Pepperoni Bread

 

Ok.  So we all love pizza, amiright?  Right.  This here Pepperoni Bread (or insert toppings of your choice bread) is a frolicsome variation on pizza that works as an appetizer or in our house, as an easy, tasty dinner or two. 

Like a pizza rolled up similar to, say, a cake roll.  But pizza.  And effortless.  And super yummy to boot.

I know, I've been on a real pizza bent of late, but again, pizza is the schnizz.  What's not to love?!

Dough, top, roll, bake!  Easy!  Yes!

So wait Becky, is this a Stromboli then?, you’re asking.  I guuuessss?  Kinda quite similar it seems.  Maybe probably? 

A Stromboli starts with a rectangle of dough and the fillings are similar, then it’s either folded or rolled, depending what site you read.  Either way, both are Italian-American while Calzones are legit all-in Italian.

But Becky, wait, I see where you're going but how do I keep this from being a messy, exploding disaster as it bakes in my oven?, you're asking.  Rightfully so.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy, my friend -- the sauce is served on the side.

Again, similar to a Stromboli, and a Calzone.

Why am trying so hard to differentiate between this Pepperoni Bread and a Stromboli?  No idea, other than that’s what this recipe was named. 

Maybe because I have yet to eat a good Stromboli and this recipe rocks, I dunno.

Regardless, you should make this.   It's easy, low-effort, doesn't take long, and it's delicious to boot.

Sure, it’s about the pepperoni as we are made of it ourselves, Mike and I, but surely you can swap in ingredients you might prefer instead.

And as I mentioned at the top, this works out as two dinners for us point being that yes, this reheats nicely.  I wrap the leftovers in foil, reheat mostly sealed in the foil then open it up to finish re-crisping the outside for several minutes.  Works like a dream.

Serve this with a nice, fresh salad and you can likely stretch the Pepperoni Bread into more meals.  Or, serve it sliced as an appetizer, as the original version intended.

Either way, as I said, make this.

Start out by making the handy dandy, super simple One Hour Calzone Dough.  Yeah, see?  Very versatile this dough.  A few minutes to mix it up, an hour hands off to let it rise up, and you’re ready to go.

Store bought dough is a convenient substitute here if you’re not into making dough but I’m for sure strongly going to encourage you to try the homemade stuff.

All righty!

Roll* the dough out into a rectangle with the long end parallel to you, the short ends on your left and right perpendicular.

I find rolling it out onto a silicone mat* is easiest.  Just roll it out to the edges of the mat itself, done.  Going one step further into ease, you could try rolling with the mat set on the baking sheet.  This is another occasion when my spiffy rimless insulated baking sheet* wins the day.

It can be irritatingly noisy to do the mat on the sheet and roll, though.  A damp towel underneath would help.

You can also roll out onto a piece of parchment paper.*  Or just the counter but be advised, you're gonna have to move it.

If the dough is a tad sticky, no problem, lightly flour as needed.

Melt up some butter and stir in the seasonings and spices.

Please feel free to adapt and customize the seasonings as you see fit, less of something or not at all, or toss in stuff you might like.

Brush* most of the butter-seasonings goodness onto the whole plane of dough surface then it’s time for the pepperoni.
 

Now.  Heh.  As always, I use a wee extra pepperoni than called for.  Can’t help it.  Follow the recipe as outlined or layer as you see fit.  I would suggest staying away from overloading lest it gets too greasy therefore doesn’t bake properly.

Next you’ll sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella.  Done.

Coming down the home stretch here:  time to roll.

Much like a cinnamon roll, start rolling the long side up, getting things generally pretty snug.  Not too tightly rolled but not loose.

I over-cheesed.  I didn't measure.

Once you get to the end, nudge the log over to ensure the seam side is down.  Tuck the ends in and under a bit or give them a nice giant pinch to seal them up.

If you’ve rolled and now need to transfer, no problem, just pick up the mat or paper and skootch the whole thing into your sheet pan.*

Ok!

Whisk up the egg with water and brush the whole rolled surface then pop that thing in the oven.  Nope, no need to score the top.

Set the log roll however it fits best, diagonally, straight across, whatever works.

When it’s ready to go, and you may find you want it more golden and crispy on the outside so the bake time is more of a guideline, what was I going to say…

Oh, when it’s ready, pop it out and brush the top with the remaining seasoned melted butter and douse with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.  Mmm.

Doh!  (ah pun, doh...)  What was I saying earlier about exploding Pepperoni Bread?!  I over-cheesed.  You can also ensure the long seam is well-pinched too before rolling the whole thing onto the seam.  I was also going for quite brown.

Give that thing a minute to cool.  In the meantime, whisk up some of Mike’s Pizza Sauce for dipping and give it a zap in the microwave to warm up.

Too, you could use a jar of pasta or pizza sauce instead, or whatever tickles your fancy.

Slice up the Pepperoni Bread with a serrated knife* and serve!

Yum-mmmee yum yum.  So good.  I got an "mmm babe, this is so good, mmm," from Mike.  Thumbs up!

Happy dinner baking!

*The rolling pins, silicone baking mats, insulated baking sheets, parchment paper, pastry brushes, sheet pans, and serrated knives are Amazon affiliate links.  Happy baking, thanks!  Please see the “info” tab for more, well, info.