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Pepperoni Bread with Easy Homemade Dough

This pepperoni bread recipe is one of the most budget-friendly meals you can make. It’s a basic, soft Italian dough filled with plenty of mozzarella, parmesan, and pepperoni. Popular with kids and very portable, this is a great choice to bring to a potluck.

pepperoni bread slices on wooden board, hand picking up piece

My mom used to make this for outdoor block parties. She used frozen bread dough, but this recipe is with homemade dough. It’s so easy to mix up that there is no reason not to. The hardest part is rolling up the loaf anyway.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

The cheeses are what will give you the flavor. Shred them by hand if you can, instead of buying the pre-shredded.

flour, salt, yeast, pepperoni, mozzarella, and parmesan on marble counter

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Equipment

Ingredients

Bread Dough

  • 1 cup water plus 3 tablespoons
  • 3 cups flour (all-purpose or bread flour are both fine)
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1½ teaspoons yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Filling

  • ½ cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3 ounces sliced pepperoni (about half a package)

Topping

  • 1 egg

If you’d like to double or triple this recipe, you can make adjustments in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Pepperoni Bread

Step One: Prepare The Dough

Combine all dough ingredients in a stand mixer or bread machine on the dough cycle. Then, knead until smooth or allow the bread machine to complete its cycle. If using a stand mixer, turn the dough out into an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled in bulk.

process of dough being made in bread machine.

Step Two: Prepare The Baking Sheet

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. After that, place the dough on top and stretch it into a 10 x 10-inch square. Let it rest for ten minutes.

Step Three: Preheat The Oven

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Step Four: Shape The Dough

Stretch the dough out to the full size of the baking sheet. Distribute the fillings evenly in this order: parmesan, mozzarella, pepperoni, leaving a 1-inch border on each side.

fillings added to stretch out dough and then rolled into loaf.

Step Five: Roll And Seal The Dough

Carefully roll up the dough, pinching all around the loaf to seal in the filling. Flip the loaf over so the seal is on the bottom. Brush with the beaten egg and make slashes on top.

Step Six: Bake

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

rolled up dough before and after baking.

Storage Instructions

If you have any leftovers (which I doubt), put them in an airtight container or tightly wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for no more than 2 days.

If you’d like to store it for longer, place the wrapped bread in the refrigerator, which will stay fresh for up to 5 days.

To freeze the pepperoni bread, wrap it in plastic and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. Then, place the wrapped bread in a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.

To thaw, just leave the bread in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.

To reheat, simply warm it in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 10-15 minutes.

What to Serve with Pepperoni Bread

Many people like to dip their pepperoni bread in warmed-up marinara sauce.

Since this is very heavy on bread, I like to serve this with buffalo wings and a salad. Really any time I’m making a meal that’s not super kid friendly, I’ll make this as well so they have something else to fill up on.

For football games this goes very well with chili and/ or buffalo wings.

close up view of bread with cheese and pepperoni

Printable Recipe

Pepperoni Bread with Homemade Dough

A super simple Italian bread dough is filled with parmesan, mozzarella, and pepperoni.   Very popular with kids!
Print Recipe
3 slices of pepperoni bread
Prep Time:45 minutes
Cook Time:45 minutes
rising time:1 hour
Total Time:2 hours 30 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

Bread Dough

  • 1 cup water plus 3 tablespoons
  • 3 cups flour (all purpose or bread flour are both fine)
  • teaspoons salt
  • teaspoons yeast
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Filling

  • ½ cup shredded or grated parmesan cheese
  • cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3 ounces sliced pepperoni (about half a package)

Topping

  • 1 egg

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Instructions

  • Prepare the dough. Combine all dough ingredients in a stand mixer or bread machine on the dough cycle. Then, knead until smooth or allow the bread machine to complete its cycle. If using a stand mixer, turn the dough out into an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for one hour or until doubled in bulk.
  • Prepare the baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. After that, place the dough on top and stretch it into a 10 x 10-inch square. Let it rest for ten minutes.
  • Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Shape the dough. Stretch the dough out to the full size of the baking sheet. Distribute the fillings evenly in this order: parmesan, mozzarella, pepperoni, leaving a 1-inch border on each side.
  • Roll and seal the dough. Carefully roll up the dough, pinching all around the loaf to seal in the filling. Flip the loaf over so the seal is on the bottom. Brush with the beaten egg and make slashes on top.
  • Bake. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Video

Notes

Make sure your yeast is fresh and active. If it’s old, the dough might not rise properly.
Parmesan cheese adds flavor, so don’t reduce or leave it out.
If you don’t want to make the dough from scratch, using frozen dough is okay. Just make sure it’s fully defrosted before you start.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 571mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Calcium: 126mg | Iron: 2mg
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 213kcal
Author: Katie
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By Katie Shaw

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Katie shares simple, reliable recipes from her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens.

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13 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We used to get this from a bakery in South Philly! Your recipe was perfect and helped us satisfy the craving at home.

  2. Just went back and watched the video….love the chubby little hand reaching in for a piece at the end! So sweet!

  3. We do a couple variations of this…pizza rolls and pizza sticks. They are a huge hit! Perfect for busy basketball nights when we need portable car food. Thanks for another one to try!

5 from 5 votes

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