Easy Pizza Monkey Bread

Warning: This easy-to-make monkey bread is also very addictive. A cross between pizza and buttery garlic rolls, we couldn’t stop gobbling up bite after cheesy bite. 

Every year we have a fun little family Super Bowl party. We’re huge Monkey Bread fans, so the Super Bowl seemed like the perfect time to try out a savory Monkey Bread. The Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread from Confections of a Foodie Bride and the Pizza Monkey Bread from What’s Gaby Cooking were my inspirations for this recipe.

To make this an easy Super Bowl recipe, I started with frozen roll dough. Of course you could make your own dough if you prefer. I have a Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe that makes a great pizza. The first time I made this I used low fat mozzarella sticks (string cheese), but they didn’t melt very well, so I recommend buying whole or part skim mozzarella and cutting it into squares.

We loved the bottom rolls because of the crispy edges. So, after you remove the pizza bread from the bundt pan, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes to crisp up the sides and bottom of the bread.

You can also bake it in a 9 x 13 pan instead of a bundt pan. Of course then I guess you’d have to call it Pizza Pull Apart Rolls.

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Yield: 48 Bites

Easy Pizza Monkey Bread

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Dough

• 24 Frozen Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold*
• 48 slices of pepperoni
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed in to 48 pieces
• 1/2 cup Butter, melted
• 2/3 cup Parmesan Romano cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Homemade Pizza Sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in rich puree
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

Instructions

1. Cut rolls in half and flatten each half. Top with one slice of pepperoni and one cube of mozzarella. Wrap the dough around the pepperoni and cheese to completely enclose and form a ball.
2. In a small bowl combine melted butter, cheese, parsley, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Roll dough to lightly coat with cheese mixture and place in a bundt pan coated with non-stick spray.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost to the top of the pan (about 45 minutes). Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350°F 30 - 35 minutes. Cover with foil if the top is getting too brown. (You might want to put a sheet pan on the rack under the bundt pan to catch any greasy drips.)
5. Remove from oven and invert on to an oven safe serving tray, remove bundt pan. Put the serving tray back in to the oven for about 5 minutes more to crisp up the top and bottom rolls.
6. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
7. *I like to thaw the rolls in a single layer in a plastic bag overnight in the fridge.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

1. In a small saucepan, sauté garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Notes

Pizza Sauce adapted from Allrecipes

Also on the menu for our Super Bowl party:

Strawberry Mango Salsa and Cinnamon Tortilla Chips, Barbara Bakes
Individual Seven-Layer Dips, The Girl Who Ate Everything
Nutella Caramel Cookies, Barbara Bakes
Microwave Caramel Popcorn, Real Mom Kitchen