Cheese Stuffed Pizza Bread with Caramelized Onions

Probably one of the most favorite traditions in my family is Friday Pizza Night.  Sometimes we go out to Mellow Mushroom were they have pizza's more to my liking, think goat cheese, sun dried tomato and artichoke hearts. Then the husband and kids can have their usual sausage and cheese pie. Did I mention the ice cold beer served to you while you wait for your pizza while watching the guys in the open kitchen toss huge pizza pies up into the air? Love pizza Fridays.

What's even better than going to a fun pizza joint for your favorite pizza? Making your own at home of course! Years ago when my oldest son who is now 19 (YIKES!) was little, we would make our own individual pizzas on toasted English muffins or French bread. It's still fun to do that with the little ones, they love picking ingredients from little bowls and making their very own little pizzas.

I saw this pizza bread on Pinterest and thought it was such a perfect idea. The only thing better than pizza is a cheese stuffed pizza bread you can dip into a bowl of warm marinara. Divine happiness I tell you. I was blown away at how incredibly simple  this bread was to make and it turned out perfectly even though in my photographing I forgot to add the 'toppings' to the flour before mixing and so I ended up over kneading the dough.

It came together in about a minute using just a wooden spoon. No special equipment necessary.

Core Bamboo sent me some fun kitchen toys including a beautiful little modern mortar and pestle, a set of bamboo utensils and this gorgeous bread board. It turns out that it's one of those things I never knew I couldn't live without! (I can feel my husbands eyes rolling at me ;)

Not only is this bread board beautiful, I love bamboo and the clean lines, 

it keeps my kitchen counters free of crumbs, score!

 It also makes a lovely serving tray either on the removable lattice board 

or when removed it becomes a nice tray.

recipe from The Ivory Hut

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Romano
1 tablespoon olive oil

Add yeast to warm water. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add to flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the toppings of your choice and combine. Dough will be tacky, but feel free to dust with a bit more extra flour if it feels too tacky. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese onto the middle of the rectangle. Then fold over about 1" along the long side, like an envelope. Seal the other 3 sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a pizza stone of you have one in oven and let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. 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.

notes:

In order for the yeast to activate properly it can not be to hot or to cold. It should be warm enough if you sprinkle it on the inside of your wrist it is very warm but not hot. I add a pinch of sugar to the warm water and have found this helps activate the yeast.

I found that I needed to add quite a bit more flour than stated, at least 1/2 cup plus another 1/2 cup when kneading the final loaf.

I did not brush my bread with oil but next time I will as you can see it is a bit dry/flour-y.




One winner will win this pretty Lattice Bamboo Bread Board. Winners must reside in the U.S. or Canada. Good Luck!



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