pepperoni and cheese pull-apart bread and easy marinara

we love having friends over for dinner, and i love a good meal that you can sit around the table and talk and eat and talk and eat. go back for more if you want, or not.

with this pizza pull-apart bread, i served everyone a bow of marinara, passed out plates, and dropped the main course in the middle of the table. everyone just grabbed pieces as we ate.

because each piece is dipped in garlic butter, each bite is soft and cheesy on the inside and crisp and buttery on the outside.

what a fun recipe. you could put broccoli and cheese and chicken in each ball, or goat cheese and a half a fig, or a basil leaf and a piece of mozzarella…or anything you want.

we used pepperoni and cheese. the good ole american way.

before baking:

after:

Pizza Dough

adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride  

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup warm water, divided
• 1 t. sugar
• 2 1/2 t. active dry yeast
• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing bowl and springform pan
• 4 c. bread flour
• 1 1/2 t. salt

Instructions

1. Put 1/2 cup warm water into the bowl of your stand mixer and stir in sugar until dissolved.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over top of water/sugar mixture and let stand about 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining water and oil.
4. Add the flour and salt to the stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook.
5. Mix on low until flour is combined
6. Turn up the speed and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
7. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until it doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Pepperoni and Cheese Pull-Apart Bread

adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup salted butter
• pizza dough (recipe above)
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 40 pieces
• 8 ox package pepperoni
• marinara sauce, recipe below

Instructions

1. Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the butter begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.
2. Brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.
3. Divide pizza dough into four balls.
4. Take one ball and divide it into 10 pieces.
5. Flatten each piece into a disk and top with two slices of pepperoni and one cube of cheese.
6. Pinch the disk into a ball.
7. Dunk the ball in the garlic butter. (be careful not to completely submerge the ball, which would get your fingers buttery. if your fingers get buttery it becomes very difficult to pinch the dough into a ball.
8. Drop the ball in the bundt pan.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 until all dough, pepperoni, and cheese are used.
10. Cover top of pan with plastic wrap whole oven preheats to 400
11. Bake about 40 minutes or until dough is cooked throughout
12. Remove from oven and turn pan upside down onto a plate.
13. Serve with marinara (below)

Easy Marinara

adapted from Annie’s Eats 

Ingredients

• 1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juices
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 1 clove garlic, miced
• 5 T. salted butter
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep the sauce at a low, steady simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes as you go along with a potato masher or large fork.
4. Remove from the heat and discard the onion. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

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