Pepperoni Pizza Pull Apart Bread

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We love pizza in my house.  I am always trying to figure out new, easy, tasty ways to make pizza-like dishes.  These pull apart rolls I found from King Arthur Flour looked easy, tasty, and fun, so I thought I would give them a try.  They did not disappoint!  The dough is more biscuit like then bread like, and it is moist and tender on the inside, a little bit crisp on the outside and full of flavor.  Add on top of that all the delicious fillings, and it is sure to be a winner! 

Pepperoni Pizza Pull Apart Bread
(Adapted from King Arthur Flour's Pull Apart Pepperoni Biscuit Recipe)

Ingredients:

Dough

• 3-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tablespoon pizza seasoning (or 1 tsp. dried basil + 1 tsp. dried oregano + 1/2 tsp. garlic salt)
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons butter, melted
• 1-3/4 cup fat free or low fat evaporated milk

 Filling/Topping

• 2 ounces of pepperoni slices cut in quarters (about 48 small slices, cut in quarters)
• 8 mozzarella string cheese sticks cut in quarters (or 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese)
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
• 1-15 oz. can tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded/grated fresh pecorino romano cheese or parmesan cheese  
• garlic salt

Directions:

1) Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil. Make sure whatever you choose can safely go from freezer to oven.

2) Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, flavor, seasoning, baking powder, and sugar. 

3) Stir in the evaporated milk and melted butter to moisten the dough thoroughly. 

4) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and roll it 1/4" thick. 

5) Use a sharp 2 3/4" square biscuit cutter or a straight-edge and sharp knife to cut the dough into 2 3/4" squares, re-rolling and cutting the dough until you have 32 squares.

6) Fill the center of each square with 1/4 teaspoon tomato sauce/pizza sauce, a few pieces of chopped basil, several pieces of quartered pepperoni (about 6 little quarters or 1-1/2 slices total), and a quarter of a piece of string cheese or heaping teaspoon of mozzarella. 

7) Gather up the four corners of each square; pinch the corners and edges to seal. 

8) Place the balls in the prepared baking dish. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and then cover with shredded pecorino ramano or parmesan cheese.

9) Place the dish in the fridge for 45 minutes to improve the biscuits' texture and rise (or 30 minutes in the freezer if it fits). While the biscuits are chilling, preheat the oven to 400°F.

10) Bake the biscuits for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. 

11) Remove them from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, and serve with the extra tomato sauce* for dipping.

*I used plain tomato sauce and for the sauce that was left over I added 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, and 1/4 tsp garlic salt and mixed together and heated up in the microwave to use as a quick dipping sauce.