Here's a fun twist on homemade pizza: the pizza braid. It may sound complicated, and even look as if it is, but there's no actual braiding involved. Instead, the dough is folded to resemble a braid.
If you're a fan of calzones and stromboli, I think you'll like the pizza braid.
The result is like a "fancy Hot Pocket," as my husband put it.
The process is fairly simple: Pizza dough is spread with a bit of sauce, then topped with cheese and your favorite pizza toppings. The dough is then cut along the sides and folded over the filling to give it a braided appearance.
This dough is super easy to work with and, thanks to a little dry milk, has a softer crust and golden-brown color once baked.
Any combination of pizza toppings will work, as long as they are cooked first. Meat toppings would not have time to cook-through; while perfectly safe to eat, raw vegetables will release moisture as the braid cooks, which could make the interior soggy.
And you might be tempted to increase the sauce. Don't. Doing so -- as I learned the hard way -- can result in a soggy, messy braid. If more sauce is desired, serve it on the side for dipping.
Pizza Braid
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more as needed (I used bread flour, but all-purpose would work too)
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon King Arthur Pizza Dough flavor enhancer, optional
2 teaspoons pizza seasoning (I used McCormick All-Purpose Seasoning with crushed red pepper, oregano and garlic)
1 ounce freshly grated parmesan cheese (I used a rasp grater for fine, fluffy curls)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Filling:
5 tablespoons pizza sauce
1 cup PLUS 3 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese, divided use
1 cup desired cooked pizza toppings (I used 1/2 small red bell pepper, 1/4 small onion and 1 ounce sliced pepperoni)
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the sugar; set aside until frothy.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, dry milk, salt, dough enhancer (if using), pizza seasoning and parmesan cheese.
In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour mixture with the water-yeast mixture and olive oil. Stir until combined. Knead, by hand or with the dough hook, adding flour a teaspoon at a time as needed, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 to 2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough, and press and roll it into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Turn baking sheet so that the short end is parallel with the counter's edge.
Spread sauce down the center 1/3 of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the top and bottom and about 5 inches of un-sauced dough down each side. Sprinkle sauced area with 1 cup of the cheese and the desired toppings.
Fold the un-sauced dough at the top and bottom ends over upon itself to seal in the filling at the top and bottom -- sort of like a short hem.
Using pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut 1-inch wide, horizontal strips on the outside third of both sides, making sure the strips line up from side to side and that you have the same number of strips on each side. You should have a "fringe" of about 3-inch long strips along each side of the dough, with a solid sauced section in the center.
To form the braid, starting at the top left, fold the strips across the sauced section, alternating with the strips on the right, diagonally down across the filling, so that the two strips crisscross each other. Continue down the entire braid, alternating strips to form the loaf.
Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle top with the remaining cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot.
Cool on the pan slightly before cutting and serving.
Makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on appetites.
Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour
Food on 02/28/2018