Filled with layers of pepperoni and mozzarella, this easy no-knead Pepperoni Bread comes together with barely-there effort. Serve with a side of marinara as a perfect dip for this crusty bread. Better yet, turn it into a banging grilled cheese!
Typically, you might find a pepperoni bread that is closer to a calzone than a bread, but I decided to put a spin on that old standard! Why not have a superbly crusty bread dotted with slices of pepperoni and cheesy goodness mixed in? Much like my cheesy pesto-swirl bread, I am never going to say no to a cheesy bread!
Ingredients
Breads are such a dream to make because they require so few ingredients. All the of the flavor comes from letting the dough sit while you sit back and do nothing!
- Bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein-content than regular all-purpose flour. This means you get a stronger crust and a better chew in the center. (If you are interested in more specifics, Bon Appetit has a good, quick article!)
- Active dry yeast. Don’t be afraid of yeast, all that work mentioned above is done by yeast!
- Kosher salt. Good salt is needed here, if you’ve ever had bread that’s bleh, there’s probably not enough salt!
- Warm water. It’s important to have warm, and not HOT water for happy yeast.
- Dried oregano and garlic powder. Just a bit of spice through the dough supports the pepperoni-pizza vibes.
- Sliced pepperoni. I preferred the thinly sliced pepperoni for this recipe. While I love to slice for myself for snacking boards, the texture of the pre-sliced pepperoni layered nicely into the bread.
- Shredded mozzarella. This isn’t a “cheese bread” per se, but a little cheese in the dough never hurt any one!
Tips for Making Crusty Pepperoni Bread
For some, bread making can be is serious business. And for certain types of loaves, there is a very exact science and many years of training for the most precise baguette in the boulangeries (aka bread shops, but boulangeries is so pretty to say) of Paris.
Thank goodness, none of that is necessary in this recipe!
This recipe is infinitely forgiving and is a great beginner-friendly way to learn dough and yeast in a very low-stakes method.
Incorporating flavors. This style of bread of very forgiving to adding different mix-ins. Go ahead and add the pepperoni slices and mozzarella into the flour before adding the water. If you notice any big clumps of mix-ins while you are stirring the water in, you can just scatter slices as you go. No fancy tricks here, just stir it up!
A Dutch oven is key. Because we aren’t kneading this bread (hooray) a Dutch oven helps to give us that amazing crunchy crust we want from our artisan loaves of bread. The Dutch oven traps the heat and humidity with the bread loaf, replicating the crazy high-end commercial bread ovens.
Don’t be afraid to bake it. One of the things most beginner bread makers do is under-bake the breads. There is a desire to pull the bread out when it is a light-golden brown (that’s the color for cookies, right?!) but a bread can go to a very rich brown and it will only enhance the crust. Don’t be afraid to leave it in the oven!
Wait to slice. Ok, this is a big ask because fresh, warm bread is unlike anything else. And yes, technically you can slice it immediately, but for the best texture, wait until the bread is cooled. Letting the bread cool before slicing basically lets the crumb “set”. If anything, it’s best to let it cool completely, then pop it back into the oven for a few minutes when you are ready to eat later that day.
Working with Yeast
I know, using yeast sounds really intimidating to some, but once you get the hang of it, it’s no different than using baking powder or baking soda in your cakes.
Yeast creates a rise. Much like baking powder in cakes, yeast gives bread a lift. Yeast is a living organism and as it chomps away on the sugar in the flour, it’s toots out carbon dioxide. And all those little carbon dioxide bubbles lifts the bread dough and gives us those craggily holes in a great crusty bread.
Buying yeast. You can find yeast in any grocery store in the baking aisle. Typically it’s on the top shelf and comes in a row of three envelopes for individual use. There are two common types in most stores, active dry yeast and instant dry yeast.
Pro tip: these types are called “dry yeasts” because they are literally a dried, shelf stable option of yeast. There is also a fresh yeast that is refrigerated and a wild/natural yeast more typical of a sourdough starter. These are more advanced and we’ll leave them for another day.
For our recipe, we are going to use active dry yeast because we are happy to let the yeast take it’s time.
Waking up yeast. Like I mentioned above, dried yeast is literally dried! In order to wake up yeast so it starts to rise, we need to give it a little boost. Some warm water is the key. Yeast prefers a luke-warm water 90°F – 105°F (just above body temperature [32°C – 40°C]). Cold water will take much longer for the yeast to wake and very hot water can kill the yeast.
Yeast hates salt. We need salt in the dough to make a flavorful bread. Unfortunately, yeast hates salt and it can kill the yeast. The fix is easy, avoid dumping the salt directly onto the yeast. Once everything is mixed into the flour, you have a buffer and no more worries!
Give the yeast time. This pepperoni bread is best when you let it sit for a while. Like, pop it in the fridge and forget about it for a few days, sit for a while. Placing the dough in the fridge lets the yeast work more slowly. The longer you let it sit, the richer the flavor and the more wonderful air bubbles will form.
Frequently Asked Questions
After letting the yeast wake up for 2 hours at room temperature, you need an hour in the fridge to chill the dough to make it more workable to handle into a round shape or the dough will be quite sticky. But you can skip the multi-day rise.
Absolutely, feel free to make this bread dairy free! You can also substitute your preferred shredded cheese.
Looking for other great Italian-inspired foods?
Give these a try!
- Homemade pasta or this pasta with sausage and broccoli
- Olive bread
- Tiramisu cake
- Rosemary & garlic bread
- Cacio e pepe crackers
Pepperoni Bread (No-Knead)
Equipment
- 5.5qt – 6qt Dutch Oven with Lid
Ingredients
- 520 g bread flour plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 7 g active dry yeast 1 packet
- 100 g pepperoni slices, cut into quarters
- 100 g shredded mozzarella
- 2 cups warm water (90°F – 105°F) 30℃ – 40℃
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, salt, oregano, garlic powder, yeast. Stir in pepperoni and mozzarella.520 g bread flour, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 7 g active dry yeast, 100 g pepperoni slices, cut into quarters, 100 g shredded mozzarella
- Stir in warm water with a wooden spoon or dough whisk, mixing until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain. Evenly distribute the pepperoni slices if you see clumps forming. Dough will be wet and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.2 cups warm water (90°F – 105°F)
- Transfer bowl to fridge and let sit for at least an hour or for up to 5 days. Resting for a longer time will result in a richer flavor and more airiness in the final loaf.
- 45 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 425°F (220℃). Remove dough from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, shape into a ball by pulling sides down and under bottom, turn and repeat, to create a smooth top and a round shape.
- Pinch together any seams on the bottom and place dough seam-side down on a floured sheet of parchment. Lift dough using parchment and set into a bowl roughly the size of your Dutch oven. Cover bowl lightly with a clean kitchen towel and let sit for 45 minutes while oven preheats.
- 30 minutes before baking, place Dutch oven and lid in oven to heat through. After 30 minutes, carefully remove Dutch oven from oven. Immediately lower the dough into the Dutch oven using the parchment paper. Cut 2-3 slices into the top of the dough with a sharp knife to allow steam to escape. (Using oven mitts!) place lid on pot and place back into the oven.
- Bake for 40 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the loaf is a deep golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, parchment paper removed, before slicing – at least 1 hour.
Notes
- Whole loaves and sliced bread may be stored in a freezer-safe bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Refresh whole loaves in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 10-12 minutes. Slices are best toasted after freezing.
- Make loaf dairy-free by omitting the mozzarella.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
This is so delicious and very easy. I use a Le Crueset Dutch Oven so I skipped the preheat. All good! The crust was crispy and the inside was light and airy. I added dried cracked rosemary and basil to the recipe along with the mozzarella but omitted the pepperoni this time. I also oiled the dough during the counter rest before baking. Baking times were perfect… covered 40 min and 20 uncovered. Will definitely make again!
So glad that you enjoyed!
This was awesome! Thanks for posting, loved it!
We’re glad you liked it!