Italian Garlic/Pepper Bread

Italian garlic and pepper bread is a savory bread machine staple that tastes like it came out of a pizzeria. A generous half cup of grated Parmesan goes right into the dough along with garlic powder and cracked black pepper, so every slice is seasoned from the inside out.

Bread flour is worth using here instead of all-purpose. The higher protein content gives the loaf the chewy, structured crumb that stands up to a slathering of butter or a dunk in marinara without falling apart.

Load the ingredients in your machine’s recommended order (most want liquids on the bottom, yeast on top, isolated from the salt and sugar). Garlic and pepper can be added with the dry ingredients. The cheese can sometimes stall older machines, so if yours struggles, add it at the mix-in beep instead.

Kitchen Tips

• Use freshly grated Parmesan rather than the powdered shaker kind. The moisture and flavor are different.
• Coarsely cracked black pepper adds visible flecks and a bolder bite than pre-ground.
• Check the dough after five minutes of kneading, add a tablespoon of water if it looks crumbly.
• Slice only after the loaf has completely cooled or the crumb will gum up.

Variations

• Swap garlic powder for 2 cloves of roasted garlic mashed into the liquid for a sweeter, jammier flavor.
• Add a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary) for a pizza-bread vibe.
• Fold in a quarter cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes at the mix-in beep for color and tang.