This Double Pepperoni Bread Twist may be a mouthful to say, but it's an easy and delicious meal for any night of the week, and is a great appetizer as well. It's made with homemade pizza dough, cheese, pizza sauce and two layers of HORMEL® Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni Bold. That's twice the pepperoni of my popular Pepperoni Bread, so you know it's going to impress family and friends!
10ouncesHORMEL® Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni Bold(2) 5-ounce packages, divided
1cuppizza sauce
1 ½cupsMozzarella cheesedivided
¼cupgrated Parmesan cheesedivided
1teaspoonItalian seasoningdivided
½teaspoongarlic powderdivided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Roll pizza dough into a rectangle about 11 X 15-inches on a lightly floured piece of parchment.
Spread the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving 1 inch space on all sides.
Distribute ½ cup of mozzarella evenly over the sauce.
Place 5 ounces of HORMEL® Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni Bold close together over the mozzarella.
Cover the pepperoni with ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon of the garlic powder on the mozzarella.
Place ¾ of the second 5 ounce package of HORMEL® Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni Bold over the mozzarella. Save the additional pepperoni slices for the top of the bread.
Begin rolling the dough tightly on one of the long sides. As you roll, it may be necessary to tuck in any pepperoni or cheese that falls out. After rolling, make sure the seam is on the bottom and pinch both ends closed.
With a sharp knife, slice the dough in half lengthwise all the way through, leaving about an inch at the top to hold it together. After you slice it, the dough will probably fall open because it is so full. *This is where it may be handy to have an extra set of hands, but it can be done alone. It might also be helpful to bring up the side of the parchment to contain the section of the dough you're working with. Carefully pick one of the sections and bring it over the other. Then do the same with the other section, continuing all the way down to braid the dough. The open portion of the dough should be facing up. Pinch the edges of the dough together.
Sprinkle bread with remaining ½ cup mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Place the remaining HORMEL® Cup N' Crisp Pepperoni Bold along the bread.
Bake for a total of 50-60 minutes or until bread is cooked through. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil after the bread has been in the oven for the first 20 minutes to prevent the exposed pepperoni from browning too quickly.
Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with your favorite marinara.
Notes
Do the best you can twisting it. It doesn't have to be perfect. The good thing is that once it bakes, it comes together quite nicely and hides any mistakes you might think are an issue.