Cheesy Italian Bread Wedges

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
2. Combine yeast mixture with vegetable oil, salt, and half the flour in a large mixing bowl; stir mixture until no dry spots remain. Stir in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
3. Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
5. Place risen dough into an 8x8-inch square baking pan. Cover the top of the dough with Italian salad dressing mix and sprinkle loaf with oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
6. Bake in preheated oven until the top is golden brown and the bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes. About 5 minutes before bread is finished baking, sprinkle the loaf with Colby-Monterey Jack cheese; bake until cheese has melted. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

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Reviews (1)

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7

Marianne

Aug. 5, 2012

"The dough for this bread came together easily--smooth and elastic--probably because of the amount of yeast for the flour. The dough doubled in size in only 45 minutes, catching me totally off guard. ..." See more The cooking time was right on the mark. The bread part was quite thick, and the seasonings just sat on the top. I could only bring myself to use one packet of the dry Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing mix. When I put the cheese on the browned bread, it wouldn't spread out very easily. Then when I went to cut it into wedges, the cheesy part just fell off the bread. I have a couple of ideas how to do this differently. I could mix one of the packets of salad dressing mix into the dough, which would help out that flavor. I think a better solution would be to roll the dough out double the size, put all the seasonings and cheese on half and then fold over the other half and pinch it to seal it, letting all the yummy goodness melt in the middle. This has strong possibilities, and I hate to see my review keep anyone from making this bread."