This is an easy, pretty bread that looks great on
a buffet. My grandma used to make it, and it's a must-have
at my family's holiday table. Although it's a breeze,
it's no last-minute affair, as you must thaw the bread
ahead of time if you're using frozen dough (or let it
rise if you're making your own).
white bread dough
for one loaf, either frozen and fully thawed or made
from scratch and allowed to rise
salt
and black
pepper
olive oil
flour for rolling
Preheat
oven to 350°. Lightly oil a cookie sheet or round cake
pan. Using a very lightly floured, clean dishtowel as
your work surface, roll, stretch or pull dough the best
way you can manage to make it as thin as possible. It's
called pizza bread because it should start rolled out
like pizza dough, but mine's never a circle.
Generously
spread with olive oil, then shake on some salt and plenty
of medium-to-finely ground (anything but coarse) fresh
black pepper.
Roll
up into a rope, stretching dough a bit more as you go.
Coil the rope snake-fashion in the pan, oil the top,
and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let rise at room
temperature at least 30 minutes. Alternately, cover
with oiled plastic wrap, refrigerate, and let rise overnight
(handy for hectic holiday meals).
Longer rising times make a larger, prettier loaf, but
I somewhat prefer the denser version I get when I'm
impatient and don't want to fuss over the rising time.
Bake
until golden, usually 25 - 30 minutes. Serve warm or
reheat 5 - 10 minutes before serving.
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