Tammy, some very wet doughs, like that Italian, WILL spread when rising, I never get the shaping well enough to keep it from turning into a pancake. I've tried shaping the loaf on a towel with the edges pulled up to keep it from running, but I can't get it off the cloth without deflating the dough. I know there are canvas cloths for that purpose too. If I have to do something more than twice, I run out of patience with it and it's as likely to go into the garbage as it is into the oven. Since I have absolutely no patience when it comes to messing around with it any more, I have reverted to baking in a long pan shaped like a "u", with no ends (I hope that made sense). It makes a long crusty baguette type loaf and that's good enough for me. Hopefully you are more patient than I am, my last batch I gave up on, flattened out and made foccacia and it was darned good. (grin) Yeah, I know, if I messed with it long enough and tried enough times, it would work. I just don't care enough, so I toss it in that pan instead of going back and reading Ann T's excellent pictorial one more time. Annie

Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Tue, Nov 11, 08 at 10:18 I just remembered this recipe I've made before, and it was quite tasty. It lists separate herbs, but I bet you can use an equivalent amount of one of your new blends. I think you could use this method for just about any bread recipe, but this is what was in the cookbook, so that's how I'll post it. Herbed Monkey Bread From The Kind Arthur Flour Baker's Companion 10 small servings 1 recipe white bread 101 (recipe to follow) Herb Coating 3 to 5 tablespoons (1 1/4 to 2 3/8 ounces) Olive Oil* 1 tablespoon fresh stemmed thyme, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, or 1 tablespoon dried 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 garlic clove, minced Combine the oil, herbs, and garlic. Set the mixture aside. Prepare White Bread 101 up through it's first rise. Grease the bottom and sides of a small (8-inch) tube or bundt-style pan, or a deep (2 inches or deeper) 8-inch cake pan or souffle dish. Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 32 small pieces, each about the size of a chestnut and weighing approximately 3/4 ounce. Place about a third of them in the bottom of the pan if you're using a small bundt-style pan. If you're using a cake pan, put about two-thirds of the pieces into it. Brush the dough in the pan with the herb coating. Continue to layer with the remaining balls, brushing the top layer with the remaining herb oil. (If you've used the greater amount of olive oil, dip each piece of dough into the oil to coat it completely before layering it into the pan.) Let the bread rise, covered, for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes, until it's golden. Remove it from the oven and invert it onto a serving platter; the crispy bottom crust should be on top. Serve warm. *Use 3 tablespoons of oil if you simply want to drizzle the herb coating over the bough balls once they're in the pan. To thoroughly coat each dough ball before putting them in the pan, use 5 tablespoons of olive oil. This extra oil will give the bread a delicious crisp crust. Here's the bread recipe. I'll go ahead and enter the complete recipe, even though for the Monkey Bread you'll not use the whole process. White Bread 101 1 loaf, 16 slices 3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons instant yeast 1 1/4 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter 1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) nonfat dry milk 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour, or 1/3 cup (3/4 ounce) potato flakes 1 1/8 cups (9 ounces) lukewrm water Combine all the ingredients and mix and knead them together - by hand, mixer, or bread machine - until you've made a soft, smooth dough. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water as needed; but remember, the more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be. Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour, until it's puffy (though not necessarily doubled in bulk). Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and shape it into an 8-inch log. Transfer the log to a lightly greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan, cover the pan (a proof cover works well here), and let the bread rise until the outer edge has risen about 1 inch over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the pan and bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 10 to 15 minutes if it appears to be browning too quickly. Remove the bread from the oven, take it out of the pan, and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. After 15 minutes, brush it with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft crust. Sally

When planning an Italian meal, whether it be a casual, family dinner, or a formal party for twenty, one needs to understand the individual courses that may be involved. Many people have the impression that an Italian meal is a very complicated, multi-course affair that takes hours to prepare. Though formal meals like this are enjoyed in restaurants, or eaten in the home at holidays or when entertaining, this is not typical of everyday home cooking. Italian meals today are very flexible, consisting of one or two courses that are meant to compliment each other. Formal meals, can consist of a multitude of courses, combining many of the following: Antipasti: Appetizers Antipasti literally means "before the meal". Though generally not part of a typical family meal, these dishes play a very important part in a formal dinner, or a celebration. Primi Piatti: First Courses This course, or primi piatti, often consists of either a soup, a pasta or a rice dish. Pasta, considered the Italian staple, can be prepared in numerous ways. One can combine a dried pasta with a simple fresh sauce cooked in minutes, or take a little more time to prepare a fresh pasta, and either layer it, roll it, or stuff it with the ingredients of choice. Risotto, or rice, is also used as a first course. Another dish often eaten at this point in a meal is gnocchi, or dumpling, which can be made from anything as simple as the common potato, or something more exotic as ricotta mixed with herbs or spinach. Secondi Piatti: Entrees The secondi piatti, or second course, usually consists of a meat or fish dish. Because an Italian meal is usually started with a pasta dish, this serving is usually small. Italians eat a wide range of meats, particularly veal, rabbit, and poultry, and find many ways to prepare them, to bring out the natural flavor and taste. Seafood of all types are also eaten, though only the freshest of each season are used. Contorni: Vegetables or Side Dishes Contorni, or side dishes, generally consist of the vegetables that will compliment the meat or fish course. Italians excel at cooking vegetables, and find endless combinations that meld together into an amazing final dish. In Italy, most vegetables are served at room temperature, which enhances the taste considerably. Insalata: Salad Salads in Italy are usually served after the final course, which seems both to refresh the diner after a heavy course, as well as clean the palate before the desert course. Frutta: Fruit Usually, fresh fruit kept ice cold in a bowl of ice water is served, however a selection of dried fruits and nuts may be available as well. Dolci: Desserts Deserts or dolci, are an indulgence after a full meal. Often a typical meal at home will be followed by a fresh bowl of fruit, but on a special occasion, after the fruit dish, a little sweet is offered. The meal is completed with a coffee, usually an espresso. Cappuccino, typically thought to follow a meal, is actually considered a morning drink, rarely seen afternoon. Hopefully this brief discussion of the various courses that may be used in planning your next Italian meal has been helpful, and will inspire you to develop your skills in Italian cuisine. Buon Appetito! By Deborah Mele 2002

We love Woodie's Gilroy Garlic Bread - I'm posting the recipe below with the changes I've made in the notes. I've made the bread in advance by splitting it, spreading the butter on and then putting the two halves back together in the plastic bag in the fridge. Cuts down on last minute prep, for sure :-) Can you please share the Tuscan Garlic Chicken recipe? Becky * Exported from MasterCook * GILROY GARLIC BREAD Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 3/4 cup butter -- (1 1/2 sticks) room temp 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces) 6 tablespoons mayonnaise 3 large garlic cloves -- minced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano -- (generous) crumbled 1 1 pound loaf French bread -- halved lengthwise Thoroughly combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Refrigerate. Bring to room temp before continuing.) Preheat oven to 375*. Spread garlic butter on cut side of bread, wrap each half in foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate.) Place bread on baking sheet cut side up. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil from bread. Preheat broiler. Broil cut side up until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Source: "Woodie - www.thathomesite.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : I think this spread is enough for two loaves of bread, and I prefer to bake uncovered at 400F for about 10 minutes, then broil for a couple more to get it crispy on top.