Tasty Bread!

My friend Reed down in Yuma gave me his super-simple recipe for homemade pizza-style bread.  I’ve pretty much never forayed into bread-making, but I thought this was really easy, even or a beginner.

• 2 Tbs. dry active yeast (this is about 1 1/2 packets - you can close up the leftover package and keep it in the freezer)
• 3/4 c. hot (not boiling) water
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• spices: pepper, garlic, cayenne
• garnish: parmesan, hot sauce, butter, olive oil

Mix water, yeast and sugar in a tall cup.  Set aside a few minutes.  The mixture should bubble and the volume should increase.  That’s the little yeast cells doing anaerobic respiration: they take in sugar and excrete CO2 and alcohol.  Neat!

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine flours, salt and brown sugar and the spices.  Add the yeast-water mixture a little bit at a time, kneading the mixture.  Keep adding water until the dough is, you know, doughy.  Slather the dough with olive oil and put it in the bowl, covered.  Set the bowl in a warm place for about 30 minutes so the dough can rise, like on top of your oven, which you should preheat to 350.

The dough should look like it’s gotten bigger.  I broke the dough into two chunks. You can refrigerate an unused portion.  I smushed the dough into an aluminum pie tin that I had greased with garlic.  The dough doesn’t need to be perfectly flat, because you’re just going to eat it.  I sprinkled salt and pepper and hot sauce and parm over the top of the bread before baking it.  You san put any combination of spices on there.  You could even add marinara sauce and top with mozzarella to make a pizza.  You could probably add onions and rosemary to the dough and make focaccia.  This is pretty much impossible to mess up.  Whatever you create, bake it at 350 until golden, about 20 minutes.  Top with more butter and spices.