I am not ashamed to say that I steal ideas from the Food Network.  We professionals call it “Inspired by…..”  As my husband would say, “heh heh heh…”

Anyway, on Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive Ins and Dives I saw an Italian Deli  in New Jersey where the owner makes everything from scratch–I can hardly wait to make his Meat Rolls, (Braciole)  a flattened steak, all tied up with various meats inside, and smothered in red sauce.  But for today, this bread really caught my eye.  I am well aware that most of you do not make homemade bread very often, but if you do, just make a normal recipe of your favorite bread.  OR, you can buy frozen bread dough–OR even use one of Trader Joe’s pizza doughs!

Follow me along as I explain what he did, and then I will do my best to itemize the ingredients in a more recipe form.

Fold in half, repeat process and keep repeating it, (including the rolling out part) until the meats are gone, then roll up into a long roll (the picture above is one long roll cut in half just before baking).  If you’ve ever seen or done Croissants, this is the same method.

With a sharp knife, slice down loaf about 1/2 ” and brush lightly with olive oil.  Rise about 45 min to an hour, or just till you like how it looks.  You’ll get it!

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.  Slice and serve!

Recipe guideline (this is what I did.  No rules!)

1 recipe homemade bread or pizza dough

About 1/2 cup each: Parmesan, cheddar, salami, cappriocola, prosciutto, ham, soppressata.  Trader Joe’s has those packs of 3 kinds of meats for under $5.  Two of those should be about right.  Just depends on how meaty you like your finished product.  As long as you keep folding and spreading it, you probably can’t hurt it…..

NOTE:  Another twist.  If you like your bread a little crisper and not as soft, Bake the loaves at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  That’s how the above that I made was done.  The way I would serve this at a party would be to slice it up completely, cut the slices in half, and serve on a platter with a bowl of marinara sauce to dip it in.  Again, you can buy the marinara or meat sauce in a jar.  We have done a lot of taste tests on jarred sauces, and Trader Joe’s has a great one.  We even like Ragu and Prego–but then, we are sophisticated gourmets!  heh heh heh