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. )

Whole Wheat Pizza

**UPDATE**
Cooking tip: Keep your pizza stone in your oven while it preheats and assemble your pizza/calzone on aluminum foil on top of a cookie sheet. (I know, sounds crazy). But then when it come time to put the pizza in the oven, the stone is hot, so the crust gets crispy and you can just slide the pizza on the foil from the sheet to the stone.   
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Since going on Weight Watchers, there hasn't been too much that I've had to give up for sake of losing weight. The basis of the program is really making good choices and employing moderation (novel concept, huh?!) But I hadn't figured out how to work pizza back in my diet. 2-3 normal pieces would be what I normally am allowed for like lunch and dinner combined. Not worth it to me.


But in doing some searching, I came across a whole wheat crust recipe (from Green Lite Bites). I changed it up a little and it was quite a success. Now I can have my pizza and eat it too :-D

How Long Is This Gonna Take:
45 minutes for the crust, plus 15-20 minutes baking time


But Is It Good For Me:
If topped as I did, each piece is 3 points. A pizza makes 8 slices

What You'll Need:



What To Do:1. In a glass measuring cup (or something else microwave safe), microwave hot tap water for approximately 30 seconds or until it reaches ~120F. Measure out 1/3 cup water and combine with honey and yeast in a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes. It will froth up. Then combine 1 cup flour, salt, and yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. Its going to form "little balls" and there isn't going to be enough water in the mixture. Using your hands, form the dough into one ball, adding additional water (doesn't need to be hot) 1 tbsp at a time. At this point, the dough will be too wet.

2. Pre-heat oven to 425F. Turn out on to a floured surface, and knead, adding additional flour (up to the extra 1/4 cup) until no longer sticky. Spray small bowl with cooking spray and place dough inside. Cover with a towel and let rise for 25 minutes in a warm spot. (GLB says to throw it in the microwave with a warm cup of water- don't turn it on...it just serves as a warm spot. It worked like a charm for me).


3. Once dough is done rising, use a rolling pin to roll dough out thin. We rolled ours out larger than the stone and then slightly folded the edge over on itself to form a pseudo-crust edge. Sprinkle cornmeal on a pizza stone. Top pizza with pizza sauce, cheese, and veggies galore. I did half mushrooms, onions, and red and green peppers and half mushroom, onions, and Italian turkey sausage.