Bread Sticks: Use for Leftover Dough #3

If I have a little leftover dough left from making pizza or italian bread. I like to flatten it out with my hands. Cut it into half inch wide strips and place them on a greased baking sheet to rise for 1/2 hr. I then bake them at 400 degrees F until brown and crisp. While they are warm I brush them with garlic herb butter and sprinkle parmesan cheese on them. Simply wonderful dipped in marinara sauce, soup or plain. Olive Garden eat your heart out!

Cheesy Bread Sticks: Use for leftover dough #2

Cheesy bread sticks are a popular takeout item at pizzerias around the country. They are very simple to make. You can make them using the same dough as Italian bread, pizza, or sandwich bread.

Simply take a ball of dough and roll it into a circle about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place the dough on a greased baking sheet and moisten the top with water to make it sticky. Then sprinkle the surface of the dough with a mix of grated cheese (I like mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan). Don't make the cheese too thick, and lightly press it into the dough. Allow the dough to rise for about 1/2- 1 hour and then cut it into strips but leave the strips touching. Bake at375 degrees until browned. The sticks will pull apart wonderfully. Serve warm with pasta sauce or garlic butter.

Monkey Bread: Use for Leftover Dough #1

Monkey bread is basically a cross between sticky buns and doughnut holes. I have no idea how it came into existence but it was probably result of someone having leftover dough and not knowing what to do with it. So they said "well, sugar and butter makes everything better so..." and monkey bread was born. If you have left over sweet bread dough, like that which you make cinnamon buns out of you can make monkey bread.

Simply roll the dough into 1in balls. Then dip each ball first into melted butter and then into cinnamon sugar (mix brown and white sugar) and place the balls into a greased loaf pan, bundt pan or ramekin piling then on top of one another. Drizzle honey over the top of the dough balls so it oozes between them and let them rise 40 min. Bake at 350 degrees F until done (25 min for a small pan, 40 min for a large). Serve warm and enjoy. I guarantee if you put a pile of these out on movie night you can forget the popcorn- no one will miss it.