Servings: 20Slices (more or less depending on how thick or thin the slices are)
Equipment
16 inch pizza pan
Ingredients
1cup warm water*see notes
1tspwhite sugar
1Tbspinstant yeast (also called rapid rise or bread machine yeast)
1Tbspvegetable oil (canola or olive oil works too)
1/2tspsalt
2 to 3cupsall-purpose flour*see notes
Italian Dressing Topping
1/4cupItalian Dressing
1/2tspItalian Seasoning
1/2tspgarlic powder
pinch of salt
Cheese for Topping
1 1/2cupsmozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2TbspGrated parmesan cheese *the plastic bottle kind is perfect
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450°F.
Grease a 16 inch pizza pan. (See notes for other options on pans)
In a small dish or in a liquid measuring cup, add your Italian dressing along with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and pinch of salt. Whisk it together and set it aside.
The Bread Dough
In a stand mixer, using the dough hook, add in your white sugar and warm water. Then add in your yeast and give it a little stir. Let it sit for a few minutes until the mixture is bubbly and foamy.
Next, add the salt, oil and 2 cups of the flour. Mix the dough on medium speed. The dough will be wet and sticky at this point and you will need to add more flour.
Add more flour a little at a time. Add more until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl and is only slightly sticky. The dough should feel soft and only stick to your hands just a little bit. (See photos above).
Once you have added enough dough, let the mixer knead the dough for a few minutes until it is soft and fairly smooth. It will continue to clean the sides of the bowl as it kneads the dough. If it is too sticky and is not cleaning the sides as it mixes, add a dusting of flour, a little at a time, until it cleans while it mixes.
Once your dough is kneaded and mixed, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a large circle.
Drape the dough over a rolling pin and gently transfer it to the pizza pan. Press the dough out evenly to the edges of the pan.
Spread the Italian Dressing topping over the top of the dough and then top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melty, bubbly and the crust is golden brown. (Or until it is done to your liking).
Cut the cheese bread into slices/strips. You can cut them like pizza slices or cut the bread into 4ths and then cut into strips like I do! You will get anywhere from 18-20 strips, maybe more or less, depending on how big or small you cut the slices.
This Italian Cheese Bread is tasty dipped in pizza sauce or marinara sauce!
Notes
The water temperature for the dough does not need to be an exact temperature. When you use instant yeast it is much more forgiving and the water temperature doesn’t have to be exact (why I love using instant yeast). It just needs to be fairly warm..think of a hot chocolate or hot tea that is warm enough to sip but not scalding hot!If you do not have a 16 inch pizza pan, 2 smaller ones will work, the dough just may not stretch out all the way to the edges.You can also use a baking sheet. Depending on the size of the baking sheet, the dough may not spread out evenly on the bottom of the baking sheet. Spread/press it out as much as you can without pressing the dough too thin.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.