Loaded with pepperoni and all the cheesy goodness, this Gluten Free Pepperoni Bread is the perfect meal all wrapped in one! If you've never had pepperoni bread, you're in for a treat.
I grew up (and still live) in Virginia Beach and pepperoni bread isn't a common thing here. However, when I worked outside the home we would frequently order pepperoni bread from this little bakery down the street called Glory's. Glory's is owned by a Filipino family. They've been making all kinds of yummy Filipino food for years, such as pancit and lumpia. But my favorite thing they've always made has been the pepperoni bread. I don't believe it's a Filipino traditional food, but somehow they've mastered it and it is unbelievable!!
What is Pepperoni Bread?
Pepperoni bread looks almost like an uncut really soft sub roll. The bread that Glory's makes is probably the softest bread I've ever had. It's NOT pizza dough. Some from up north might argue that pizza dough is the traditional bread for this, but, at least by Glory's standards, it's not. If pizza dough was used, it would be more like stromboli.
It's a soft bread that's stuffed with pepperoni and cheese and baked to perfection. There may or may not be some seepage of cheese coming out as it bakes, and that's perfectly okay and may even be wanted by some! Glory's always served their pepperoni bread with a side of pizza sauce for dipping, and my copycat pizza hut pizza sauce is just the thing for the job!
The Ingredients You'll Need to Make Pepperoni Bread
When I first posted this recipe over a year ago, I hadn't had Glory's pepperoni bread in over 12 years. As much as I thought I remembered it, I was way off. I thought it was a somewhat soft dough, but more like a pizza dough. And I also thought it was completely rolled up like a stromboli. It wasn't until I went to my hairstylist and we were talking about food and she said she orders Glory's pepperoni bread all the time! She said it's the soft, sweet bread that makes it so special. So I went back to the drawing board and decided to try pepperoni bread with my gluten free sweet dough. And, man, if this isn't the EXACT SAME THING as what I remember Glory's pepperoni bread to be! The bread is so soft and squishy, not too sweet, and the dough is a BREEZE to roll out and fill with cheese and pepperoni.
- Gluten free sweet bread dough--this is the same dough I use for my cinnamon rolls, Hawaiian rolls, donuts, you name it! It's absolutely perfect in this recipe.
- Sliced pepperoni--I found some Hillshire Farms large slices of pepperoni that work great, but any pepperoni that's gluten free will do.
- Mozzarella cheese--I've tried many different styles of mozzarella and found the best is to buy a block of whole milk mozzarella cheese (not fresh mozzarella) and cut it into sticks. Shredded cheese is hard to contain when sealing the dough and I have yet to find any slices that aren't whole milk. I really think whole milk is the way to go for maximum meltiness.
- Pizza sauce--my Copycat Pizza Hut Pizza Sauce is so easy to make and so good, but you can also use a store bought pizza sauce.
Shaping The Pepperoni Bread
First, roll the dough into a small rectangle that's about ¼-inch thick. Next comes the pepperoni, followed by a stick of mozzarella cheese. Don't use fresh mozzarella packed in water. It would be too watery for this purpose.
Pull one side of the dough up and over the hunk of mozzarella. Then pull the other side up and pinch both sides together. Then pinch the ends up and over to seal. Flip them over so that the top is now on bottom. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until puffed and nearly doubled in size.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and make a quick egg wash by whisking one egg with a tablespoon of water and a pinch of salt. Brush the egg wash on the pepperoni breads and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Pepperoni Bread FAQs
Yes, you can add anything that would go on a pizza, except for the actual sauce. The sauce is served on the side for dipping. Sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, cooked and crumbled sausage, Italian sausage slices, etc.
You can make them as big or as small as you'd like. I generally go with about 4 ounces per roll, but if you want smaller sandwiches for kids, go for it. On the opposite end, if you want to make one large footlong roll, be my guest!
Pepperoni bread can be served either hot or at room temperature. So they're perfect for putting in kids' lunchboxes or taking to work!
When you're looking for something different to fix for dinner, or to put in your kids' lunchboxes, try this Gluten Free Pepperoni Bread. You'll be addicted forever!!
Gluten Free Pepperoni Bread
Ingredients
- ½ recipe cinnamon roll dough
- 1 6-oz pkg pepperoni slices
- 8 oz block whole milk mozzarella cheese, cut into ¾-inch sticks
- Copycat Pizza Hut Pizza Sauce for dipping
- 1 large egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt (for egg wash)
- sauteed onions, peppers, mushrooms, or any other thing you'd like to add to your pepperoni bread (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Knead the dough on a well-floured surface. Divide into 3-4 ounce portions (depending on the size of bread you'd like). Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll out the dough into a small rectangle that's roughly ¼-inch thick. Arrange pepperoni slices down the middle, leaving a ½-inch border. Add a stick of mozzarella cheese. Fold each side over to meet in the middle and pinch to seal. Then fold the ends up and pinch those to seal.
- Flip the rolls over so the seam is on the bottom and place them on the baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until puffed (they will only be slightly enlarged, but not doubled in size).
- Brush pepperoni bread with egg wash. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving with pizza sauce for dipping.
Notes
Did you make this recipe? I'd LOVE to see it!!! Post a picture and tag @letthemeatglutenfreecake on Instagram.
alison
This came together really well! I'm the GF member of the family and I wanted to make something we all could eat. The dough was easy to work with and they were simple to make. We used packaged mozzarella sticks. The main complaint I got from the kids is that they didn't like the flavor of the dough. Some powered through (lol) and others didn't finish it. My husband and I thought it was fine 😉 I'm gonna make it again but try a different dough
Kim
Where I live, there is a little Filipino place that sells pepperoni bread that is made with a sweet dough so that's what I was going for. I understand if the sweet dough isn't everyone's thing, though, so you could always try to make them with another one of my doughs (maybe my artisan bread dough, Italian dough, potato brioche, or soft dinner roll dough).
Arly
Thank you for this great recipe! I didn't use all the sugar from the cinnamon roll recipe, just a tad, and added a bit of sauce inside. It turned out great!finally a perfect calzone dough 🙂
Nessa K
I’m from WV and I’m surprised pepperoni rolls don’t make it out of WV very often! They definitely are not pizza rolls/bread so I’m glad you pointed that out!
You should read the origin of pepperoni rolls made without cheese in WV! They were popularized by coal miners because they could sit at room temperature and not go bad all day 🙂
Kim
I will definitely read that! I've heard about pepperoni bread from WV because I have a friend who is also from WV and she's talked about it in the past. It's been a while since I've seen her, but I remember her raving over it back in the day.
Diane S
Can’t wait to try this! I still make pepperoni rolls (that’s what we call them in WV) for the rest of the family, but I haven’t been able to have them in years. I’m trying this recipe this week! Thank you!
Kim
I hope you like them! Ours down here are made with cheese and the dough is also a sweet dough, but there's only one place here that makes them that I know of. I know they're very popular in WV.
Nora
Hi
I’m a little confused. Do you let it rise before putting in the refrigerator or only after?
Which protein flour is your favorite on your flour mix? I have noticed you gave a few options.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Chris B
Yay!!! We (in Northern Ontario Canada call this a pizza pop!) lol your pepperoni bread is even better then the pizza pop i use to have lol i have missed it dearly!! thank you so Much Kim! you rock!! as always! love it! xo
Kim
Awe, thanks so much, Chris! You're too kind 😍
Kimberly D.
These look great! love love your blog! Q: My celiac kids miss having "hot pockets" in their lunches. I am wondering, after these are made, do you think these will freeze OK?
Kim
Yes, they freeze beautifully! You can freeze them either before baking or after. If you freeze before baking, allow them to thaw, still wrapped on the counter. Then place them in a warm place to proof for the final rise before baking.
Cynthia
I’m excited to try this recipe for my gf daughter, she’s been missing this! Question, in looking at the Olive Garden breadstick recipe, there are two rises (one after the breadsticks are formed). Does this dough also have two rises? At which point is it separated into the 4 rectangles?
Kim
Hi, Cynthia! No, for this application the dough doesn't need two rises. After the first rise (bulk fermentation) and after the dough has been in the fridge for a while (at least 4 hours, preferably overnight), then you separate it into 4 rectangles, stuff them, and then bake them 🙂
Mars
Looks delicious! Does it need to rise before baking?
Kim
Nope! It gets enough of a rise when it goes into the oven. I'm making them tonight for my husband since he's been out of town 🙂
Mars
Thanks! They turned out awesome! The kids and my husband as well as myself loved em:) I'll try white cheddar next time.
Kim
I'm so glad you liked them!! If you're interested in trying something new with them, you should try my cinnamon roll dough (the sweet dough) for the pepperoni bread. I tried it on my family and they all agreed they like the sweet dough better than the original. I'm on the fence. I like them both and can't decide which one is better 🙂
Cindy Clifford
These are so yummy Kim! Everyone in my family loved them! Thank you for posting it!
Kim
You are so welcome, Cindy!!! That's so awesome that everyone liked them! I was just telling my husband last night how I've never been happier hearing stories of people trying my recipes and liking them! I know how it is to be gluten free and go without and it just makes me so happy when I can make someone happy through my recipes 🙂 🙂 🙂
Pam V
This sounds so yummy Kim, can’t wait to try it!
Kim
It's so good! You'll love it 🙂
LadyJ1225
OK you must be a mind reader. My mom and I used to make pepperoni bread when I was younger and I continued the tradition when I started my own household. I was just thinking about it the other day and wishing I had a good GF version of the pepperoni bread ... and viola! Here you are saving the day again! Oh my goodness I can't wait to try this. And I agree on the white American cheese, it adds that extra creaminess. I've always used it on my pizza along with some shredded Cheddar. YUMMMM!!! Off to buy some pepperoni so I can make this tonight = )
Kim
That's awesome!!!! Did you use white American in yours, too? When it's on pizza, it is amazing and I thought if I put it in the pepperoni bread, it'd be so good and I was right!
Great minds think alike 😉