Skats Monday Pizza Loaf Food

S'KAT'S EASY PIZZA DOUGH

Steps:

• Stir together the water, yeast and the sugar.
• Let rest until the yeast foams, about 3 minutes.
• Place 2 1/2-cups of the flour, salt and cornmeal in a mixing bowl and combine.
• Add the yeast mixture and olive oil and stir together to form a sticky dough.
• Remove from bowl and knead, adding the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• The longer you knead, the more texture your dough will have.
• Turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl.
• Cover with a dry towel and place in a warm, draft free area.
• (I usually stick it in the oven. If your oven is cold, very briefly- about 1 minute- turn to highest temp, then off again, well before placing bowl in oven. Let's not melt any bowls, eh?) Let rise for at least one hour.
• When dough has doubled in bulk, punch back down.
• At this point, add any of the optional ingredients at end of recipe, or as desired.
• Let the dough rise again, until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Or, if there were no extra additions, shape and add toppings.
• Bake at 500°F for about 8 minutes.
• Optional, but worthwhile: fresh herbs (I use basil, oregano and thyme), chopped minced garlic, parmiagiano-reggiano and extra cornmeal for texture.

BRAIDED PIZZA LOAF RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Unroll pizza dough on a greased baking sheet.
• Spread pizza sauce down the middle of your dough.
• Add Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni on top of sauce.
• Cut 1-inch diagonal strips up each side of the dough.
• Fold 1-inch strips up and over pizza filling, alternating sides to get a braided look.
• Brush the tops of the braided dough with olive oil and then sprinkle with the garlic, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Let cool for a few minutes then cut into slices and serve.