This Homemade Pizza Bread has quickly become a go-to appetizer recipe for me. It’s versatility makes it a party favorite!
My A Year of Yeast series has been running for more than half a year now. That’s kind of hard to believe. Needless to say, yeast and I have become good buddies at this point. Although the fear has pretty much subsided, I still have no idea how to tell if some of the breads are baked the whole way through. I just follow the recipe and thankfully, they haven’t let me down yet.
Of all of the recipes I’ve tried thus far, today’s is probably my favorite (with the Cinnamon Bun Bites being a close second). I made Homemade Pizza Bread! I actually discovered this recipe a few years ago. When it recently popped up on Pinterest again, I took it as I sign that I needed to make the bread.
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How to Make Homemade Pizza Bread
Now, I know everyone has their own version of Pizza Bread. My dad’s wife has a recipe that is fantastic! This one is a little different as all the ingredients are incorporated into the dough. The resulting bread is really, really sensational. There is flavor everywhere. A layer of cheese inside and a side of marinara sauce bring it all together.
What I love about this recipe is that you can change the “toppings” to suit you or the folks you’re fixing it for. When I was putting this all together I was thinking of so many fun combinations. I’m hoping to try a few and I’ll report back when I do. The actual bread part is pretty basic so the options are truly endless.
This time round, I decided to use pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, black olives, red pepper, green pepper, roasted garlic, and Parmesean. It’s like a supreme pizza.
The original recipe comes from The Ivory Hut. She calls her loaf Crazy Pizza Bread. I actually ended up changing her recipe quite a bit because I felt there wasn’t enough dough. I was afraid I was going to get a pretty small loaf. I was glad I opted for a larger size because this stuff is sensational. Either way, a big thanks to The Ivory Hut.
Okay, enough chatter. Let’s make some bread!
makes one loaf
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 teaspoons yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ½ cups favorite toppings, diced (I used pepperoni, sun-dried tomatoes, green onions, black olives, red pepper, green pepper, and roasted garlic.)
½ cup Parmesan
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 jar of marinara sauce for dipping
Let’s get baking:
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes. Add in flour, salt, and sugar. Mix using a spoon just until it comes together. (There's no need for a big stand mixer here.)
Add in the toppings and Parmesan and combine well. The dough will be tacky. Dust with a bit more flour if it feels too tacky. Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator to continue rising for another hour.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Flour your countertop, then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle mozzarella over top. Then, fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let your loaf rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. About halfway through I added a piece of aluminum foil to the top of my loaf to prevent it from getting too dark. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing.
PrintLooking for more appetizer recipes? These are some of my favorites:
- Really Good Jalapeño Dip
- Out-of-this-World Corn Dip
- Italian Sub Sandwich Rolls
- Farm-to-Table Inspired Crostini
- Everything Bagel Cheeseball
Seriously, other than chopping all of the ingredients, this Homemade Pizza Bread is easy peasy. I highly recommend it even to you newbie bread makers. It’s a perfect loaf to test your skills. Plus, your friends and family (It’s OK if it’s just for you. – I don’t judge.) will love it.
Happy baking, everyone! Does your family have a go-to homemade pizza bread? Tell me all about it or share a link to the recipe in the comments.
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Uh…O.M.G. this sounds amazing! What a great idea, and something my family will totally love. You had me at “Pizza Bread” in your blog post title.
Haha. Thanks Deb! It’s delish!
xo Michael
This is a great idea for our Super Bowl Party! I was looking for something new. Gotta try it.
Bread with flavor!!! Even though I cannot eat wheat myself. My family would love this. I bet I could take the same idea for me and make it with gluten free bread mix. Sadly, it’s just not the same.
Awww. I’m sorry. That’s a bummer. If you give it a try with the GF mix, let me know how it turns out.
xo Michael
Oh my gosh Michael that looks SO good! I’m a regular reader- but don’t comment often (DID take the survey so bonus points to me!) but this is incredible.
I also have a slight fear of yeast, but I’m going to give this a go this week- maybe even tonight, because I know my hubby will love it. I’m thinking of using your recipe, but making two smaller loaves. That way hubby and I don’t devour the whole thing, and we can share with his co-workers the next day 🙂
That’s such a smart idea! Do give it a try and stop back to let me know how it turned out! Happy Baking!
xo Michael
This seems like it would be amazing as breadsticks to dip in the marinara. I could see myself making this without the cheese in the middle, but then using it for a grilled cheese sandwich, using pizza toppings like sun-dried tomatoes, portabello mushrooms, and onions. Mmmm…. the possibilities are endless!
Omg! So many good ideas here! Try them all and report back ASAP. Haha.
Thanks Amy! xo Michael
I am going to make this the next time my girls and their men are at home. The men are ALWAYS hungry and this could stave off starvation until dinner.
Thanks so much for posting this.
It definitely would! I’m sure they will love it!
xo Michael
Oh. My. Goodness. This looks (and sounds) amazing!!! We have carry-ins monthly at the place where I work, and this would be PERFECT!!! Thank you for all of the recipes and tips you post on Pinterest!!!
You bet! Thank you so much for following along.
xo Michael
This looks easy and delicious. I’m curious about using all those veggies. Did they release a lot of water into the bread when cooking?
The dough is rather sticky, but as I mentioned it the recipe, I just added a little flour to the outside. If you’re worried, you could just pat everything off with a paper towel before mixing it in.
xo Michael
the bread just finished and i dont think i baked it long enough, I ate the ends which we’re done, so I got just a taste and it was a tease. Amazing! I loved it super easy to make! I used garlic,onions, grn peppers, and pepperoni. It was full of flavor and disappointed the whole loaf was not done.
Rusty – What a bummer! That’s the one thing I have yet to figure out about bread – how to know when it’s done on the inside. It definitely sounds like it needed to bake a little longer. Hope you’ll give it another try sometime. 🙂
xo Michael
Rusty and Michael,
When your bread reaches an internal temperature of 200°F, then you know that it’s done baking on the inside. It helps to have an instant-read thermometer for bread-baking. Hope that helps. 🙂
Aside from that, Michael, this looks delicious! Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be trying this.
Great tip Aria! Thanks so much!!
xo Michael
You are very welcome! 😉
You can tell when bread is done by turning it over and knocking on the underside. It’ll sound hollow when done. This method has worked for me for many years.
Made this bread today after I pinned it this morning on Pinterest. Lots of pizza lovers in my house! Followed the recipe exactly, but we added a few mushrooms in! It was fantastic and easy. Will be making this again! Thanks Michael!
Glad to hear Jen. Mushrooms are a great idea! I’ll have to add some to my next loaf!
xo Michael
Made it tonight, it is amazing !
Wonderful! Thanks for stopping back to let me know.
xo Michael
I was wondering if your pizza bread would be able to be baked then shipped to someone? This sounds amazing and I’d love to make it then ship it to my friend! Please let me know if this is possible!
Leah – Honestly, I’m not sure. I do know that breads with eggs and / or oils tend to last longer. This doesn’t have either so it’s life would be presumably shorter. Also, since there is meat (pepperoni) in it. I would assume it should remain chilled. Hope that helps
xo Michael
Thank you Michael!
Yum, Yum. I will have to try this soon. I will have to then try it GF because I am supposed to be giving up gluten any day now. So, make this first, then give up gluten. Maybe make a few smaller ones so everyone gets what they like.
You’ll have to stop back and let me know how it turns out. A couple other folks were asking if it was possible.
xo Michael
Hi Michael, if I were going to skip the cheese in the middle, do you think I still need to let it rise the second hour in the fridge? (I was thinking the fridge was to firm up the dough so that it can be rolled out?)
Gretchen – to be honest I’m really not sure, but your logic seems to make sense. I still consider myself a beginner when it come to bread making so I don’t fully understand all the science behind it. Let me know if you try it. You’ve spiked my curiosity!
xo Michael
Well, I tried it last night and it turned out pretty well, albeit a bit low and flat. I let it rise in the bowl for an hour, then I put it onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, roughly in the right shape, and let it rise another 30 minutes, but not in the fridge. It was a bit flatter and wider than the one in your photos, but the same general shape. It does seem like the refrigeration makes the dough stiffer, which not only allows for rolling out, but also for it to hold a taller shape. Even though mine was low and flat, it really seemed to have risen the right amount. I’ve made bread before where the yeast didn’t “work” and it was very obvious that it hadn’t risen – dense and hard. I’ve been doing various breads about weekly for over a year now, and I still feel like a total newbie and beginner! 🙂
Trying is half the battle Gretchen! Thanks to much for sharing your results!
xo Michael
Hi! looking forward to bake such a pizza! Thank you very very much.
You’re more than welcome! Enjoy!
xo Michael
G.E.N.I.O.U.S!!! I will def have to try a vegan twist to this, looks soo yum…
Hahaha. Why thank you. Let me know how the vegan version turns out.
xo Michael
I am always looking for new recipes to make things from scratch because of my daughter having a soy allergy. I will be making her a loaf this weekend with sun-dried tomatoes and basil(her favorite pizza is Tomato and Basil). Thank you for the recipe.
Oooh! Love that idea. You’ll have to let me know how it turns out.
xo Michael
Made this pizza bread as an accompaniment to our zucchini, green beans, pepper and onions cooked in tomato sauce. Out of this world!!! This will become a regular in our house!! Thanks, Michael!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you loved the recipe!
xo Michael
What a gorgeous loaf of bread! I could easily make a meal out of this!
I’m a new baker. Trying to challenge myself in new things.. and this recipe is my FIRST bread attempt. This just looked amazing!
Yay! Good luck! This is so delicious and super simple to make. Have fun!
xo Michael
Found your recipe on Pinterest! Totally going to make this!!!!
I’m glad I found you – I’m off to check out more of your recipes!!!
You’ll love this recipe! Enjoy!!
xo Michael
Just wondering if I can make the dough in my bread machine. I use it to make dough for rolls and bread sticks all the time. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
I’m not sure Carol. I’ve never tried it that way.
xo Michael
Oh my goodness! How crazy is it that I have never heard of Pizza Bread? This looks delicious! I can’t wait to make it for my family!
Love this! Will try for holiday weekends with family, can’t wait. By the way, I am not a blog follower, I end up on your blog a lot because of my pinterest obsession, I just have to say, I really like the style and the simplicity of your blog. Thanks for sharing all of your ideas!
Thanks so much Gail! You can enter your email address into the subscription box on my blog and you’ll get an email when I post. It’s kind of an easy way to follow along. Thanks!
xo Michael
Made the bread and it’s amazing but the cheese still cooked out. Any advice on how to stop this from happening?
I want to make that bread! But I need someone’s help to convert the scale into metric. Can anybody help me?
Do u know if this recipe can be made into a bread machine recipe? It sounds so good!
Looks great! I am making this for Superbowl day!
Ohh! Perfect plan! It’s delicious. Enjoy!
xo Michael
Omg. I love, love, love this idea. I might be drooling.
It’s fabulous! Wait till you try it.
xo Michael
This looks soooo delicious. Wow. I am going to make this for a Super Bowl get together on Sunday. Can’t wait!
This is soooo delicious!!! Should the leftovers be refrigerated? If I didn’t overnight is it safe to eat?
I know that some people leave pizza out overnight, but I refrigerate mine.
xo Michael
I am actually thankful to the holder of this site who has shared
this fantastic paragraph at here.
I’ll try it now!thanks for this recipes
this looks fabulous! Can it be frozen? I’m wondering if I could make it a couple weeks ahead of a party.
I’m not sure, I didn’t freeze mine. However, depending on your ingredients, I think it would do okay.
xo Michael
I made this today and made a few mistakes. I forgot the parm cheese and mixed in the 2C of shredded cheese.
It was a huge hit here. I love that we can change this up with different mix ins. Thanks to the comment about using the instant read thermometer. My break was a tad dark but was in the 150 range. A tent of tinfoil until it came to temp was the solution.
Hubby suggested I make it next time into two narrower and flatter loaves so there are more toasty edges.
Even my picky teens liked it!
This was fantastic the first time I made it as a loaf! I got a wild hair the second time round and turned it into a pizza crust. BEST pizza crust ever!
This looks like such a fun bread to make. Just have a question: should it be baked on the lower rack of the oven or middle?
This bread was wonderful!! I am not an experienced bread maker but this worked for me!! It was easy to shape and handle and came out looking like the picture! Thank you for sharing! I will be making this again.
A year of Yeast! I love this, I don’t see how it can get much better than that. (As long as there’s cheese in most of them). Keep it up! 🙂
Hahaha! Amen!
xo Michael
Never heard of pizza bread before, but being Italian I’m sure I’ll love it!
It seems such an easy affair, I’m going to try it soon, thanks for sharing this great recipe! ^_^
could this be made with frozen bread dough?
Totally!
xo Michael
Could you please explain exaclty what you ean by floding lie an enveope in step 3? thanks!
Correction: Could you please explain what you mean by folding like an envelope in step 3? Thanks!
Just took this out of the oven, and OMG does my house smell amazing–can’t wait to dig in. Thanks for sharing recipe
I made this last night and it is amazing. I completely improvised on the “pizza” ingredients and went towards a Mediterranean prosciutto/olive bread flavor-wise. The dough rose so much and so quickly. It is an incredible recipe and very easy to do on the fly. Everyone loved it! thank you for sharing!!!
I saw this bread on pinterest and was looking for a quick fix bread. This recipe is just awesome.
I made mine with tomatoes, leek, basil and feta as topping. Judging by the pic yours is much more filled than mine (I used the 2 1/2 c of toppings) but that doesn’t mean less flavor. It is so delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
In the oven now!
Could I make this with a frozen pizza dough instead of making dough from scratch? I have never had any luck with yeast breads.
I’ve made this many times and it is always the favorite on the table. I am wondering if it would be ok to make the dough the night before and refrigerate it overnight?
I would also like to know if the dough prep could be done ahead of time, and baked just before guests arrive?
Leslee – I’ve never prepped the dough in advance, so I’m not sure what the results would be.
xo Michael
Hello,
What a beautiful, colourful bread!
I made tomato jam last summer/fall…
What do you think about spreading a bit of it under the cheese before you roll it?
Thank you in advance.
Maija
Hi,
I tried making this bread tonight.. It didnt cook properly from inside. I even put back my bread to bake for another 20 mins on 350 temp. It was still undercooked. Pls let me know what I did wrong. Thank you
Pari, Oh bummer! I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve made this bread several times from my recipe and had no issue. I’m not sure what could have happened?
xo Michael
Hiiiii I have just made the dough and its rising as I type. So excited to see how it turns out. I just wanted to know if you have to cook it after the 2hrs or can I leave it for a few more hrs so it’s made along with dinner. Can anyone help.?
Thanks x
This sounds delish, I’m super excited to make it. Dumb question: what exactly do you mean by folding the dough like an envelope after adding the cheese? I don’t understand that description… Thanks!
Kelsey, Sorry, that is a bit confusing. It just means so that’s it’s the shape of an envelope. Like a long rectangle. The end shape should be 17×6, not 8×11. Hopefully that makes more sense.
Thanks! Michael
Hi!Having seen your EVERYTHING,and your EVERYTHING is exceptional,I must subscribe to your blog,if you have one.Am a “baby”blog stalker.A year of it,and close to 350!Only have a Pinterest account which I started at Christmas.Am a 55 years young SAHM,semi retired and almost an empty nest.Cooking,baking,and candlestick making is my main gig.Do it all,love it all,want more?.MANY THANKS
I just tried it and what a delicious but simple idea! Definitely to make again and again for lazy sunday brunch! 🙂
Thanks!
Hi…I just made this bread (started with a frozen bread dough because I am lazy!) and i didn’t have the tomatoes so I added diced pepperoni – and it was delish! To tell if bread is finished baking you can just tap on the top of loaf and its it gives a “hollow” sound, it is baked through! I will definitely be making it again (i have 2 more frozen loaves in the freezer!!)
hi Michael, what is your suggestion if I want to make pizza buns instead of loaf? Thanks
Michael, YUM, that looks so delish. Pizza just happens to be my favourite thing on the planet. Can’t wait to try it. Bet it is great toasted too. My mouth is watering.
Thanks for sharing Michael.
Darlene
(Nova Scotia)
I strugglebussed hard with this recipe. I know you said it was supposed to be tacky but it was absolutely GUI so I added a bit more flour to it before the rising’s and then when I pulled it out to roll it out I had to add probably at least a cup more of flour if not more to get it so I can actually control it without it sticking to absolutely everything. It’s sitting now before it goes into the oven so we will see how the end turns out. I will let you know. I’m hoping it works well and I’m not sure if my items were just more damp or what happened. As long as it’s edible we’re going to eat it 🙂
*gooey not GUI
Hi. This looks delicious and I know my family will love it. I’m a less than experienced cook. I’m still not clear how to fold the bread after putting on the cheese. See the dough cover the cheese? I apologize for the beginner question.
Pizzatastic!
This is amazing.
I love that the possible combinations are endless.
I will definitely be making this for years to come.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
You are the BEST!!! Love your recipes, design inspirations, and your blog!! THANK YOU!!!!
Hi MICHAEL…its so cool..i make it..thank you so much. This is my second comment ..