Pepperoni bread is delicious and perfect for an easy appetizer or snack! Serve it plain or with marinara dipping sauce.
This has been a super crazy day and week so far, and it’s only Tuesday, is that right? Ugh.
Maybe you already know this, but Darryl is a pianist. That’s his real job, although he does have a day job that helps pay the bills and gets us medical insurance. Anyway, this is his crazy time of year, because it is Solo and Ensemble time! That means that he is busily accompanying lots of middle and high school students here at our house, helping them get ready for a competition that is coming up. That makes our days a little bit chaotic, because from about 3:30 to 6pm, we have assorted children and instruments traipsing through our house. Some instruments are louder than others…I’m looking at you, French horn! :)
I’ve been making quick and easy meals to help us get through these crazy days. We have had pizza a couple of times lately, and I decided to do a little twist on traditional pizza to share today. So here it is, my recipe for pepperoni bread. I adapted a breadstick recipe from here and added some non-dairy cheese and pepperoni, and it was a fun dinner that we all loved. I used spelt flour, but you can use regular wheat flour as well. To make it a bit healthier than regular pizza, I use nitrate/nitrite free pepperoni, and the dairy free cheese is lower than fat than regular cheese, so that lightens it up a bit, too.
Pepperoni Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 1/2 cups white spelt flour
- 3 3/4 teaspoons quick rising yeast
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup dairy free mozzarella cheese OR regular mozzarella cheese
- 6 ounces pepperoni nitrate free
- marinara sauce for dipping
Instructions
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Put the warm water, yeast, and brown sugar in a large glass bowl. Stir and let it sit for about 5 minutes so that the sugar feeds the yeast.
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Add the spelt flour, salt, and oil, and knead with your hands for a few minutes. If the dough seems too dry, add a bit more water. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place to rise for about a half hour.
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread out some waxed paper, and sprinkle with flour. Take half of the dough and flatten it with your hands and shape into a rectangle. Place the pepperoni over the dough. Sprinkle with a half cup of dairy free cheese.
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Roll the dough into a log. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Place the bread on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the other half of the dough.
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Bake at 375 for about 25-30 minutes. It should be golden brown on top. Brush with olive oil if desired and sprinkle with more Italian seasoning or sea salt if desired.
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To serve, heat some marinara sauce and spoon into individual ramekins. Cut the pepperoni bread into slices for dipping.
Did you find a milk free pepperoni? I’ve been looking but the ones I’ve found all contain lactic acid starter culture, which is on our doctor’s dairy avoidance list. My daughter loves pepperoni, but it does give her a stomach ache! Please let me know if you can and thanks for the great recipe.
Yes, this one is dairy free: http://applegate.com/products/natural-pepperoni
Would this recipe work with a non-spelt flour? I use a wheat-free flour mix of tapioca flour, rice flour, and potato starch. My son is allergic to wheat, so we shy away from spelt. I’d love to try this recipe though. It looks delicious!
I honestly don’t know, I don’t have a lot of experience with yeasted gluten free dough. You could try to find a gluten free yeast bread that works for you, and then just add the pepperoni and cheese, that’s what I’d do. Thanks for visiting!
Ah, solo and ensemble time! I’m a pianist, but due to full-time teaching, don’t accompany much. My talented pianist mother, on the other hand, spends full days at various schools as students rotate through. It’s a challenging job that few can do!
My kids would LOVE this!
Oh boy, does this bread look wonderful. It would be great with soup!
Pepperoni bread? What a great idea! Sounds like a recipe that is useful for you this week. At least you home is filled with lots of music, even if it is super loud french horns. Haha!
Ooh I love me some pepperoni bread! I did a post on it in December because it’s a Christmas tradition in my Italian -American family. (Had a little chuckle over your French horn comment :)
Oh, I will have to check out your recipe! What a fun Christmas tradition. And seriously, I love the French horn….it’s just a tad loud in our little ranch here! :)