Easy Italian Cheese Bread – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

This straightforward Italian cheese bread is unbelievable! The easy dough is combined by hand, and the baked bread is tacky and stuffed with aptitude and taste!

Ok, you guys, cease what you might be doing proper this minute, and make this bread! Seriously. It would be the greatest resolution you’ve made all week.

It is by far a number of the most scrumptious bread I’ve ever eaten!

Bread Dough Mixed by Hand

The dough for this award-successful Italian cheese bread is combined collectively by hand. No stand mixer wanted!

As you combine, the dough will come collectively in a shaggy mess. This is after I ditch the blending utensil, frivolously grease my palms, and dive in to combine and frivolously knead the dough for a couple of minutes till it varieties a tough ball form.

Try to not add further flour until completely needed. The tender dough is what ensures the bread will bake up completely fluffy (you could even get a few of these cute little artisanal air pockets in case you’re fortunate!).

Assembling the Cheese Bread:

Once the dough has risen, it’s time to make the deliciousness occur.

1. press the dough onto a frivolously greased half sheet pan about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick (it gained’t cowl the complete backside of the pan – simply get it right into a tough oval form)
2. brush the highest with Italian salad dressing (numerous notes within the recipe about retailer purchased vs do-it-yourself; spoiler alert: both will work!)
3. sprinkle with a easy combination of pantry-prepared dried herbs
4. cowl with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese

You already understand how mentally allergic I’m to something associated to soggy bread dough – I promise the salad dressing doesn’t make the dough soggy! Instead it provides probably the most unbelievable layer of taste and helps the cheese adhere to the highest of the dough.

Glorious Italian Cheese Bread

Bake the bread till the crust is golden and that cheese is a’sizzlin.

The aroma emanating out of your oven is probably going nothing you’ve ever skilled. All of my children talked about how wonderful it smelled after they walked in the home the primary time I made this bread. (And that’s saying loads, as a result of my household is used to the home smelling like food, for higher or for worse. 😉)

I’ve made this bread again and again since then. It is actually a number of the most gorgeous do-it-yourself bread ever. And it’s so straightforward!

I’m so grateful that Sarah M (a loyal MKC reader for nearly 20 years!) despatched me this recipe. She’s been making this bread for over a decade and even gained Grand Champion for it at her native honest!

I can by no means go away properly sufficient alone, so I tailored the recipe to work a bit higher for house cooks who might not personal a pizza pan, and adjusted the portions of the bread and toppings to raised swimsuit my carb-loving coronary heart.

Last week, I packed up slices of this bread and took it to my son’s high college tennis match considering it might make a easy dinner for me and Brian whereas we watched (sure, the entire loaf 👀😜). We by no means even bought a single slice after my son, adopted by a hoard of his ravenous teammates, spied it, devoured it, and begged me to convey it once more.

I can’t wait so that you can make this bread! It can be excellent for thus many various events and meals. Or, simply since you want Italian cheese bread in your life.

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Easy Italian Cheese Bread

Yield: 16 servings (1 loaf)

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour hr 15 minutes minutes

Dough:

• 3 cups (426 g) all-objective flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon on the spot yeast
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 ¼ cups heat water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the pan

Toppings:

• ⅓ cup bottled Italian salad dressing (see notice)
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch dried thyme
• 1 cup (113 g) shredded mozzarella cheese (see notice)
• ¼ cup (28 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (see notice)

Cook ModePrevent your display from going darkish

• In a big bowl, stir collectively the flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the water and the two tablespoons olive oil and blend till the dough begins to come back collectively in a shaggy ball.

• Lightly grease your palms and proceed mixing the dough, folding it over on itself and kneading it frivolously (urgent it with the heel of your hand) 5 to six occasions, till the dough has fashioned a tough ball form.

• Cover the bowl and let the dough rise till noticeably puffy, 30 to 60 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 450 levels F. Brush two tablespoons oil evenly throughout a half sheet pan.

• Lightly punch down the dough and switch it out onto the ready pan. Press the dough frivolously right into a tough oval form, about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. It will not cowl the complete backside of the pan. It’s okay to flip the dough a couple of times whereas shaping; add extra oil to the pan, if wanted.

• Brush the highest of the dough evenly with the Italian salad dressing. In a small bowl, mix the basil, oregano, garlic, salt and thyme. Evenly sprinkle this combination over the dressing.

• Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses throughout the highest of the dough.

• If you could have the time or desire a barely fluffier bread, let the bread relaxation for 10-20 minutes earlier than baking. Otherwise, you’ll be able to bake instantly.

• Bake for quarter-hour till the crust is golden brown and the cheese is scorching. Let relaxation for about 5 minutes earlier than reducing into squares and serving. The bread is scrumptious heat or at room temperature.

Salad dressing: use a model of retailer purchased Italian salad dressing you benefit from the style of, and it’ll work high quality on this recipe. Shake the dressing rather well earlier than utilizing. The dressing on this salad recipe would make an important do-it-yourself possibility (pass over the Parmesan cheese within the dressing, if utilizing for this recipe). 
Cheese: if in case you have the time, freshly grated mozzarella cheese from a block is greatest (it melts a lot better than pre-shredded cheese from the shop). It isn’t a deal breaker if that you must use pre-shredded mozzarella cheese; nonetheless, I extremely suggest utilizing freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the right tacky crust (pre-shredded Parmesan is commonly dried out and gained’t soften in addition to freshly grated Parm). 

Author: Mel

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American, Italian

Method: Bake

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 144kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 374mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g

Recipe Source: tailored from this recipe by the use of a reader, Sarah M., who has been making this bread for 20 years (and gained Grand Champion at a neighborhood honest for it!) – I elevated and tailored portions so the bread is ideal for a half sheet pan