Tasty Thursday

I've been seriously craving some carbs lately.  And what's more carb-teriffic than a pizza and a loaf of bread combined.  This pizza bread looks heavenly.  And best of all it's can be achieved in all of 4 steps, so you can sit back and enjoy a delicious and crowd pleasing meal in no time.

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 cups toppings diced

1/2 cup parmesan

2 cups mozzarella shredded

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 jar marinara sauce for dipping

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes. Add in flour, salt, and sugar. Mix using a spoon just until it comes together. (There's no need for a big stand mixer here.)
2. Add in the toppings and Parmesan and combine well. The dough will be tacky. Dust with a bit more flour if it feels too tacky. Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator to continue rising for another hour.
3. Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Flour your countertop, then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle mozzarella over top. Then, fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let your loaf rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
4. Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. About halfway through I added a piece of aluminum foil to the top of my loaf to prevent it from getting too dark. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.