Pepperoni & Cheddar Stuffed Pizza

Four ingredients (frozen bread dough, pepperoni, shredded cheddar, an egg) and you’ve got a stuffed loaf that splits the difference between pizza and stromboli. Roll, fill, fold, brush, bake. The frozen dough does most of the work.

Thawing the dough fully is the make-or-break step. Cold dough cracks when you press it out and won’t pinch shut around the filling, so the cheese leaks during baking. Let it come to room temperature on the counter for a few hours, or overnight in the fridge.

Filling down the middle (not edge to edge) leaves enough dough to fold over and seal cleanly. Pinch hard. Any unsealed seam is a place for cheese to escape and burn on the pan, plus it leaves the inside dry where it should be melty.

The egg wash on top is what gives the loaf its golden, almost lacquered finish. Skip it and the bread bakes pale and matte.

Slice while still warm but rested for 5 minutes. Cut too soon and the cheese runs out; let it cool completely and you lose the molten center.

Pro Tips

• Use a generous layer of cheese (don’t be shy with two cups). The pepperoni’s salty fat needs the cheese to balance it.
• Score the top of the loaf diagonally before baking. The slashes vent steam and prevent the loaf from splitting open along the seam.
• Bake on parchment paper, not just a greased sheet. Parchment makes cleanup easier when cheese inevitably escapes.
• For a crispier crust, brush the top with garlic butter (instead of egg wash) in the last 5 minutes of baking.

Variations

• Add sliced black olives, sautéed mushrooms, or chopped bell peppers to the filling.
• Swap pepperoni for cooked Italian sausage or sliced salami for different cured-meat profiles.
• Use mozzarella instead of cheddar for a more traditional pizza-bread flavor.