Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Bread
One bite of this soft and yeasty homemade pepperoni pizza bread is all you’ll need to fall in love. Bursting with swirls of asiago cheese and shredded pepperoni, this bread is great for sandwiches, paninis, snacking and more!
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taste and texture
This bread is super soft and has a similar taste to big homemade yeast rolls, like the kind you’d have at Thanksgiving or with a big bowl of country gravy. But then we add swirls of shredded pepperoni and asiago cheese, which makes this bread taste like a pizza in every slice.
making this bread as a first-timer
If you’re new to making bread – welcome! There was a time that I was new to bread as well. I understand there’s an excited apprehension that can sometimes come with it.
It just seems so daunting and if it turns out poorly in the end it feels like wasted time and effort. I’m not gonna lie – sometimes bread does turn out poorly in the end. Usually, it’s less that it’s total garbage and more that it just doesn’t live up to expectations. Maybe you don’t get a good rise and it tears during baking, or it rises too much and gets deflated.
There are ways to safeguard against all of that and get consistently good loaves of bread. I highly suggest investing in an instant read thermometer if you don’t already have one. Yeast is finicky. It thrives within a temperature range of 5 degrees, so you’ll need to be precise.
I use active dry yeast in my recipes. It’s different from rapid rise, and comes in larger granules which need to be dissolved in water before using. I dissolve my yeast in every recipe as a type of insurance – if it froths, the yeast is good and I can continue with my recipe. If it doesn’t, the yeast is dead and I need to scrap what I’m doing and get fresh yeast. Doing this first means less wasted time and effort, should your yeast wind up not being viable.
Another tip is to watch your indoor temperature. You’ll get the best rise in a room between 70°F and 80°F. If your room is colder, you’ll need to find somewhere else for it to rise, like near a furnace or in warm (but turned off) oven. If your room is warmer, the bread will rise faster than expected.
Here are some photos to help demonstrate how to twist this bread.
ways to use pizza bread
Your first instinct will be to just eat a slice of this plain. It’s going to smell incredible and is totally satisfying on its own.
But it’s also amazing when used to make grilled cheese (recipe coming soon), sandwiches, or garlic bread. You can try toasting them up into extra awesome croutons, or slice into halves and toast until crispy to make crostini.
There’s also strata, a savory bread pudding served at brunches.
I had a hard time actually saving this bread to make leftover bread recipes, because it’s just so good I want to eat it all immediately. Did you make this recipe and feel the same? Let me know in the comments below, and try out the jalapeño cheese bread recipe that inspired this one!
until next time. x
Homemade Pepperoni Pizza Bread
One bite of this soft and yeasty homemade pepperoni pizza bread is all you’ll need to fall in love. Bursting with swirls of asiago cheese and shredded pepperoni, this bread is great for sandwiches, paninis, snacking and more!
- Total Time: 3 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp bread flour
- 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
- 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp warm water
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups shredded asiago cheese
- 6 oz pepperoni, sliced into strips
Instructions
- In a small bowl, heat the water to 110-115F (test with a thermometer to be sure), and stir in the yeast and sugar. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast looks frothy.*
- In a separate bowl, combine the bread flour and salt.
If mixing by hand:
- Pour the yeast mixture and olive oil into the flour mixture and stir together until it forms a shaggy dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic.
If using a Stand Mixer:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water, yeast and sugar mixture and mix on low. Slowly add the flour until it forms a shaggy dough and pour in the oil. Turn the mixer to medium-high and let it knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
- Let the dough rise in a greased bowl, covered with oil-brushed cling wrap and a kitchen towel, for about 2 hours until doubled in size.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 12″ x 14″. Top with the shredded cheese and pepperoni. Roll the dough up, like a jelly roll cake or cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough in the middle (giving you two roughly 7″ rolls), then insert a pair of kitchen shears in the center and cut through the top two layers, exposing the cheese and pepperoni inside.
- Place both rolls side by side and twist together like a braid then place in a greased and parchment lined loaf pan. Cover with oil-brushed cling wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise again, another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and cooling completely, at least 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Tools
- hand or stand mixer
- mixing bowls
- plastic wrap
- kitchen towel
- parchment paper
- kitchen shears
- loaf pan
- instant read thermometer
If the yeast does not froth in the water after 10 minutes, it is not viable and your bread will not rise. Scrap it and get fresh yeast to start over.
See post for photos demonstrating how to twist your dough.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Sides and Salads
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
.It is off the chain. My husband works in the oil field.So I made him 3.ty