It’s part pizza. It’s part bread bowl.

But it’s mostly pizza.

The inspiration for this recipe came from some of my very, very favorite people in the whole wide world, Todd & Diane of White on Rice Couple. When I showed their photos to Jason, his eyes lit up and his response was simple: “Get me some pepperoni and it’s a date.”

I used baguette dough to form the bread bowls but if you don’t have an extra 1.5 hours or are just not in the bread-baking mood, pick up a package of good, sturdy rolls (not those heavenly, soft & fluffy dinner rolls). They come together rather quickly after that with just premade marinara, some turkey pepperoni, and mozzarella.

Pizza. In a bowl.

The bread bowls, pre-filling, will freeze beautifully in a ziptop bag should you not have a crowd to help you finish them on the first day.

But then it’s all over but the inevitable tomato drip on your shirt when you’re trying to figure out “fork or no fork,” a decision that’s much easier if you’re wearing a white shirt.

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Pepperoni Pizza Bread Bowls

A great gameday dinner or a party appetizer; marinara sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella baked into mini pizza bread bowls.

Ingredients

• For the bread bowls:
• 2 cups warm water, divided
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 package) yeast
• 5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Oil, for coating bowl
• For the filling:
• 2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (your favorite or mine)
• 1 pkg turkey pepperoni (or ~5 slices per bowl)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. Put 1 cup warm water, sugar, and yeast into your mixer bowl.
2. Let stand for 10 minutes until frothy.
3. Add 1 cup water, flour, and salt and knead for 5-7 minutes on medium speed with the dough hook (add additional flour 1 spoonful at a time if the dough does not come off of the side of the bowl).
4. Transfer to an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until dough has doubled. (This takes ~45 minutes with my oven set to “Dough Proof.” Alternately, if you're hurtin' for a warm place for the dough to rise, you can turn your oven on the lowest setting for two minutes while kneading the dough, and then shut if off.)
5. Preheat oven to 425.
6. Divide the dough in half and then each half in 5 equal pieces (a kitchen scale makes this much easier).
7. Form into balls and place on a silpat- or parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Let rest 20 minutes.
9. Bake ~15 minutes, until golden brown.
10. Transfer the bread bowls to a rack to cool completely and leave the oven on.
11. Use a serrated knife to cut a hole in the top of the bowls, removing most of the insides but not puncturing the rolls.
12. In a medium bowl, mix the marinara, pepperoni (I cut them into quarters), and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese.
13. Spoon into the bread bowls and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
14. Bake for ~12 minutes, until the cheese is browning and bubbly.
15. Serve warm, best eaten the day of assembling.

Notes

Yields: 10 servings

Inspired by White on Rice Couple

Estimated time: 1-2 hour 30 minutes