Pizza Monkey Bread
By Sarah GabrielPublished on January 27, 2022
Time
1¾ hours, plus 30 minutes rising and 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
MONKEY BREAD
2 (1-pound) balls pizza dough 4 ounces sliced pepperoni 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)½ teaspoon dried oregano 8 (4 ½-inch) sticks mozzarella string cheeseTOMATO SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes ½ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepperBefore You Begin
You will need all-purpose flour for dusting the counter. If the dough becomes slack or difficult to work with, refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Seal the open ends of the filled dough after each cut in order to keep the filling from leaking out. If your string cheese sticks are longer than 4 1/2 inches, trim any overhang once you’ve placed the cheese on the dough.
Instructions
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Roll each dough ball into 10 by 6-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, then transfer to prepared sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Microwave pepperoni in bowl until fat is rendered, 60 to 90 seconds, stirring halfway through microwaving. Using tongs, transfer pepperoni to paper towel–lined plate, reserving pepperoni oil in bowl (you should have about 1 tablespoon). Pat pepperoni dry with paper towels. Stir olive oil into pepperoni oil. Brush 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with 2 teaspoons oil mixture. Combine Parmesan and oregano in separate bowl.
- Working with 1 dough rectangle at a time, return to lightly floured counter and roll into 18 by 9-inch rectangle with long edge parallel to counter edge, stretching corners as needed to make neat rectangle. Starting 2 inches from long edge of dough nearest you, shingle half of pepperoni parallel to long edge. Lay 4 mozzarella sticks end to end on top of pepperoni. Sprinkle half of Parmesan mixture alongside mozzarella. Fold bottom 2-inch section of dough over filling and roll tightly toward opposite edge. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Repeat with remaining dough rectangle, remaining pepperoni, remaining 4 mozzarella sticks, and remaining Parmesan mixture.
- Cut each log in half and pinch open ends to seal. Cut each log in half again, pinching open ends to seal. Cut each log into thirds, pinching open ends closed as you go. Place single layer of stuffed dough balls (about 6) 1/2 inch apart in prepared pan and brush tops and sides with one-fourth of oil mixture. Layer remaining dough balls in pan, brushing tops and sides with remaining oil mixture as you go. Cover pan with plastic and let rise at room temperature until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until beginning to brown, about 90 seconds. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
- Bake until well browned, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Place serving platter on top of pan and invert. Let cool 10 minutes longer. Reheat sauce and transfer to serving bowl. Serve monkey bread with sauce.TO MAKE AHEAD: Monkey bread can be assembled, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let sit on counter for 20 minutes before baking, increasing time by 5 to 10 minutes.
for the monkey bread
for the tomato sauce
Time
1¾ hours, plus 30 minutes rising and 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
MONKEY BREAD
2 (1-pound) balls pizza dough
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
8 (4 ½-inch) sticks mozzarella string cheese
TOMATO SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
MONKEY BREAD
2 (1-pound) balls pizza dough
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
8 (4 ½-inch) sticks mozzarella string cheese
TOMATO SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
MONKEY BREAD
2 (1-pound) balls pizza dough
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
8 (4 ½-inch) sticks mozzarella string cheese
TOMATO SAUCE
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Just as does the sweet, cinnamon sugar version, this monkey bread consists of balls of dough baked into a ring meant for pulling apart and eating with your hands. For ease, we start off with store-bought pizza dough. Instead of shaping and filling each pizza-stuffed ball individually, we form logs stuffed with the fillings and cut them into pieces, much like cinnamon rolls. After we pinch the ends shut, the balls are ready for the pan. Instead of shredded cheese, we found that string cheese was the perfect shape to roll up in the dough and had great mozzarella flavor. Microwaving the pepperoni before using it prevents greasy dough, and brushing a bit of the rendered fat onto the outside of the balls creates a deeply browned crust. A simple tomato sauce for dipping is the final touch.
Before You Begin
You will need all-purpose flour for dusting the counter. If the dough becomes slack or difficult to work with, refrigerate it for 10 minutes. Seal the open ends of the filled dough after each cut in order to keep the filling from leaking out. If your string cheese sticks are longer than 4 1/2 inches, trim any overhang once you’ve placed the cheese on the dough.
Instructions
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Roll each dough ball into 10 by 6-inch rectangle on lightly floured counter, then transfer to prepared sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Microwave pepperoni in bowl until fat is rendered, 60 to 90 seconds, stirring halfway through microwaving. Using tongs, transfer pepperoni to paper towel–lined plate, reserving pepperoni oil in bowl (you should have about 1 tablespoon). Pat pepperoni dry with paper towels. Stir olive oil into pepperoni oil. Brush 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with 2 teaspoons oil mixture. Combine Parmesan and oregano in separate bowl.
- Working with 1 dough rectangle at a time, return to lightly floured counter and roll into 18 by 9-inch rectangle with long edge parallel to counter edge, stretching corners as needed to make neat rectangle. Starting 2 inches from long edge of dough nearest you, shingle half of pepperoni parallel to long edge. Lay 4 mozzarella sticks end to end on top of pepperoni. Sprinkle half of Parmesan mixture alongside mozzarella. Fold bottom 2-inch section of dough over filling and roll tightly toward opposite edge. Pinch seam and ends to seal. Repeat with remaining dough rectangle, remaining pepperoni, remaining 4 mozzarella sticks, and remaining Parmesan mixture.
- Cut each log in half and pinch open ends to seal. Cut each log in half again, pinching open ends to seal. Cut each log into thirds, pinching open ends closed as you go. Place single layer of stuffed dough balls (about 6) 1/2 inch apart in prepared pan and brush tops and sides with one-fourth of oil mixture. Layer remaining dough balls in pan, brushing tops and sides with remaining oil mixture as you go. Cover pan with plastic and let rise at room temperature until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook until beginning to brown, about 90 seconds. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
- Bake until well browned, about 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Place serving platter on top of pan and invert. Let cool 10 minutes longer. Reheat sauce and transfer to serving bowl. Serve monkey bread with sauce.TO MAKE AHEAD: Monkey bread can be assembled, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Let sit on counter for 20 minutes before baking, increasing time by 5 to 10 minutes.
for the monkey bread
for the tomato sauce
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