Pepperoni Bread – Made Gluten & Dairy Free

Over the last few years I crave an old food here and there. Some are easier to recreate then others. I don’t know about you and your cravings, but in order to move past my cravings I typically have to recreate something so I feel like I had the food I was craving in order to move on.

Lately, pizza had been on my brain. Pizza can be a tough one when both gluten AND dairy free. Lets be honest, the dairy free cheeses have come a long way, but they still aren’t real cheese quality or taste.

When I make my own pizzas at home they usually resemble more of a flat bread since I rarely use a cheese substitute. And lately I haven’t really been wanting tomato based items so its been more garlic oil vs sauce.

Pepperoni bread came to mind when I was at the store and I decided to take a swing at it using a pre-made allergy friendly dough I saw in the frozen aisle. I grabbed some nitrate free pepperonis as well and I was on my way. I always have spices around and I knew I had some cheese options in my fridge to pull from once I decided exactly what I wanted to do for this first trial.

To my amazement my first stab at the recipe was really tasty! It would be a great appetizer, meal served with some dipping sauce, and easily changed up based on your mood. I actually ate it as is and it met my craving for pizza!

Ingredients:

• Pizza Dough (thawed if frozen)
• All purpose Gluten Free Flour (for dusting)
• Pepperoni or other meat choice
• Cheese of your choice – I had Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Parmesan still in my fridge from a previous recipe so that was my “cheese” of choice for today
• Egg
• Olive Oil
• Spices – Italian seasoning, onion or garlic powder, salt
• Other add ins as you wish (veggies etc)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Lay out parchment paper and dust with an all purpose gluten free flour. Transfer your thawed or fresh pizza dough onto the parchment. Sprinkle more flour on top of the dough and cover with another piece of parchment paper.
3. Roll out your dough between the two sheets of parchment paper until thin.
4. Beat your egg and use as an egg wash on the dough.
5. Now add any and all seasonings you wish to the top of the egg-washed pizza dough. I used an Italian blend as well as an onion salt blend.
6. Add a layer of your cheese. I had Minimalist Baker’s Vegan Parmesan on hand from a previous recipe and decided that I wanted a less melted cheesy bread so this was the perfect fit for me. I sprinkled a generous amount all over the dough.
7. Add your toppings! What you add in can be as varied as you wish. Think pepperoni, ground sausage, veggies like mushrooms or peppers, really the options are endless. I went traditional and just wanted the pepperoni. (If you like less grease you can microwave your pepperoni for 30 seconds to a minute on a plate with a paper towel so that you absorb some of the grease into the paper towel prior to cooking in the dough.)
8. Now you want to roll your dough with the toppings inside like a pinwheel. Having the dough on the parchment paper will help you roll this easily. Start a bit tighter on your rolling as it will get bigger as you go.
9. Once you have the dough all rolled seal your edges by pinching them together and place on a clean sheet of parchment paper atop a baking sheet seam side down.
10. Brush the top of your roll with the egg wash, a drizzle of olive oil, and a hint of your spices.
11. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown. Today my pepperoni bread took around 25 minutes. I would say depending on your oven and thickness of your dough most will take between 20 and 30 minutes to bake.

Enjoy! I hope this helps you recreate something you’ve been missing.