Italian Bread Appetizer

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 10 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed according to package directions ( or wheat)
• 1/4 lb sliced genoa salami, cut into strips
• 1/4 lb sliced provolone cheese, cut into strips
• 1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten with
• 1 teaspoon water
• poppy seed

Recipe

• 1 in a small saucepan cook oil and garlic together over medium-low heat, stirring almost constantly, 2 to 3 minutes, until garlic is golden and fragrant. discard garlic and set aside saucepan of garlic-flavored oil.
• 2 on lightly floured surface stretch and roll dough into 12" square; place on lightly greased baking sheet and brush with reserved garlic-flavored oil. sprinkle evenly with salami and cheese. arrange roasted peppers and green onions down center of dough, leaving a 1" border at each end and a 3" border on each side.
• 3 use a knife or scissors to make eight 3" cuts into dough along both sides of the filling. bring dough strips up across filling at an angle, alternating sides to give a braided effect. pinch dough at bottom and top to seal in filling.
• 4 brush braid with egg mixture; sprinkle evenly with poppy seeds. set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free location 30 to 45 minutes, until puffy. (if you're using wheat bread, rising time may be longer.).
• 5 heat oven to 350°f bake 35 minutes or until golden. immediately remove bread from baking sheet and cool 5 minutes on wire rack. cut into 16 slices and serve warm or at room temperature.