Twisted Tavern Loaf – Fantasy Inspired Pizza Dough Recipe (2024)

5 from 4 votes

• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
• 2.25 cups cold water
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• olive oil

Topping

• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt

• Pour the flour into a large bowl with the yeast, salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, and cold water and combine with a wooden spoon.

• Sprinkle flour on your work surface, we used a large cutting board, and pour the dough onto it. Sprinkle some more flour on top and hand knead for about 15 minutes until a smooth ball forms and it's still a little sticky. If it stays too sticky add a little flour, if too dry then more water.

• Drizzle some olive oil on top, then cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours. Then cut the dough ball into two halves and let those rise, covered, for another 30 minutes.

• At this point you can use this dough for pizza but the rest of the recipe will be for making a dough braid loaf instead.

• Preheat your oven or cooking hearth to 450°F (230°C).

• Dust some more flour on your work surface then roll out each dough ball into a log, about a foot long. Set the two logs next to each other then twist them together to form a braid, squishing the ends together to form one combined twisted braid loaf.

• Drizzle more olive oil on the loaf, then top with a dusting of the Topping Spices.

• Line your baking sheet with parchment paper then place the braid on it. Bake for 25 minutes. You can verify the bread is done by inserting a digital read thermometer into the center and getting a reading of at least 190°F (90 °C).

• Remove the bread from the oven then let sit for at least 5 minutes before tearing off chunks to eat!