Sunday, April 12, 2009

Provence Twist Bread

½ loaf frozen bread dough, thawed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
¼ teaspoon sesame seeds
¼ cup grated fresh parmesan-reggiano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw loaf until able to work with the dough. Cut bread dough in half. Spray jelly roll pan with nonstick cooking spray. Press half of the dough as flat as you can into a rectangle on the jelly roll pan. Lightly brush dough with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Evenly sprinkle herbes de Provence and cheese within 1 inch of all the edges. Roll up tightly, jelly roll style, starting with a long side.

With a serrated knife, cut down the length of the roll to expose the herbs and cheese. Keeping the cut side turned up, fold the dough in half to begin twisting. Carefully twist the two sides together, keeping the cut side visible. Pinch ends together. Brush top with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place on greased cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with other half of the thawed bread dough. Allow dough to rise until slightly less than double in size. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.