I like the flavor of Provolone. It doesn't get like a piece of rubber, when it cools a little. This was brought up a while back. Now I found out a lot of the members are using it. But I also use it with Mozzerella. Chopped small and mixed. Sometimes I use 4 Cheeses mixed. Lou

Michelle: I think you are confused with, the Pizza dough and the Braided Dough The one you used for Sin Bunns has a slightly sweet taste. Braided ! Everyone has their own way to do this, which is better. But! I like to cook and bake using easier ways, long as the end results are the same. I've used this recipe since I got out of the Army, a very long time ago and converted it from Army Baking (Large amounts)to Home Baking. It wasn't easy going from 4 Quarts to 4 cups , etc. But I worked it out. I got the results that I wanted and I'm passing it on to everyone. Here is the recipe: Luigis - - - Braided, Plaited Bread or Dough for Cinnamon Buns Etc. 2 cups of milk, (warm ) - - Sometimes I sub Powdered Milk 1 1/3 cup of Sugar 3 large eggs- beaten (save ½ egg w. a little milk for basting ) 1 teasp.+ of Vanilla - - ½ cup + of oil - - ½ teasp. Salt 2 packs of Fleischmans Active dry yeast AP Flour - 3 cups to start ( probably about 6 total enough to knead into a soft ball that doesnt stick to your hands. I now substitute a cup of WW Flour. I makes it more tender. Stir the yeast in a 1/3 cup of warm water w. ½ spoon of sugar, to test it for raising. In a large mixing bowl, or (KA mixer) place the warm the milk ( not hot ) add the sugar ,vanilla , salt & eggs Beat until the sugar is dissolved and add the Yeast and mix well. Add 1 cup of WW flour and 3 cups of AP flour and mix with mixer a few minutes. Add flour until you make a soft Ball of dough that doesnt stick to your hands. Dont make it stiff , try to keep it a "soft dough." On the Work Top, Sprinkle some flour under the ball and Knead it until smooth. Place it in a large bowl, Rub some oil on top. Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm spot until double. I usually turn my oven on for a few minutes to warm and shut it. Place a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf. Then place the dough bowl in the oven to rise. When doubled deflate and put it out of the bowl onto a floured worktop. Punch it down and knead the dough again. Then cut into 2 pieces ( 2 loaves ). Divide each piece into 3. Roll each of these 3 pieces into the shape of a sweet potato ( about 12 in long ). With the basting ( egg ) mixture and wet the tips of the 3 pieces and stick them together at one end . Then spread the other end the shape of an arrow While keeping the stuck ends down and away from you , twist each piece clockwise about 8 times and lay them down so you can Platt or Braid them and stick the other ends together There are other ways to Braid ( 6 Strands ) but I take the fast easy way to do things. Place the 2 shaped loaves on lightly oiled cookie tins, or loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Spray some Pam on the loaves or brush with oil. This will keep them from drying while raising. When doubled in size (about 20 min.) place in the oven , top shelf and bake until slightly tan. Baste them with the egg mix and rotate them back into the oven and ( Turn temperature down to 325 deg.) Baste again when they are a dark tan. Cook till a rich brown, mahogany color. Take them out of the pans onto a rack to cool. Control yourself !!!! Let them cool !!! This sounds like a lot to do but it is easy and should take only 10 minutes to mix and shape. The most time is in the waiting for the dough to rise and for the bread to cool . But it do look great !!! & Professional This dough can also be used for Cinnamon Buns . I use it for Bagels too. I like the Hardly Noticeable, sweet taste.

I've been reading these and all of trailrunner's post. They are just great. All the hints were great. I bake bread out of boredom, I rarely use a recipe, for better or worse and like the wet doughs as well as quicker higher yeast doughs for pizza. Someday I'll get that "super peel" with the cloth belt thingy. I am forced to pre-cook my thin pizza crusts without one- My favorite bread is an olive bread that is made locally in the East Bay and sold now only at the local Berkeley farmer's market- you can go to their bakery, and they will sell stuff to you, but it's not a store front, no sales help, no hours- if they are there they'll sell it to you- they're also fresh pasta makers- 'Phoenix Pastificio'- if you're ever in the area. I've never tried to make that bread, it's almost Holy to me...( although I know he uses a biga and those black Kalamata olives). It has a thin almost black burnt crust, with large ciabatta holes to the crumb and flavor to die for.

Weighing is the only way I've found. I don't mind if the balls are not uniform since I'm not selling them. :) If you--without a lot of handling--make a kind of flat topped rectangle or square out of your original heap of dough, it's easier to cut by sight and be in the neighborhood. Then lift a section, weigh in your hand, weigh on the scale, and wrap it up. Do the next. If you make pizza regularly and constantly check the weights, paying close attention, you'll train yourself to cut more accurately. I have been known to trim or add and it doesn't really hurt anything, but I don't pull balls with my whole wheat. That's probably the answer. Weigh your divisions first, then pull your balls after adjusting. Or you can just leave them uneven and try to do better next time. :) What kind of yeast are you using? For a long rise like that, active dry yeast should be fine. If you're using instant, it may be rising faster than its cooling and growing a lot before the chill retards it. (That's speculation--I haven't done that.) You can also put your dough in the coldest part of the fridge (crisper? meat drawer?), or even start it in a pan of ice for a quick cool down. My dough also rises in the fridge--it all does or it would be dead. It doesn't over rise, however. I learned a trick online which I think helps contain it. Instead of plastic wrap, I use zipper bags (a small to medium will fit in a thin sandwich bag). Spray or brush the inside of the bag with a shot of oil first. Then I put my bags of balls into a large zipper bag. After a few days, the yeast burps do start escaping the little bags into the big one, but everything is well contained. If the dough has risen a lot in the fridge, I also am more careful on shaping (gentle pulls with gravity rather than a knucklefest), which helps it not to de-gas.