Italian Party Bread Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Beat in water and oil until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. , Punch dough down; place on a greased 12-in. pizza pan and pat into a 12-in. circle. Brush with salad dressing. Combine the seasonings; sprinkle over top. Sprinkle with cheeses. , Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place each loaf seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. With a sharp knife, make 4 shallow slashes across top of each loaf. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cut bread widthwise into 1-in. slices to within 1/2 in. of bottom of loaf. Repeat cuts in opposite direction. Cut cheese into 1/4-in. slices; cut slices into small pieces. Place cheese in cuts in bread., In a small bowl, mix butter, green onions and poppy seeds; drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes. Unwrap; bake until cheese is melted, about 10 minutes longer.

Steps:

• Split the bread in half lengthwise. Top the bottom half with the mortadella, capicola, salami, prosciutto and provolone. Toss the giardiniera in a bowl with the olives, peppers and olive oil. Tear out the soft center of the top bread half to make a shell. Pack the lettuce into the center of the bread and top with the giardiniera mixture. Carefully put the two sandwich halves together, pressing to keep the filling inside. Secure with small skewers and cut into pieces.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Add the sugar, shortening, salt, egg, remaining water and 4 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place seam side down on greased baking sheets., With a sharp knife, make four shallow diagonal slashes across the top of each loaf. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. , Bake at 350° for 37-42 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Brush with butter.