Garlic Parmesan Bread Bites are the perfect appetizer for almost any occasion. Pizza dough is brushed with garlic oil, topped with parmesan cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces, and then baked to a perfect golden brown and served with a side of marinara sauce or garlic butter for dipping.
2 tablespoonOlive Oil plus some to proof dough and grease baking sheet
2-3ClovesFresh Garlic
½CupFresh Parmesan Cheesegrated
½teaspoonItalian Seasoning
¼teaspoonRed Pepper Flakes optional - if you like some heat
Marinara or Garlic Butterfor dipping
Instructions
To Proof the dough
Pull the fresh pizza dough out of the package. With clean hands, fold the dough over itself a few times and roll it into a ball. Until I get my how-to video made, please check out this video for detailed instructions.
Drizzle some olive oil in a medium mixing bowl, then place the dough ball in the bowl and roll around the oil to coat. Using your hands, be sure the entire dough ball is coated in olive oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then cover with a clean kitchen towel or tea towel. Store in a warm place for 4-8 hours until risen. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days at this stage). When the pizza dough has doubled in size and is soft to the touch, it's ready to use.
To Make the Parmesan Bread Bites
Preheat the oven to 450F degrees.
Using a microplane or fine grater, grate garlic into olive oil.
Mix until well combined and set aside.
Lightly brush a cookie tray or baking sheet with plain olive oil (not garlic oil).
Carefully remove the risen dough from the mixing bowl and place on the cookie sheet. Using your hands, gently press the dough into an even layer about ½" thick.
Brush the dough with ½ of the garlic oil.
Evenly sprinkle with parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if using). Gently press cheese and seasonings into the dough with your hands.
Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, horizontally cut the dough into 1-inch strips.
Then vertically cut dough into 1-inch pieces.
Bake on the center rack for 10 minutes. Rotate 180 degrees and bake another 5-7 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately brush with bread bites with the remaining ½ of the garlic oil.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Slice bread bites again with a knife or pizza cutter. They are ready to serve and eat!
Notes
Allow your dough to rise at room temperature for a few hours - overnight before making the bread bites. Dough rise is important because the soft dough will give you a crispy crust with a soft middle. Using cold dough will result in harder bread bites with hard middle.
Coat the dough ball in olive oil or cooking spray to prevent cracks as it rises.
Place the dough ball in an oiled medium bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and a tea towel or kitchen towel, and place it in a warm spot to rise.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After 3 days they will start to get tough.
The perfect compliment for these parmesan bread bites is with warm pizza sauce, marinara, or a healthy dose of garlic butter. Ranch Dressing, Blue Cheese Dressing, and Caesar Dressing were also very popular dips at the pizza parlor.