This bread came about as a real “What do I do with....?” scenario. It all started with leftover pizza dough. I was trying to think, what could you do with it that was different but of course tasty, without going down the pizza/calzone route. This bread was the result. The first thought was a focaccia like creation, with chopped pancetta sprinkled on top. Then I flipped through the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook [1], and saw where they kneaded the pancetta into the dough. Aha! We’re on to something now! What I will give you below is the dough recipe, which I got from The Table, [2] the community kitchen where I work one day a week, with the pancetta and a liberal sprinkling of rosemary, kneaded in. Pancetta can usually be found in the deli section of your supermarket. The pancetta melts as it bakes, oozing into the bread like butter with porky goodness.

This recipe is fabulous, especially when you want pizza NOW.

The Table’s Quickee Pizza Dough:

1 (.25 oz.) package active dry yeast

1 tsp. white sugar

1 c. warm water (110 degrees)

2 ½ cups bread flour

2 tbl. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

This is if you want to make pizza with this lovely dough. I took things in a different direction after making the dough.

Artisan Bread with Pancetta and Rosemary:

6 slices pancetta, no substitute

1 tsp. dried rosemary

Dice the pancetta into ¼” dice, and then knead it and the rosemary into the dough on a floured board. Once it is evenly distributed, shape the dough into a boule or round, about 2” thick in the middle, and about a 6-8” round. Let rise covered with a dishtowel, for about an hour. Heat your oven to 450 as mentioned above. Gently place lace boule on greased cookie sheet, and slash with an X across the top. Dust lightly with flour if desired. You can also sprinkle more of the dried rosemary on top if you wish.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes (depending on your oven), or until well browned. Remove, cool 10 minutes, and loosen from the sheet. Place on a rack to cool completely.

Notes:

1. Hertzberg, Jeff and Francois, Zoe. Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007.

2. The Table Community Food Centre. www.thetablecfc.org. Last accessed July 28, 2015.