday, September 13, 2024

School Lunch Worthy Bread

It's been a LONG time since I made something that everyone couldn't wait to dig into. That is this bread. I was iffy on it - brushing Italian dressing and cheese on top? Well, Ok sure. It was amazing, it made the house smell so good - everyone kept asking when could we eat. This bread was so easy to toss together and baked up beautiful. I even let it rise a little before I put it in the oven - I called it a fluff timer so it could have a little extra fluff. The fluff was worth it. This was entirely a winner. Nicholas even took some for his lunch at school because it was that good.

Easy Italian Cheese Bread
Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ¼ cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the pan
Toppings:
⅓ cup bottled Italian salad dressing (see note)
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch dried thyme
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the water and the 2 tablespoons olive oil and mix until the dough starts to come together in a shaggy ball.
Lightly grease your hands and continue mixing the dough, folding it over on itself and kneading it lightly (pressing it with the heel of your hand) 5 to 6 times, until the dough has formed a rough ball shape.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until noticeably puffy, 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Brush two tablespoons oil evenly across a half sheet pan.
Lightly punch down the dough and turn it out onto the prepared pan. Press the dough lightly into a rough oval shape, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. It won't cover the entire bottom of the pan. It's ok to flip the dough once or twice while shaping; add more oil to the pan, if needed.
Brush the top of the dough evenly with the Italian salad dressing. In a small bowl, combine the basil, oregano, garlic, salt and thyme. Evenly sprinkle this mixture over the dressing.
Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses across the top of the dough.
If you have the time or want a slightly fluffier bread, let the bread rest for 10-20 minutes before baking. Otherwise, you can bake right away.
Bake for 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is sizzling. Let rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. The bread is delicious warm or at room temperature.

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