Sicilian Sausage Bread Round

Sicilian Sausage Bread Round

For the dough: (Or buy pre made pizza dough if you're in a hurry)

• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 1 package dry yeast (8 grams or 2 1/4 tsp)
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

For the filling:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casing removed

To prepare the dough:

• In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water and yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes.
• Add olive oil, salt, sugar and flour. Mix by hand until a dough is formed. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• If using a stand mixer, use the dough hook to mix the ingredients on low speed for 1 minute. Increase to medium speed and kneed for 7 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a large bowl lightly coated with olive oil and turn it once to coat both sides with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

For the filling:

• While the dough is rising, prepare onions and sausage. In a large skillet on medium heat, sauté the onions in olive oil until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
• In the same skillet, brown the sausage until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 400F and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

To assemble:

• Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a well floured counter top. Begin flattening the dough using the tips of your fingers to stretch it out. Next, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into approximately a 24"x 16" rectangle, as shown.
• Evenly spread out the onions on the dough, followed by the sausage.
• Roll the dough in a jelly roll fashion beginning with the long end closest to you. Once rolled, cut off excess loose dough on each end and shape into a small bun.
• Transfer the rolled dough on the parchment covered baking sheet. Connect both ends to form a circle. Cut a few slits on the top and let rest, covered, for 1 hour.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350F and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Let cool about 15 minutes before cutting into wedges.