Greek Bubble Bread!

One of our favorite restaurants in this small town is a little place called "Paul's Italian Cafe". It's not fancy, but the food is unfailingly delicious. Amazing spaghetti sauce.....wedding soup to die for......a terrific simple salad.....warm bread served with olive oil.....yum...yum.....yum!! What's sort-of funny is that the owner of the restaurant, "Paul", is not Italian.....He's Greek! Even though Paul has been a part of the community for quite a few years, he still has a pretty serious Greek accent and a conversation with him can be challenging. Though we rarely get in a deep discussion with Paul, we know he's a "good guy".......There's always a friendly smile, a nod and a wave for the customers....Annually, Paul loans out the restaurant to the local fire department for their annual July 4th Pancake Breakfast fundraiser......There are coloring pages from his younger patrons pinned proudly to the wall . It goes to show that sometimes you don't always need words to express who you are..... 

With Paul in mind, I'm sending this Greek Bubble Bread recipe off to you. It's wonderful with a big salad and perhaps something from the grill. Who needs words? This delicious bread will tell someone that you think they're special!! 

Greek Bubble Bread

1 Cup milk, warmed

2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp/packet Red Star Platinum Yeast

½ Cup Crumbled feta cheese

1/3 Cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives

2 tsp. shortening

3 Cups unbleached all-purpose bread flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

½ tsp. salt

Place warm milk, water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch dough down and divide into 12+ equal-sized balls. Smooth the balls by placing the dough ball on the counter, cupping your hand over it and moving your hand in a circular motion. The dough should form neatly into a smooth ball. Repeat with additional dough. Grease a loaf pan and place balls in the pan, layering them over one another. Cover and let rise until double. Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, until bread sounds hollow when tapped and is nicely browned. Brush lightly with butter. 

Greek Bubble Bread!