Garlic Cheese Bread

Source: The Pioneer Woman

When we go back to Michigan, there are 2 places I absolutely HAVE to eat: Bravo Cucina Italiana, which is a chain, but makes the most A-MA-ZING chopped salmon salad (blackened salmon, field greens, tomatoes, asparagus, feta, Parmesan, and balsamic vinagrette). I also have to get pizza and three-cheese bread from Hungry Howie's. It's funny, there really aren't that many good pizza places that I've found in California, whereas Michigan is nothing BUT pizza. I love Hungry Howie's pizza, but even more I LOVE their three-cheese bread. In a line up of my favorite indulgences, it would come out number one, every time. I've tried other versions, like Domino's, but they're just not the same.

I saw this recipe and thought, "I have my dupe!" It was pretty close, but no dupe. First off, it's made on French bread, which is good, but just not the same as pizza dough. Secondly, though I typically love the taste of green onions, I did not like them in this recipe. As we've learned, I'm a carbs and cheese purist. Do NOT get in the way of my cheese flavor!

Another suggestion is do NOT refrigerate the cheese mixture. Or, refrigerate it, and then take out awhile before you're making the recipe. Similar to spreading cold butter on bread...it just doesn't work. Soften up that mixture first!

Garlic Cheese Bread

Ingredients

3-½ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
¾ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated (mozzarella would be a good substitution)
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
½ cups (real) Mayonnaise
4 whole Green Onions, White And Light Green Parts Minced
1 dash Salt
1 loaf Crusty French Bread
1 stick Butter
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

Preparation Instructions

1. Mix cheeses with the mayonnaise and the green onions. Add dash of salt to taste and set aside or keep in fridge until you need it.

2. Cut loaf of bread in half, then each half into half again.

3. Working 1/4 loaf at a time, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet and add 1/4 of the minced garlic. Place 1 of the 1/4 loaves face down in the skillet, swirling it to soak up the butter and garlic. Allow bread to toast in the skillet, removing garlic if it starts to get too brown.

4. Repeat with remaining butter, garlic, and bread.

5. Spread cheese mixture on warm loaves and bake in a 425 degree oven until cheese is hot and bubbly, about 10 minutes.

6. Slice and serve. And then get on the Stairmaster. Pronto!

Pizza Dough

Source: The New Best Recipe

I love me some pizza, so why have I never attempted pizza dough? You got me. I turned to my trusty New Best Recipe and I wasn't disappointed! This recipe is supposed to make 3 pizza doughs, but I think I didn't let it rise long enough. I'll definitely make this again!

If only making one pizza, make the full recipe and divide into three once the dough is done rising. Place the extra dough in separate airtight containers and freeze them for up to several weeks. Defrost and stretch the dough when desired.

I used to be intimidated by yeast recipes before I bought a candy thermometer. Now, for a recipe like this, I'll keep filling up a measuring cup and checking the temperature of the water until it's at 110 degrees. It takes all the guesswork out of it!

The best way to cook the dough once you add all your toppings is on a pre-heated pizza stone. Heat the oven to 500 degrees and place the stone into the oven for at least 30 minutes. Bake in the oven for 8 - 12 minutes, until the crust edge browns and the cheese is golden brown in spots.

Pizza Dough

If you want to make the pizza dough in the morning and let rise on the counter all day, decrease the yeast to 1/2 teaspoon and let the covered dough rise at room temperature (about 68 degrees) until doubled in size, about 8 hours. You can prolong the rising time even further by refrigerating the covered dough for up to 16 hours, and then letting it rise on the counter until doubled in size, about 6 to 8 hours.

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast

1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups (22 ounces) bread flour, plus more for dusting (all-purpose flour can be used, but it won't be as crisp)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray for oiling the bowl

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room-temperature water and oil and stir to combine.

2. Process the flour and salt in a standing mixer (or 11 cup food processor) to combine. Continue to mix ingredients while pouring the liquid ingredients (holding back a couple of tablespoons) in with the dry ingredients. If the dough does not readily form a ball, add the remaining liquid and continue to pulse or mix until a ball forms. Process until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. Turn out the flour and knead by hand to form a smooth round ball - or replace your paddle with a dough hook and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate - it is now ready to use!

Roasted Garlic Bread

Source: All Recipes

There are few things I love to eat more than garlic bread. Or really, bread in general. When we go out to eat, I have to be very careful to not eat all the bread at Italian restaurants so I can save room for the main course.



I love this version of garlic bread. It crisps up nicely under the broiler, and all that cheese/garlic/butter spread just soaks right in.




You do have to roast the garlic first in this recipe, which is time consuming, but well worth it! If you're using larger cloves, you should add on another 15 minutes or so, until they're fully softened.

This went nicely with the spaghetti sauce I made--while the sauce was simmering, I roasted the garlic, mixed the rest of the ingredients, and then popped it in the oven while the noodles were finishing up!

Roasted Garlic Bread

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 5 Min
READY IN 20 Min

INGREDIENTS
3 bulbs garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional) (surely a joke by the original poster--is cheese ever OPTIONAL?)


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs so that the tip of each clove is exposed. Place the bulbs on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until garlic is soft.

2. Set the oven to broil. Slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally, and place cut side up on a baking sheet.

3. Squeeze the cloves of garlic from their skins into a medium bowl. Stir in the butter, parsley, and Parmesan cheese until well blended. Spread onto the cut sides of the bread.
Broil for about 3-5 minutes, watching carefully, until toasted.

Focaccia Bread

Source: All Recipes

I saw what looked like an amazing recipe for focaccia bread on Annie's Eats; however, having never made bread before, the length of time it took to make the recipe intimidated me. I found a shorter recipe on All Recipes, so I was off! It was very simple, but it showed me I don't need to be afraid of bread. A candy thermometer is essential, and it's nice to have a mixer with a dough hook, but not completely necessary.

To be honest, I didn't love the end result. It was too dense for my liking. So why am I posting this? First off, it gets excellent reviews on All Recipes; secondly, I discovered a HUGE error after
making it--I didn't knead it nearly enough. The original recipe didn't indicate how long; not only that, it said to knead it by hand, so when using the dough hook on my KitchenAid, I was uncertain when it was at its "smooth and elastic" point, also thinking that kneading with a mixer meant far less time by hand. I later read the proper times to knead, see below. I'll probably try it again in a few weeks and report back if the texture was improved!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour
Yields: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
cheese
1 cup mozzarella (I did not add the cheese; if using, add about half-way into baking time so it doesn't burn.)

DIRECTIONS:
1. To proof the yeast: Add 1 cup of water to small dish, heated from tap until 110 degrees. Dissolve the sugar in the water. Slowly whisk in the yeast until completely dissolved. (Do not just dump in the water as I did the FIRST try or it will become a gluey clump!) Let sit for about 10 minutes, until mixture is frothy, like so:





If the mixture doesn't become frothy, unfortunately the yeast is no longer active and you'll need to start over.

2. Add the mixture to a large bowl. Stir in salt and vegetable oil. Add in the flour, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix using a spoon, or flat paddle attachment, until the dough has pulled together. Either turn out the dough on a lightly floured surface or use a dough hook to knead until smooth and elastic. According to Baking911, it's important to knead bread long enough; 8-10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with a dough hook.

3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. (I consulted Google and one of the suggestions was to place the bowl on top of a heating pad on low. Since the recipe doesn't allow much time for the dough to rise, I let it sit there, and it rose quite well!)



4. While the dough is rising, add the olive oil to a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Add a combination of herbs to your liking. I used small amounts of rosemary, basil, oregano, and thyme. You could also add Italian seasoning just to simplify.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil, allowing to sink in dough completely before putting in the oven. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.