Mozzarella cheese and sausage are stuffed into rolled pizza dough and baked for an easy appetizer or main meal that’s always a crowd pleaser.
In This Post
Easy Pizza Bread Recipe
Today’s recipe is in honor of a sweet cheesy baby, and no, I’m not talking about myself again.
Instead, we’re celebrating the impending arrival of a sweet new baby for one of my favorite food bloggers (I wrote about her in this list of 5 Food Bloggers I’m Following Now), Sarah of Snixy Kitchen.
Sarah is a true food lover. Her two cats are even named Artichoke and Aioli, so it comes as no surprise that the new addition to her family has been nicknamed #CheesyBabyGirl. She’s a woman after my own heart.
So in honor of this new cheesebaby, and the fact that today is National Cheese Lovers Day (ironic? I think not!) I’ve created a recipe for you today that does indeed contain cheese. Ooey, gooey mozzarella cheese.
Plus sausage.
And garlic.
And spinach, because heaven forbid I should cook anything that doesn’t have a spate of color in it.
What’s in Pizza Bread?
The ingredients list for this pizza sausage bread is short and sweet:
- Pizza dough
- Ground Italian sausage
- Dried herbs and spices
- Fresh baby spinach
- Egg
- Shredded mozzarella
- Flour
- Grated Parmesan
- Butter
- Garlic
- Flaked sea salt
How to Make Pizza Bread
We start this recipe with pizza dough for our bread. Chewy and tender, it’s the perfect vessel.
You could use store-bought dough if you like. Or, you can make your own from scratch (this is my favorite tutorial that I refer to every time I make it). Or, you use one of these handy dandy pizza dough kits like the one I used today. The kit makes it so easy, and the dough…so soft, so supple.
In fact this dough was so perfect I didn’t even have to use my big rolling pin to spread it out. I simply massaged it with my fingers into my rectangle for rolling. If your pizza dough springs back when you try to roll or massage it into place, simply let it rest for 5-10 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Then go back and give it another go.
As I’ve mentioned on many an occasion, I’m a big, big fan of sneaking in a little healthy when I can because my cheesebaby aka Smudge, isn’t much a fan of the spinach. We’re weaning her in (“Oh yes you WILL eat it young lady!”) so when I can add it here and there and not have her eating it straight up with vinegar (“It’s not that I hate it, but I just really don’t like it,”) or sautéed with garlic (“It’s okay, but it’s just not really that good,”) it’s a win win for all of us.
See what you have to look forward to, Sarah?!!!
Mozzarella is mixed with herbs and a beaten egg. Why an egg? The egg acts as a binder, keeping all the ingredients together instead of running all over the place.
Then the sausage dump. It’s all mixed together and tops the pizza dough and is then rolled into place and transferred to a baking sheet topped with parchment paper.
A quick brushing of olive oil with oregano gave the crust a pretty tawny color.
I was craving an extra garlicky punch so I borrowed a technique from my Killer Garlic Rolls (also made with pizza dough) and with about 10 minutes of baking remaining, I bathed my cheesy sausage roll in a garlic-infused olive oil and then sprinkled it with a dusting of parmesan cheese.
I can’t eat pizza dough without dipping it into something so my roasted tomato sauce was the perfect solution.
Can I Freeze Pizza Bread?
I haven’t tried freezing a loaf of pizza bread before, but I’m sure you could! I bet you could freeze it whole and reheat it from frozen later on, or slice and freeze individual portions.
Can I Add Other Pizza Toppings?
Again, I’m sure you could but I’ve only made this pizza bread recipe as written. You wouldn’t want to add too many pizza toppings, otherwise your bread might burst at the seams while it’s baking.
Tips for Making Pizza Bread
I used mild Italian sausage in this pizza bread recipe, but I bet roughly chopped pepperoni would work well too. If you try making this pizza bread with veggies instead of sauce, I imagine you’d need to sauté them first to cook out some of their moisture.
For a spicier sausage bread, use hot Italian sausage instead of mild, or add extra red pepper flakes to the filling.
Ranch dressing would have also been a good dipping sauce choice if I was reliving my college days. Aw, hell. Who am I kidding? I still love ranch for crusty dipping.
More Easy Appetizers You’ll Love, Too
- Garlic Butter Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
- Meatballs and Tomato Sauce
- Pigs in a Puff Pastry Blanket
- Bacon Beer Cheese Dip
- Slow Cooker Little Smokies
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #every_day_delicious_kitchen.
Cheesy Sausage Pizza Bread
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pizza dough (or 1 package store-bought pizza dough)
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano divided
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 ½ teaspoon oregano divided
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Add the pizza dough to a large bowl coated lightly with olive oil. Add the dough to the bowl, turn once or twice to coat with the olive oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set in a warm spot and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, crumble the sausage into the pan. Crush the fennel seeds between your fingers and sprinkle over the sausage, then add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until the sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in the baby spinach leaves and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the beaten egg with the ½ teaspoon oregano and the garlic salt. Stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese. Add the sausage and spinach mixture and combine well.
- Place the pizza dough on a counter topped with a dusting of flour. Roll or massage the pizza dough into a rectangle about 10 inches X 14 inches so that the long side faces you. Spread the sausage and cheese mixture onto the dough leaving a ½ inch border and gently press the mixture into the dough. Fold about ½ inch of the short side into the middle. Working on the long side closest to you, roll the dough into a log and pinch the seam into the dough, placing the log seam down on the parchment paper then moving the parchment to a baking sheet.
- Brush the dough with 1 teaspoon olive oil mixed with ½ teaspoon oregano. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- While the dough is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon oregano and the garlic cloves. Remove the pizza bread from the oven and brush it with the olive oil and garlic mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake for and additional 10 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven, brush with the remaining garlic oil and sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes then slice and serve warm with Roasted Tomato Sauce.
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