Sausage and Red Pepper Braid

Sausage and Red Pepper Braid.

Ingredients:

Flour for dusting
No Knead Dough base OR

1 tube refrigerated Crescent Rolls
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
5 ounces cooked Italian sausage
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips
1 teasspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup pasta sauce
olive oil for brushing
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

Dust work surface with flour. Roll out dough to a 10x12-inch rectangle. Transfer to a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper; brush with olive oil. 

Layer dough with half the mozzarella, cooked sausage, roasted red pepper, thyme leaves, and finish with the remaining mozzarella. Drizzle with pasta sauce. 

Cut eight evenly spaced horizontal slices toward filling along each side. Starting from top of 12" piece of dough, cross strips over top of the filling. (Strips should cross each other about 1 1/2 inches from ends.)  I cut strips 3" angeled toward center which makes the center for the filling to small  I recommend a 2 1/2" strip angled.

Do not stretch strips too much or they may break during baking. Repeat for all strips, folding last two under loaf.

Place braid on parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Let rest 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush braid with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 1 braid.