Zesty Italian Peasant Bread Appetizer Recipes

Steps:

• In a small saucepan cook oil and garlic together over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, until garlic is golden and fragrant. Discard garlic and set aside saucepan of garlic-flavored oil.
• On lightly floured surface stretch and roll dough into 12" square; place on lightly greased baking sheet and brush with reserved garlic-flavored oil. Sprinkle evenly with salami and cheese. Arrange roasted peppers and green onions down center of dough, leaving a 1" border at each end and a 3" border on each side.
• Use a knife or scissors to make eight 3" cuts into dough along both sides of the filling. Bring dough strips up across filling at an angle, alternating sides to give a braided effect. Pinch dough at bottom and top to seal in filling.
• Brush braid with egg mixture; sprinkle evenly with poppy seeds. Set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free location 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy. (If you're using wheat bread, rising time may be longer.).
• Heat oven to 350°F Bake 35 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove bread from baking sheet and cool 5 minutes on wire rack. Cut into 16 slices and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place bread shell on lightly greased baking sheet.
• Mix together oil, garlic and pepper.
• Brush over bread shell.
• Sprinkle with tomato, cheese and snipped fresh or crushed dried herb.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or till warm and cheese softens "slightly".
• Cut bread into 12 wedges.
• If desired garnish with fresh herb sprigs.
• Serve hot.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl whisk the flours and the salt. Set aside.
• Grease a separate large bowl with butter or olive oil and set this aside. (This bowl will be used for the dough's initial rise).
• In a standing-mixer's bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. (If you'd like . at this point . to ensure the yeast is active . you could let the mix stand for 10-15 minutes . or until it's foamy and/or bubbling just a bit. I typically don't).
• Add the flours and salt.
• Mix (**Note: The original recipe outlines stirring with a wooden spoon, which works . but I like to use my mixer with the dough hook and let it go for 4 or 5 minutes on medium speed) Note: the dough will be on the wet side. Transfer the dough to the greased bowl from the preparation step.
• Cover bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour . or until it's about doubled in size.
• ** Typically, dough at our house takes 3 or 4 hours to double . point being . don't sweat the exact time.
• Grease 2 oven-safe bowls with about a Tbsp of butter each.
• Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
• Punch down your dough . and divide it into 2 equal parts. One by one . place each half on a floured counter-top. Quickly form a ball with each part & transfer them to your prepared bowls.
• At this point . the original recipe calls for letting the dough rise until it's doubled again in size . and this certainly works. I've taken to putting the dough into the fridge overnight for its second rise. There's something that happens to dough when it ferments for a long period of time in a cool environment.
• Pre-heat oven to 425.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 425. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for 18-19 minutes longer. Remove from the oven . letting the loaves sit for 5-10 minutes before turning them over onto cooling racks.
• If the bowls have been greased well . the loaves should easily fall out out onto the cooling racks.
• You'll have to gauge it based on taste . I cook the loaves on the lower end of the time the original calls for because we like them pale & soft. If that's not for you . they can always be placed back into the oven (outside their bowls) and baked for about 5 minutes longer.
• Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Blend in rest of ingredients except butter.
• Shape into one large round loaf. Place on a greased cooking sheet and let rise until doubled. Brush with melted butter.
• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 25 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Steps:

• 1. Ingredients 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 2 cups water (lukewarm, 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit) 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2. Directions 1. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Blend in rest of ingredients except butter. 2. Shape into one large round loaf. Place on a greased cooking sheet and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Brush with melted butter. 3. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 25 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Steps:

• Place ingredients, according to manufacturer's directions into your bread machine.
• (some call for all liquids, or all dry ingredients first, so know your machine) Set machine to "dough cycle" and wait. (This takes most machines about an hour and a half for a full cycle).
• Remove from machine when cycle is complete and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Shape dough by hand, into a rectangular mound, spreading kind of thin, maybe an inch or two of thickness.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size. (This is a good time to go ahead and turn the oven on to preheat and help warm the kitchen).
• Brush with a little olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and salt if desired. (This is the way its done at Macaroni Grill).
• Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes until crust is golden and crispy. Bread is meant to be a flatter shape and not a high rising bread.
• Have everyone tear their pieces of bread with their hands,and serve with olive oil flavored with fresh ground pepper.