Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread…Fun to Make and Eat!

Confections of a Foodie Bride

My daughter is 4 and she wants to do whatever her mommy does.  In the morning she sits next to me on the bathroom counter while I’m putting on my makeup;  if I’m wearing a skirt she’s wearing a skirt.  Most nights while I’m trying to sing her to sleep, instead of drifting off quietly she’s belting out tunes right along with me – like a concert instead of bedtime. But what she loves to do more than anything else is to help her mom in kitchen…which is why I love this recipe!  Fun to make and fun to eat!

via Confections of a Foodie Bride

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

You can take the long route and make your favorite pizza dough and marinara sauce, or the short route and pick up your favorite pizza dough and red sauce from the store.

Confections of a Foodie Bride

Confections of a Foodie Bride

Confections of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 lbs pizza dough (I used this recipe because it makes enough for two pizza)
• 6 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (you’ll need ~48 pieces)
• 48 slices of Turkey pepperoni (from 1 package)
• 2-3 cups marinara sauce, warmed, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat garlic and butter over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat and let sit.
2. Lightly brush the inside of a bundt pan (or other oven-safe dish) with garlic butter.
3. Pull off large marble-sized balls of dough and flatten (~2/3 of an ounce, a kitchen scale makes this very easy). Top with a slice of pepperoni and a cube of mozzarella.
4. Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese, pinching well to seal.
5. Very lightly brush the pizza ball with garlic butter and place into the bundt pan (I dabbed the pizza balls on a butter-dipped silicon brush to keep butter use low – there will be 1+ Tbsp leftover – and my hands butter free. Buttery hands make it hard to get the pizza balls to seal).
6. Repeat until all of the dough is used.
7. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes, while preheating the oven to 400.
8. Bake for ~35 minutes, until the top is very brown.
9. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.
10. Turn out onto a platter and serve with warmed marinara sauce for dipping