Ever find yourself in the mood for pizza but you don’t feel like ordering takeout? You may never order pizza again after you see how easy it is to make this crazy Italian pizza bread! This recipe combines all the comforting goodness of cheese and bread with Italian herbs and pizza toppings, with a side of warm marinara dipping sauce.
There are a million versions of crazy bread on the Internet, but my favorite always involves pepperoncini peppers. These mild peppers add a great crunch to any dish, from nachos to potato salad and everything in between. The brine has a delicious tang that makes the mayonnaise mixture really sing in this dish.
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Cooktop Cove
Crazy Italian pizza bread
6-8
15 minutes
30 minutes
45 minutes
1 loaf Italian bread
1 cup mayonnaise
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine from the jar
1 package sliced pepperoni, cut into ½-inch squares
1 pound ground sausage, cooked and crumbled
¼ cup pepperoncini pepper slices
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
2 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Marinara sauce, warmed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the bread at 1-inch intervals, being careful not to slice all the way to the bottom.
Place the bread on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, using enough foil to eventually wrap the whole loaf of bread.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepperoncini brine.
Spread the mayonnaise mixture over the bread, including in between the sliced parts.
Stuff the chopped pepperoni, cooked sausage and pepperoncini pieces into each slice.
Combine the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Stuff the cheese mixture into each slice.
Wrap the bread tightly in foil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the bread is warmed all the way through and the cheese is well melted.
Garnish with freshly chopped basil and serve with warmed marinara as a dipping sauce on the side.
Pro tip: Most grocery stores sell an herb mixture called a poultry blend. You can use this for the Italian seasoning, since it usually contains thyme, rosemary and sage.
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