Fabulous Oregano Bread Or Pizza Dough Food

FABULOUS OREGANO BREAD (OR PIZZA DOUGH)

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in order in your bread machine using the regular bread cycle.
• If you want pizza dough, use the"dough" setting and roll out flat on a floured surface.
• Preheat your oven to 400.
• Spray your cooking pan with Pam.
• You can also sprinkle a little cornmeal on the pan if you wish.
• Lay dough out on your pan and cover with cling film OR apply a little extra olive oil over the surface of the dough.
• Let rise for 1/2 hour.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, apply toppings and continue baking until toppings are done.
• If you wish to make a freeform loaf: Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Form loaf on a prepared baking sheet, cover with cling and let rise until doubled.
• Bake until golden brown and sounds hollow when thumped (about 30 minutes).
• Remove to a cooling rack and lightly coat with butter while still hot for a tender crust.

OREGANO AND ONION BREAD

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into small bowl. Stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix 4 cups flour and salt in large bowl. Stir in onion and any oil remaining in skillet. Add yeast mixture and oregano and mix well. Knead briefly in bowl just until dough comes together. Turn out dough onto generously floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls as necessary to keep dough from sticking, about 10 minutes.
• Oil large bowl. Add dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Oil heavy large baking sheet. Punch down dough. Turn out onto floured work surface and knead briefly. Divide into 2 equal pieces. Shape each piece into smooth 6-inch round loaf. Place loaves on prepared baking sheet. Cover with kitchen towel. Let rise in warm draft-free area until double in volume, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush each loaf with some of beaten egg. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 3509°F. Bake until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 35 minutes. Transfer loaves to racks and cool. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and store at room temperature.)

OREGANO QUICK BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in the pecans and oregano. , Pour into a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm.

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.

GARLIC & OREGANO BREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. In a large bowl, mix 3-1/2 cups flour and salt. Using a rubber spatula, stir in yeast mixture to form a soft, sticky dough. Do not knead. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature 1 hour., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into a 9-in. square. Fold dough into thirds, forming a 9x3-in. rectangle. Fold rectangle into thirds, forming a 3-in. square. Turn dough over; place in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 hour., Punch down dough and repeat folding process. Return dough to bowl; refrigerate, covered, overnight., Dust bottom of a disposable foil roasting pan with cornmeal. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine garlic and milk; microwave on high for 45 seconds; drain garlic, discarding milk. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead in garlic and oregano. Shape dough into a 6-in. round loaf., Transfer to prepared pan; dust top with remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Cover pan with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until dough expands to a 7-1/2-in.-loaf, about 1-1/4 hours. , Preheat oven to 500°. Using a sharp knife, make a slash (1/4 inch deep) across top of loaf. Cover pan tightly with foil. Bake on lowest oven rack 25 minutes., Reduce oven setting to 450°. Remove foil; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool.

GARLIC AND OREGANO PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix yeast and water (follow directions on yeast packet for proper water temperature), and set aside for 5-7 minutes.
• Combine flour, salt, dried oregano, and powdered garlic in a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the middle of the mixture and add one half of the yeast/water mixture.
• Work the water/yeast mixture in by hand. Dough should be very crumbly, and not really hold together.
• Add olive oil and the rest of the water/yeast mixture, and continue to combine by hand until dough is soft and smooth.
• (Alternate, if using fresh oregano and garlic) Add to the above step, add in garlic and oregano, and combine by hand until dough is soft and smooth.
• Place dough on a flat surface and vigorously knead for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, using an electric mixer with a dough hook, let the mixer work the dough for about 7 minutes under low-medium setting.
• Put dough in a greased bowl (or a lightly oiled bowl), and make sure grease/oil covers the outside of the dough. Let rise for 45-60 minutes in a warm (80-90 degree) place.
• Once dough has risen (increased to about double in size), punch it down (about three firm punches to the dough's surface), knead for another 2-3 minutes, and allow to rise again, per the instructions above). Repeat this step for a total of three rises.
• After the dough has risen for the third time, separate into two pieces (or more, if smaller pizzas are desired).
• Roll pizzas out into 13-14 inch circles and top as desired.
• Bake in a 475 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is crispy and golden brown. A baking stone is strongly recommended. If using a baking stone, lightly sprinkle with corn meal to prevent sticking.
• To parbake (half bake the dough, and save for later), follow the above baking directions, but only bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or freeze so they'll last longer.
• Alternative baking method - if your oven has the capability to do so, preheat oven and baking stone to 600 degrees. Adjust cooking time to 5-10 minutes, or until crust is crispy and golden brown. This method can also utilize bread flour, as it cooks at a high enough temperature to allow the bread flour to rise properly during cooking, yet not allow the glutens to break down during cooking and cause the dough to collapse, thus making for a soggy pizza. This is my preferred method, as it allows for a reduced cooking time and more of a "brick oven pizza" flavor and crispiness. It's also the preferable method to cook pizzas with more liquid ingredients, such as tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, etc.