Last week I wrote about homemade Italian Sausage Bread, a crowd favorite for Game Day. Here is an equally crowd-pleasing recipe for Pepperoni and Cheese Bread that can be made together with the Sausage Bread recipe using the same dough.
Jump to RecipePepperoni and Cheese Bread is made by rolling thinly sliced pepperoni and provolone into bread dough and baked into a French loaf. The bread dough recipe is a simple ‘almost no-knead’ dough recipe that is made the night before. You can prepare and assemble this in the morning and then let rise and bake a couple of hours before you want to serve. Make sure to serve this bread while it is warm from the oven!
If you’re not a bread baker, you could use frozen bread or pizza dough. But homemade bread dough tastes so much better, that I was never a fan of the frozen dough route. Additionally, this dough recipe only requires a few ingredients and very minimal effort.
Homemade Dough
I use an adaptation of this simple ‘almost no-knead’ bread dough recipe of flour, salt, yeast, water and a small amount of lager and vinegar that was developed by America’s Test Kitchen. It only requires 5 minutes to combine the ingredients in a bowl until just incorporated, then just cover and let rise for 12 to up to 18 hours.
Putting together the Loaves
After the dough has had its long slow rise, pull it out of the bowl and knead about 10-15 times to further develop the gluten and it pulls together into a smooth round ball. Roll the dough out to a 14 inch by 7-inch rectangle. Place provolone slices across the dough and top with sliced pepperoni leaving about an inch of the dough across the long edge on one side.
Fold over the other long edge and roll like a jelly roll, being careful to incorporate all the pepperoni and cheese into the loaf. Pinch the seam together thoroughly to prevent bursting in oven.
Place seam side down in a French bread loaf pan, or on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let rise for 1 to 1-1/2 hour. Cut steam vents into the top of the loaf before baking. This is also important to allow steam to escape and prevent loaves from bursting.
Bake and Serve!
Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. For a crisper crust, I place a shallow pan of water under the loaf. Let cool 20 minutes before cutting into the loaf to allow cheese to re-set. Use a serrated knife to slice on an angle. Enjoy while still warm. Any leftovers (if that is even possible) can be wrapped in foil reheated in a 325F oven. Still delicious!
Enjoy with a hearty salad for a full meal!
Pepperoni and Cheese Bread
Equipment
- French Bread Loaf pan or baking sheet
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 16 oz Large Pepperoni sliced thin
- 8 oz Provolone cheese slices
Bread Dough
- 3 cups Bread Flour
- 1 tsp Instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1-1/2 cup Water plus 2 tablespoons
- 6 tbsp Lager Beer
- 2 tbsp White Vinegar
Instructions
- Mix together all the bread ingredients in a glass bowl and combine until a shaggy dough ball forms.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 12-18 hours.Remove dough from bowl and knead gently for about 8-10 kneads until have a smooth dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Divide dough into 2. Roll out each half to a rectangle 12 inches long by 7 inches wide. Top each with half the provolone slices and half the pepperoni slices, leaving an inch along the long edge on one side.
- Starting on the opposite long edge, roll the dough over onto the sausage and cheese like a jelly roll forming a long loaf. Pinch edges closed making sure to seal well to prevent from bursting while baking.
- Place each loaf into a french bread pan or onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1-1/2 hour.Preheat oven to 375F. Place each loaf into a french bread pan or onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
- Cover and let rise for 1 to 1-1/2 hour.Preheat oven to 375F. Using a sharp knife add small slits to the top of each loaf for steam to escape.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. If using a french bread pan put a baking pan under the loaves in the oven to catch any cheese or juices bubbling from the loaves. Add water to the pan under the loaves to create steam in the oven and crisp the loaves.
- Remove from oven when golden brown.Let loaf cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serve while still warm.