'Pizza' Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces provolone cheese, cut into 16 cubes
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, more as needed

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water, yeast, and sugar. Stir just until everything comes together, then pause for 10 minute.
2. Add the bread flour, tomato paste, oregano, pepper flakes, and salt. Knead the mixture until it becomes smooth and stretchy, about 10 minutes. Pour in the olive oil and keep kneading until the dough has absorbed it fully and looks glossy, elastic, and smooth, about 2 minutes.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then leave it alone until the dough has risen to twice its size, about 1 hour.
4. Once the dough has doubled, dust your work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Knead it for a moment, then cut it into 16 equal pieces. Enclose one cube of cheese in each piece of dough, shaping each one into a neat ball.
5. Scatter the parmesan cheese over the dough balls, then roll them through it so they get coated. Arrange the balls in a 9-inch square pan and shower any leftover cheese over the top. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. While it rises, heat the oven to 325 degrees F with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.
6. When the dough has doubled, remove the plastic wrap and, if you want, grate more cheese over the top. Bake at 325 degrees F until the buns are well browned, about 30 minutes. Take the buns out of the pan and cool them on a rack.