Pinterest Perfection: Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

To Pin, or not to Pin-That is the question.

Are you a pinner? I have officially become swept up with Pinterest. Yes, 2012 is the Year Of The Pin, for me. This cool online pinboard is a one-stop-idea-shop packed with great do-it-yourself craft’s, unique recipes and so much more. With so many fabulous ideas being shared out, especially during the holidays, I could be pinning for hours.

If you haven’t discovered this latest internet craze, or are wondering what the hub-ub is about, let me try to explain:

Remember when, as a teenager, you spent every last penny at the Paper Store in the square buying up your favorite magazines? You would fan them out around you and begin the process of thumbing through each page, tearing as you go to build a collection of your interests, usually to show your friends. These pictures of fashions, make-up trends, recipes and decorating ideas helped to define who you feel you were, or wanted to be.  

Fast forward twenty (or so) years, and imagine a virtual “room” with photographs, articles and recipes from all over the world from every publication imagined, where a group of thousands have collected or “pinned” their items of interests in nearly every subject imagined. There are ideas for home decorating, painting techniques, craft and jewelry making, organizational tips, and my favorite: recipes. These collections are displayed on a huge bulletin board for you to see, like, borrow and share.

During my latest pinning adventure, I began a search for an interesting appetizer idea for our Christmas Day open house. With relatives and friends popping over at any given time, I like to have a variety of things to “pick on” at the dining table. I stumbled across this fabulous recipe for Baked Pepperoni Pizza Pull Apart Bread submitted by food blogger Baking With Blondie.

The best part about this recipe is by using a pre-baked bread loaf, there is very little prep work, leaving more time to enjoy the holiday with family. When I gave it a test run on my kids, they were all thumbs way up, and all agreed this was a wonderful combination of pizza and garlic bread.

Of course, for my large family I doubled the recipe, and it's a good thing- this is so delicious, I would recommend doubling it for anyone regardless of family size! I hope you give it a try. Enjoy!  

Pepperoni Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 round loaf of sourdough bread
• 2 C Shredded mozzarella Cheese
• 1 package mini-pepperoni
• 3 T butter, melted
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t dried oregano (I am out of oregano, I used basil-still awesome!)
• 3 T shredded Parmesan Cheese  
• Pizza/Marinara sauce for dipping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. With a sharp bread knife, cut slits about one inch apart horizontally, then vertically, into the bread almost to the bottom of the loaf - careful not to cut too deep (you still want the pieces to be attached to each other). 
3. Move loaf of bread to an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet.
4. Stuff (and yes, you can fit a ton in there) pepperoni and mozzarella cheese in each of the slits. 
5. Combine butter, oregano and garlic powder in a small cup. With a pastry brush, brush the seasoned butter over the entire loaf. 
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 
7. Cover with another piece of aluminum foil, bake for 15 minutes. 
8. Unwrap bread, bake another 10 minutes until slightly golden. 
9. Serve with warm marinara/pizza sauce.