This jalapeno and sausage bread is exactly what it sounds like: a simple bread dough (actually a pizza dough recipe) studded with browned Italian sausage, bits of jalapeno and sautéed onion, and shaved parmesan cheese.
There are so many things that I love about visiting my dad at his house upstate. The freedom of being in nature, waking up to the smoky smell of the woodstove every morning, gathering around his table and chatting for hours with family, and watching my little niece get to experience “upstate” life for the fist time are all certainly at the top of the list. But if I had to pick just one favorite, it might just be my dad’s cooking. From thin crust pizzas fresh out of his pizza oven, to simple pastas and not-so-simple scrambled eggs, everything my dad makes is truly delicious. And this past weekend he made us a new recipe, one that is simple enough but so tasty that I will undoubtedly be adding it to my own repertoire: jalapeno and sausage bread.
I love the way my dad cooks. He hates to waste even the smallest bit of food, and he’s always finding ways to use up leftovers or bits of things used for other meals. It really makes him creative in the kitchen. So while this jalapeno and sausage bread doesn’t necessarily use up anything that he had lying around, it is a testament to his genius cooking-mind. Since he was making us pizzas anyway (using our Family Secret Pizza Dough recipe), he figured he would try something new by adding some cooked sausage, jalapenos, onions and parmesan into the dough to make a bread. The result is certainly not a pizza, but it’s something similar. Cheesy from the parmesan, meaty from the sausage and of course a bit spicy from the jalapenos, this jalapeno and sausage bread would make the perfect side, appetizer, or even breakfast.
AN EASY SIDE, APPETIZER OR BREAKFAST
The great thing about this recipe is that once you have the pizza dough, it’s actually super easy to make. You can use our recipe for pizza dough or buy it store bought or from your local pizza shop. In my breakfast calzones recipe I used Trader Joe’s pizza dough, which is cheap, easy and good. If you happen to be making a big batch of pizza dough (like my dad was), you can make a little extra for this recipe, because it really is so easy. And it’s always impressive to bake your own bread. Simply add all the extras into the dough (and you can even have fun here coming up with your own additions, leaving out the sausage for a vegetarian version, etc), let it rise, and bake. The result couldn’t be easier, and definitely couldn’t be tastier.
My Dad’s Jalapeno and Sausage Bread
Equipment
- 9 inch round cake pan or deep dish pizza pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb pizza dough (see below for pizza dough recipe or buy premade)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds and ribs removed for less heat)
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage (you can buy links and remove the casings)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 cup shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
- olive oil
Instructions
- In a pan over medium heat, cook ground sausage in olive oil until browned. Remove the sausage and set aside. In the same pan, add the diced onion and cook until just beginning to brown, 5 minutes.
- Grease a large bowl with olive oil. Add the pizza dough to this bowl, followed by cooked sausage, diced jalapenos, onions and parmesan cheese. Gently fold and knead the dough until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Prep the pan by cutting a circle or parchment paper to line the bottom. Then liberally grease bottom and sides of pan with olive oil. Add the dough to this pan, stretching it with your fingers until it fills the whole pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400. Once dough is risen, bake for 35-45 minutes, until cooked through and browned on top.
Family Secret Pizza Dough
Equipment
- Stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups 00 flour (you can use all purpose flour if you can't find 00)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole grain flour
- 1 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- a sprinkle of sugar
- a good glug of olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
For making the pizza:
- 1/4 cup semolina flour
- pizza toppings
Instructions
- Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to dissolve and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- While the yeast activates in the water, fit the stand mixer with the dough hook. Combine 00 flour, all purpose flour, whole grain flour and salt and set the stand mixer on medium-low speed to combine.
- With stand mixer on low, drizzle in water-yeast mixture. Mix until the dough starts to form, 3 minutes. Tap the sides of the bowl a few times to shake the flour loose from the sides.
- Once the dough has come together, increase the stand mixer to medium speed and knead for 10 minutes. If the dough is looking too wet and sticking to the dough hook too much, add more flour. If it seems too dry, add a touch more water.
- Transfer the dough to a well oiled bowl or large food safe container. Drizzle in a good glug of olive oil and knead by hand to combine. Cover the bowl/container with a lid or kitchen towl and allow to rise until doubled, 1 1/2 hours.
- After the first rise, gently deflate the dough by folding it into thirds. Turn the bowl and repeat this process 2-3 times. Cover and allow the dough to rise 1 hour more.
- After the 1 hour rise, deflate the dough using the same technique, cover again and let rise another hour. At this point, the dough can be used right away or stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To make a pizza: flour the counter well with semolina flour. Cut the dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll/stretch it out on the semolina flour. Top with pizza toppings of choice and bake.
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