A little Twist

Somewhere in one of my cookbooks there was this recipe that looked really awesome, and something just like my Hero Loaf. Only, the problem was I had no idea what it was called and no matter how many times I flipped through cookbooks I couldn’t find it!

 It was shredded chicken, and what looking like peppers and tomatoes. Besides the obvious of cheese oozing out of it as well, it was a mysterious missing recipe. This past week I’ve been trying to come up with a new food for the Superbowl. Had to be finger friendly, easy to make and no extra ingredients I had to buy to complete it. With a quick check through the fridge and a twist to an already tried and true recipe, a new one was born!

Meet My Salsa Chicken Hero Loaf

Hero Loaf- makes one

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 envelope Active Dry or RapidRise Yeast
2 teaspoons Italian Herb Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup very warm water (120 to 130F) <— Test the water temp
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
Fillings-
3 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham
3 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced salami
1 (2-ounce) jar sliced pimientos, well drained
1/2 cup pitted ripe olives, drained

The Salsa Chicken Filling
 about 2 cups of shredded chicken which had slow cooked in the crock pot the day before.
1/2 cup or more of homemade salsa
3 or more slices of provolone cheese
 chopped green onions

1 egg white, lightly beaten
Sesame Seed

Directions:
In large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, Italian herb seasoning, and salt. Gradually add warm water and oil to flour mixture; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. (With RapidRise Yeast, omit rising; proceed with shaping.)
Punch dough down. Remove to floured surface; roll to 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Layer ham, cheese, and salami lengthwise over center-third of dough; top with pimientos and olives. With sharp knife, make cuts from filling to dough edges at 1-inch intervals along sides of filling. Alternating sides, fold strips at an angle across filling.Place on greased baking sheet; cover. Let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Brush loaf with egg white; sprinkle with sesame seed. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes or until done. We like to dip these in a couple things, salsa, marinara sauce, left over spaghetti sauce even, it’s great alone as well.