Herb Bread Or Pizza Dough Recipes

ITALIAN HERB BREAD I

Steps:

• Mix yeast, warm water, and white sugar together in a large bowl. Set aside for five minutes, or until mixture becomes foamy.
• Stir olive oil, salt, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, cheese, and 3 cups flour into the yeast mixture. Gradually mix in the next three cups of flour. Dough will be stiff.
• Knead dough for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and rubbery. Place in an oiled bowl, and turn to cover the surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a damp linen dish towel. Allow to rise for one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Punch dough down to release all the air. Shape into two loaves. Place loaves on a greased cookie sheet, or into two greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about a 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Remove loaves from pan(s), and let cool on wire racks for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

RICARDO'S PIZZA CRUST

Steps:

• Combine water, olive oil, sugar, salt in pan of bread machine Add flour, then sprinkle garlic on flour. Lastly add yeast.
• Turn machine on dough cycle. As the dough mixes, sprinkle on oregano and basil until it suits you for color and taste. Let mix for about 15 to 30 minutes. Let the dough rest from 5 to 30 minutes. The longer it rests, the thicker and more tasty the crust. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Spray a large pizza pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough on pan and add your choice of pizza toppings.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

HERB & PARMESAN PIZZA DOUGH (BREAD MAKER)

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in bread machine in the order listed.
• Select dough cycle on machine and press start.
• When dough is finished remove with floured hands and shape into size and thickness of desired pizza and place on greased cookie sheet or pizza tray.
• Top with favorite sauces and ingredients.
• (Baking time is generally 18-20 minutes at 400°F).

HERB PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in the water in a small bowl and let stand until slightly foamy on top, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl stir together the 2 ¾ cups flour, salt, and herbs. Form into a mound. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture to it.
• Using a fork, stir the dough in a circular motion, gradually pulling the flour into the yeast mixture until a dough forms.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface using some of the ½ cup flour.
• Using the heel of your hand, knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball.
• Brush a large bowl with the oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Place dough on work surface lightly dusted with the remaining flour.
• Punch the dough down.
• By hand, gently press dough out into desired shape.
• Place one hand in the center of dough, and with the other hand, pull, lift and stretch the dough, gradually working your way all around the edge, until it is the desired thickness, about ¼ inch thick for a crusty pizza base and ½ inch thick for a softer one.
• Flip the dough over from time to time as you work with it; alternately, roll the dough out with a rolling pin. The dough should be slightly thinner in the middle than the edge.
• Lift the edge of the pizza to form a slight rim.
• Transfer dough to a baker's peel or baking sheet, cover, and let rise again until almost doubled, about 20 minutes.
• Top as desired.
• Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden, or according to your pizza recipe's instructions.

MOZZARELLA-STUFFED GARLIC-AND-HERB BREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, and salt. Make a well in center of mixture; add warm water and 2 tablespoons oil to well. Gradually stir flour mixture into wet mixture to form a ragged dough. Transfer to a floured work surface.
• Knead with floured hands until dough is tacky but no longer sticky and springs back when pressed with a finger, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl drizzled with oil, turning dough to evenly coat. Cover and let proof at room temperature until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 450°F with a rack in lowest position. Punch down dough, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, and cut in half. Stretch one piece of dough, working outward from center, into an oval, approximately 9 by 13 inches. Brush 2 tablespoons oil onto a rimmed baking sheet. Place dough on sheet; top evenly with mozzarella, leaving a 1-inch border of dough around edges.
• Stretch second piece of dough on floured work surface to roughly same oval shape. Place over mozzarella, gently pressing to remove excess air from between doughs. Fold edge of bottom dough up and over edge of top dough, pinching to seal edges together. Sprinkle top evenly with Parmigiano; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
• Stir together garlic, Italian seasoning, parsley, red-pepper flakes, and sesame seeds; sprinkle evenly over dough. Cut several steam vents in top of dough at 2-inch intervals.
• Bake until dough is golden brown in places and just cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. (If dough puffs in places while baking, pierce with the tip of a knife to release steam.) Transfer bread from baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool a few minutes. Slice and serve hot, with marinara alongside for dipping.

HERB BREAD OR PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Stir together: 2 teaspoons dry yeast, 1/2 cup lukewarm water.
• Add and mix well: 1/4 cup unbleached white flour, 1/4 cup rye flour.
• Allow this mixture to sit until quite bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Mix together in another bowl: 3 1/4 cups unbleached white flour, 1 teaspoon salt.
• Stir this into the yeast and flour mixture with: 3/4 cup cold water, 1/4 cup olive oil.
• Mix thoroughly by hand or in an electric stand mixer. If working by hand, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add more flour, but only enough to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Or use the mixer, fitted with the dough hook, and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough is the right texture when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl of the mixer, but still adheres to the bottom. A very soft, slightly moist dough will make the best focaccia.
• Put the dough in a large bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. For an even better-tasting and more supple dough, let the dough rise slowly overnight in the refrigerator. (Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before shaping.)
• Generously oil a 10-inch by 15 1/2-inch rimmed baking or sheet pan. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and flatten it on the baking pan, shaping it to fit the pan by gently pressing down from the center out towards the edges. If the dough starts to resist and spring back, let it rest for 10 minutes, then continue shaping. Try not to deflate or smash all of the air out of the dough as you are shaping it. Dimple the surface of the dough by lightly poking it with your fingertips.
• Drizzle with: 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Cover and let rise until doubled in height, about 2 hours.
• While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 450°F. If you have one, place a baking stone on the lower rack and let it heat for 30 minutes before baking the bread. Sprinkle the dough with: 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt and put the baking pan directly on the stone. Bake the focaccia until golden and crisp on the top and bottom, about 20 to 25 minutes. Invert the pan to remove the bread and place on a rack to cool.
• variation
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or sage leaves over the dough before baking.
• Chop about 1 tablespoon fresh tender herbs and add to the dough with the oil.
• Divide the dough in two before shaping and press into two 1/2-inch-thick disks. Put the disks into oiled 8-inch pie plates. Dimple, oil, let rise as above, and bake, checking after 10 minutes.
• Top with sautéed onions, cheese, tomato slices, or sautéed greens before baking.