Bobby Bread (Cheesy Garlic Bread)

So what do you do on your days off?  Sleep in? Stay in PJs all day and cozy up with your puppy?  Get lost in a book or get all caught up on your DVR?  Trust me-  I’ve spent many a lazy Saturday doing juuuuust that.

But then there are days where I do weird things.  Weird like wake up before 9am.  And immediately hit the kitchen to make pizza dough.  (Of course, I made myself an extra large vanilla latte before I got started….a girl still needs her fuel).  Why do I do this?  Because I got a wicked intense craving for Bobby Bread the night before which had to be satisfied or I would’ve gone crazy.

Ummm...Sarah- what’s Bobby Bread?  So glad you asked.  You might better know it as cheesy breadsticks. Or garlic cheese bread.  But in my world, it will always be Bobby Bread.  This fantastic bread is a staple of St. Guiseppe’s Pizza in my hometown of good ol’ Moline, Illinois.  It’s a wonderful, family owned restaurant that gave me my first job at the ripe old age of 14. 

My family had been going there for years (and still do- my dad goes literally EVERY DAY for lunch with his business buddies).   And for some reason, I always wanted to be a waitress there.  So as soon as I old enough to get a worker’s permit, the owner- none other than Bobby himself- hired me on the spot.  With absolutely no experience/training/clue whatsoever I might add…..I’m sure he regularly regretted it in the beginning. Hehehe. 

And while I worked there AND ate there every Friday night with the fam, I never got sick of the food (a true testament of its deliciousness).  And while the pizza is A.MAZ.ING, the Bobby Bread was always my favorite.  So when I got the craving, I thought ‘Hey, I worked there long enough- I bet I can whip up a pretty decent copy cat’.  And I think I came pretty close.  (P.S. This is the only pizza dough recipe you’ll ever need- it’s so perfectly soft & chewy yet it still gets all golden brown and awesome.)  Bobby- you’d be proud :)  (Fun side note- Bobby is representing the state of Illinois on Capitol Hill.  How cool is that? I can legit say I used to work for a congressman. )


 Dough adapted from this recipe

Makes 2- 12 inch pizzas

What You’ll Need:

For the Dough

• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 cup Warm Water
• 1 pkg (2 ¼ tsp) Dry Active Yeast
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 ½ cups Bread Flour (this is important- from what I’ve read, pizza dough needs a lot of gluten, which you can’t get with normal AP Flour)
• Corn Meal  

For the Bobby Bread

• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 4 Tbsp Butter, softened
• ½ cup Grated Parmesan & Romano Blend
• 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese, shredded 

What To Do:

1. In your stand mixer bowl (I HIGHLY recommend using your stand mixer for all dough making adventures- SOOOO much easier), stir together the warm water, sugar and yeast.  Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until frothy.  This means your yeast is alive and kickin’.
2. Add the salt, oil, and 1 ½ cups of the bread flour.  Mix together using your dough hook.  Once incorporated, slowly add the rest of the flour, a little at a time.  You may need more or less than the remaining 1 cup.  You want the dough to be tacky enough that it feels sticky, but you don’t want it to actually stick to your fingers when you touch it.  If it gets too dry from adding a bit too much flour, add just a little bit of water (like a tsp) and try again.
3. Once its reach it’s perfectly tacky stage, turn your mixer on high and knead for 5 minutes.  Seriously- set a timer and let it do its thing.  Lightly oil a clean bowl and the dough and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to rise for 1-2 hours.  (Hint- I always proof my dough by sitting it in the microwave with a glass of hot water. Seems to always to the trick)
4. Once your dough is ready, preheat your oven to 500F with your pizza stone inside.  Divide your dough into 2 equal pieces and shape into 2- 12” circles (or as close to a circle as you can get….mine never turn out quite right)  on corn meal dusted parchment paper or aluminum foil.  Mix butter and garlic in a small bowl and spread over dough.  Top with cheeses and salt & pepper if you’d like.  Set pizza on the paper/foil directly on your pizza stone.  Bake for 9 minutes. Cut and serve with hot marinara on the side.