Crazy Bakin'!

Trizza Pazza
"Crazy" Braided Loaf with Tomatoes, Peppers, Ricotta, Bacon & Herbs 

Look, even says in the Bible that "man shall not live by bread alone"... So I put plenty of stuff into mine this evening! I wouldn't want to upset anybody after all! Or to let anybody have to go hungry, either... Least of all, ME!

This yummy loaf was born of my wish to use up every last thing I have in my fridge before my little vacation... It's just the way I am! And there they were... a packet of pizza dough, a few tomatoes, a handful of bacon, a half-tub of ricotta and the bell-peppers that time forgot! But not for long!

Yes pizza is great, terrific even... But doesn't this look yummy too? I'll say it does! And eater piping hot it was every bit as much fun to eat... And for sure it will taste better cold than an old pizza would... If there is any left by tomorrow that is!

One packet of pizza dough on a roll, a half each of a red, yellow and green bell pepper, a Spring onion, a couple of tablespoons of ricotta, about a tablespoon of finely chopped bacon, plenty of marjoram and basil and a sprinkle of cumin seeds... All of that yummy stuff turned into this fantastic loaf... A whole meal in itself!

The best thing about this is that probably the only way you could possibly make this at home is WITH one of those store-bought doughs, as a fresh one would be too soft to roll and shape the way that this stuff allows you to... So before you start bitchin' about it- try making this with your own dough first!

Seriously though folks, this is a great, convenient thing to do and the results are well worth the pang of conscience at not having made the dough yourself... WhatEVAH!

Obviously, those veggies need to be diced. 'Nuff said.

The bacon is basically only there so that the peppers and onion will fry nicely without having to add oil... This way the filling stays nice and juicy without becoming soggy... Plus of course that yummy, salty flavor is worth it's weight in gold too!

Once the veggies and bacon are nicely fried, set them to one side to cool and cut your dough into two equal halves. Spread a heaped tablespoon of ricotta onto each piece, then sprinkle one piece with the diced cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with chopped basil leaves and coat the other with the chopped peppers and bacon and sprinkle with marjoram.

Season with a little salt and pepper and get rolling!

You will find that the roll gets wider and wider as you roll it up, but fear not! All will be well!

Carefully fold each roll of dough over the other in a simple braid.

Then roll up the braid into a spiral, as you can see in the photo.

Of course the loaf goes into my frying pan- where else would I start it baking? haha!

Before it went into the oven though, made a cut, using a sharp knife into each topmost segment of the braid, as you can see in this photo. This will a.) allow moisture to ears ape whilst the loaf is baking and b.) let some of the colors of the filling show as it bakes.

After giving the loaf a head-start in the frying pan, on the stove-top for 3-4 minutes, I popped it into a hot oven, at 180C, for 20-25 minutes, until it was large and fluffy and golden brown... And smelling wonderful!

Oh yes, I would pay money for that too! If I didn't know how easy it is to make for yourself that is! Haha! 

Simply cut the loaf into nice chunks and enjoy whilst it is hot and steaming and smelling wonderfully of rich, sweet peppers, bacon and herbs... And enjoy!

And no, I was not able to wait, either!