Gram's Pizza Bread à la Me
(White with Prosciutto and Spinach)
(White with Prosciutto and Spinach)
**This recipe requires a day's prep with this recipe*. Don't rush it!
Ingredients:
pizza dough (my recipe* or from store/pizza shop)
2 tablespoons olive oil and extra for rubbing
5 cloves garlic crushed with a garlic press
oregano
baby spinach (fresh this time, no cheats: no frozen)
prosciutto thinly sliced (just get a ton if you are going to snack on it later)
black pepper
1 1/2 cups part skim shredded mozzarella
pecorino romano
2 tablespoons olive oil and extra for rubbing
5 cloves garlic crushed with a garlic press
oregano
baby spinach (fresh this time, no cheats: no frozen)
prosciutto thinly sliced (just get a ton if you are going to snack on it later)
black pepper
1 1/2 cups part skim shredded mozzarella
pecorino romano
Preheat the oven to 450°.
Take your dough--whether you used the recipe I did* or you bought yours at a pizza shop or store (which would make you lazy and impatient------"Hello, kettle? You're black") and get it to a floured work space.
[If you used the recipe I gave, use one of the pieces you made. If you are in NYC and went to a pizza shop, get one small piece of dough. If in Rochester, go to a Pontillo's and get dough for a medium pie or a large and cut in half (duh).]
Flatten the dough with flat hand and spread out. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (and for those who have worked with pizza, give it a toss or two). Roll again until it's flattened some and around a foot in diameter and 1/2" thick.
Pour about olive oil onto the center of your sphere and spread toward the edges with your hand. Add the garlic to the oil and spread that evenly onto the slicked surface. Sprinkle liberally with oregano, black pepper and romano.
Spread whole pieces of spinach evenly and overlapping on the dough, spreading almost to the edges. Repeat the same process with the prosciutto and sprinkle with romano and half of your mozzarella.
Starting with any end, start rolling it up like you would a poster, blueprint or treasure map. Keep it nice 'n tight or it will unravel or grow too much while cooking. It may have a hump in the middle like a snake working something down-that's fine. Transfer your roll to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil slicked with vegetable spray (like PAM). Slick up your rolled loaf with olive oil, especially the edges to almost seal 'em and poke a slit in the middle to allow for some of the moisture to escape while cooking. Put tray in the oven on the lowest of the racks and cook for 30-35 minutes.
(It may take longer based on a number of things--oven heat, dough quality, roll technique--so you will want to watch it so the outside doesn't cook too hard but also that the inside isn't overly doughy. Take it out when you think it's done and let cool for like 5-10 minutes and cut right in half so you have two loafs. Check the inside coils. If the middle is overly soft or uncooked, pop back in the oven.)
Tip: If you need to continually put back in the oven due to doughy insides and fear over cooking the outside, slice it up into many pieces (like you would any loaf of bread) and lay 'em out overlapping each other and throw them back in the oven and cook till you're satisfied. There's no shame in this, it will still taste great and in some cases give it a great crunch.
Take your dough--whether you used the recipe I did* or you bought yours at a pizza shop or store (which would make you lazy and impatient------"Hello, kettle? You're black") and get it to a floured work space.
[If you used the recipe I gave, use one of the pieces you made. If you are in NYC and went to a pizza shop, get one small piece of dough. If in Rochester, go to a Pontillo's and get dough for a medium pie or a large and cut in half (duh).]
Flatten the dough with flat hand and spread out. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin (and for those who have worked with pizza, give it a toss or two). Roll again until it's flattened some and around a foot in diameter and 1/2" thick.
Pour about olive oil onto the center of your sphere and spread toward the edges with your hand. Add the garlic to the oil and spread that evenly onto the slicked surface. Sprinkle liberally with oregano, black pepper and romano.
Spread whole pieces of spinach evenly and overlapping on the dough, spreading almost to the edges. Repeat the same process with the prosciutto and sprinkle with romano and half of your mozzarella.
Starting with any end, start rolling it up like you would a poster, blueprint or treasure map. Keep it nice 'n tight or it will unravel or grow too much while cooking. It may have a hump in the middle like a snake working something down-that's fine. Transfer your roll to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil slicked with vegetable spray (like PAM). Slick up your rolled loaf with olive oil, especially the edges to almost seal 'em and poke a slit in the middle to allow for some of the moisture to escape while cooking. Put tray in the oven on the lowest of the racks and cook for 30-35 minutes.
(It may take longer based on a number of things--oven heat, dough quality, roll technique--so you will want to watch it so the outside doesn't cook too hard but also that the inside isn't overly doughy. Take it out when you think it's done and let cool for like 5-10 minutes and cut right in half so you have two loafs. Check the inside coils. If the middle is overly soft or uncooked, pop back in the oven.)
Tip: If you need to continually put back in the oven due to doughy insides and fear over cooking the outside, slice it up into many pieces (like you would any loaf of bread) and lay 'em out overlapping each other and throw them back in the oven and cook till you're satisfied. There's no shame in this, it will still taste great and in some cases give it a great crunch.
Notes:
This recipe is based on a true story is based on my grandmother's (Gram's) pepperoni bread recipe that we've enjoyed, well, forever. She's 90 so I think that a lot more people have enjoyed this that I can imagine. I also do her version with pepperoni as well as tons of other creations and topping combinations with white, red or pink sauce...vodka too.
Tweaks:
The thing I tweaked was pepperoni and mozzarella removal for the spinach and prosciutto.
Verdict: Success
Definitely Neighbor-worthy
Definitely Neighbor-worthy
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