Easy Pepperoni Bread
This gooey, cheesy bread is laced with garlic butter, stuffed with pepperoni and cheese, and baked to chewy perfection. Perfect for game day, movie night, and all gatherings where you want something crowd-pleasingly delicious. And thanks to frozen bread dough (or dinner rolls), it couldn’t be easier!
This is a sponsored post for Rhodes Bake-N-Serv. All opinions are mine.
I’m obsessed with how great this pepperoni bread came out. I used my favorite frozen bread dough – Rhodes Thaw, Rise & Bake White Bread – because I knew it would bake up perfectly golden and tender – even when stuffed with a variety of ingredients. Rhodes frozen bread is delightfully consistent – whether you’re following the package directions, or whipping up something unique, like this Easy Pepperoni Bread. Rhodes bread rises as expected, bakes as instructed, and delivers a chewy center and crisp exterior every time (what we all cherish about freshly baked bread). No Rhodes frozen bread dough in your store? No problem, use 12 Rhodes Thaw, Rise & Bake Dinner Rolls instead.
How should you thaw your bread (or rolls) for this recipe? I prefer to thaw my bread dough overnight in the refrigerator – that way I don’t forget! You can also thaw the dough on the counter; just be sure to follow the package instructions.
The ingredient list is short, but flavors soar. Once you have your bread dough (or dinner rolls), you need just 6 more ingredients for this bread: pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, butter, and garlic powder. Choose your favorite brand of pepperoni, including the sandwich slice variety. Use whole milk or part-skim mozzarella, and for the best flavor, use freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Here’s what you need for this easy pepperoni bread
- Rhodes Thaw, Rise & Bake Frozen Bread Dough or Dinner Rolls
- Butter, salted or unsalted
- Garlic powder, or granulated garlic
- Pepperoni, small slices or sandwich slices
- Mozzarella cheese, whole milk or part-skim
- Parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
- Italian herb seasoning, or dried basil, parsley, or oregano
Here’s how to make this Easy Pepperoni Bread
Start by rolling out your thawed bread dough or dinner rolls. Roll out to about 8×10 inches (this doesn’t have to be exact, just somewhere around that measurement).
Brush the dough with a mixture of melted butter and garlic powder, to within 1/4-inch of the edges.
Top the dough with slices of your favorite pepperoni. Salami works too!
Top the pepperoni with mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
Roll the dough up tightly, jellyroll-style, and brush with more garlic butter. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serve this pepperoni bread warm or room temperature. While this bread is excellent served warm, when the cheese is still gooey, it’s equally fabulous served room temperature and chilled, making it an excellent option for school and work lunchboxes.
Serve with marinara sauce or pizza sauce if desired. Sometimes I serve this Easy Pepperoni Bread with warm marinara sauce or pizza sauce on the side. This time I chose not to because the flavors were so incredible, dunking sauce wasn’t needed. Feel free to add warm sauce when you serve your pepperoni bread.
Easy Pepperoni Bread
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Rhodes Thaw, Rise & Bake Frozen Bread Dough, or 12 Rhodes Thaw, Rise & Bake Frozen Dinner Rolls, thawed according to package directions (I thawed mine overnight in the refrigerator)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2-3 ounces sliced pepperoni of choice
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, whole milk or part-skim
- 1-2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
- Warm marinara sauce or pizza sauce for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and garlic powder.
- If using frozen bread dough, roll the thawed dough out into a 8×10-inch rectangle (measurements don’t need to be exact). If using dinner rolls, arrange them snugly together and then roll into a 8×10-inch rectangle. Brush some of the garlic butter on the dough, to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Reserve the remaining garlic butter for the top of the bread.
- Arrange the pepperoni slices, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese on the dough, to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over top.
- Starting from the longer side, roll up tightly, like a jellyroll. Place the bread, seam-side-down in the prepared pan and tuck under the ends. Brush the top with the remaining garlic butter.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.