Double Cheese Bread

Another day, another cheesy bread. It's kind of a staple in my house. This time, two cheeses (creamy mozzarella and tangy parmesan) come together to transform ordinary bread dough into something magical. Main dish, side dish, lunch, dinner, (breakfast), it's all good. and you need just a handful of ingredients. I'll take that scenario any day.

Seriously, we live on this bread in my house. I pull the bread dough out of the freezer in the morning, fill and roll it around midday (after it's thawed for a few hours) and then bake it for dinner. It NEVER fails. Sometimes I add chicken, steak and even meatballs to the filling. I've definitely added all kinds of vegetables. You simply CANNOT GO WRONG here. This recipe is incredibly forgiving, and endlessly versatile.

There's one staple ingredient in this bread - garlic. I'll never leave that out. I use fresh garlic or granulated garlic. Both work great. The hint of garlic partners perfectly with the cheese - like inside-out garlic-mozzarella bread.

Want to add more to the filling? Excellent idea. Simply top the mozzarella with whatever you want before rolling up the bread. If it's vegetables, try steamed or blanched broccoli, broccoli rabe, spinach, or asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, onions or bell peppers, diced tomatoes, and sliced olives. If you want to add "meat", try a variety of cooked things, like leftover or rotisserie chicken, sliced steak, roast beef, meatballs, deli turkey breast (I've used mesquite smoked turkey - yum), shrimp, lobster, and crab.

How about prepping ahead? Normally I would say "heck no"; it's bread dough after all. But there have been NUMEROUS occasions where I've filled and rolled the bread and then - life happened. Dinner was postponed for one reason or another. Sometimes it was for a couple of hours. Other times, it was like 24-48 hours! When that happens, simply cover the bread loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Pull the bread from the fridge about 30-45 minutes before baking - this allows the bread to come to room temperature and rise a little before baking. Dinner saved!

Double Cheese Bread

1 loaf fresh or frozen bread dough (about 1 pound), thawed if frozen
2-3 cloves garlic, finely grated or 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Warm marinara sauce for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick (the rectangle should be somewhere around 9x15 inches, but it doesn't need to be exact AT ALL). Sprinkle the garlic all over the dough, to within 1/2-inch of the edges.
Spread the mozzarella cheese all over the garlic. Starting from the longer side, tightly roll up the dough until you reach the other edge. Pull up the far edge to meet the roll and pinch the edge into the roll to seal.
Transfer the loaf to the prepared pan, seam-side down. Brush the olive oil all over the top and sides of the dough. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese all over the dough.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bread is puffed up and golden brown.
Serve with warm marinara on the side if desired.

Serves 4-6