Pizza Bread

Pizza, pizza! I mean, sure, you can also make pizza, but here is an option for a all-inclusive loaf that can go with any soup or salad, or serve as a very tasty sandwich option. We love it as a vehicle for hummus, too.

This bread is easy, fun to make, and very tasty. You do need to plan ahead a bit, though, because the dough needs to sit for at least 12 hours in the fridge for the flavors to really meld. Luckily, mixing it together only takes minutes.

For the mix-ins, use what you like, and is pizza-inspired. I kept it vegetarian with pepperoncini, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted peppers, but you can use snips of pepperoni, too, if you like. Or olives! The nutritional yeast adds a cheese-y flavor to the dough. If you don't have any, no worries. You can also sub in finely grated parmesan cheese.

Crusty Pizza Bread

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed for shaping and pan

1/3 cup semolina flour

2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoons garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional

1 heaping cup chopped pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers, and/or capers

1 1/2 cups water, close to room temperature

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, using a rubber spatula, stir together the flour, semolina, yeast, salt, nutritional yeast, sugar, oregano, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Mix in the chopped add-ins (pepperoncini, sun-dried tomatoes, capers) and mozzarella cheese. Pour in the water and gently mix together. The dough will seem dry and shaggy, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened. You might need to use your hands a bit to coax it all together. Try to get it as cohesive as possible, with all of the four moistened. The dough will be slightly sticky. Shape into a ball in the bowl as best you can. No need to grease the bowl.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or an air-tight lid and let it sit on the counter at room temperature to proof for 3 hours. The dough will just about double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and have a lot of air bubbles. Place the risen dough, still covered, in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. The dough will puff up just a little bit during this time, but may begin to deflate after 2 days. That’s normal.

When ready to bake, remove the bowl from the fridge, and let it sit on the counter to warm up for 30 - 45 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using generously floured hands, shape into a roundish ball. Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper. Place the ball of dough + parchment inside a cake pan or on a baking sheet. What I often do is turn the mixing bowl over the pan, covering the ball so as to keep the dough from drying out. Cover and let it rest for 60 minutes.

During this rest, preheat the oven to 425°F.

After the rest, using a very sharp knife, score the dough with an X, about 1/2 inch deep. Slide the pan into the oven, and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until the bread is golden brown. How to test for doneness: Give the warm bread a light tap. If it sounds hollow, it’s done.

Remove loaf from the oven, and allow to cool on a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!