Crazy Bread

Crazy bread is one of my favorite breads to make.  It's versatile and forgiving.  It makes a great accompaniment to dinner or a perfect afternoon snack for the kids.  And it's hard to mess up!

Add 1 cup warm water to a small mixing bowl.  I use water that is just slightly warmer than body temperature -- warm enough to wake up the yeast, but not so warm that it'll kill it.

Stir in 2 teaspoons sugar and stir to dissolve.  You can use white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, anything that'll "feed" the yeast.

Sometimes I mix some parmesan cheese into the dough too! So yummy!

Sprinkle one .25 ounce envelope of yeast over the water.  Or if you're like me and buy yeast in bulk, use two heaping teaspoons.  Stir the yeast into the sugar water and allow it to rest about 10 minutes until the surface is foamy.

Meanwhile, measure out 2 cups of flour into a large bowl.  I use bread flour, but all-purpose will work.  Or try substituting whole wheat for half of the white.  Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 tablespoon of dried parsley.

Once the yeast has activated long enough add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pour the whole mess into the flour mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the majority of the flour is mixed in and the dough pulls away from the sides in a big lumpy ball.  No need to overmix or get a completely uniform dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let it sit in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 35 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Baking on a pizza stone helps keep the bottom from getting soggy.

When it's ready, oil your hands generously with olive oil and dump the dough onto a lightly oiled surface.  Pat gently into a round about 1/2 inch thick and transfer to a pizza stone (or shape it into a rectangle and use a cookie sheet).

Rub the top generously with softened butter (or melt some and brush it on) and sprinkle garlic powder.  You can stop here and have delicious garlic bread, but I almost always add some cheese.  I typically use whatever I have on hand: mozzarella, cheddar, colby, monterey jack, it doesn't matter much.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.  Serve warm!

My favorite way to cut pizza or crazy bread is with kitchen shears!

~*~ CRAZY BREAD ~*~

1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-4 tablespoons butter (softened or melted)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup grated cheese 

In a small bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water.  Let stand for 10 minutes until foamy. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, garlic, and parsley.  Add olive oil to the yeast mixture and add it altogether to the flour.  Stir with a wooden spoon until dough is stiff enough to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Cover and set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly oiled surface.  Shape gently to about 1/2 inch thickness.  Rub with softened butter.  Sprinkle with garlic and cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.  Serve warm.