This is so yummy! It's like a pizza "loaf". Here's what I did:
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cup unbleached flour
2 tsp. sugar in the raw
1 tsp. sea salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/3 cup whole milk or half-n-half
3/4 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
2 eggs, room temp
2 TBL olive oil
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup Mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan blend
1 stick pepperoni, rough chopped (found in the deli)
2 TB unsalted butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Directions:
In a mixer bowl combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine milk and 3/4 stick butter and heat over low until melted. Remove from heat and cool to 120 degrees. Pour milk mixture over flour mixture. Stir a few times with a spatula, then mix with a dough hook for about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix for 3 more minutes. Stop the mixer and add 1/2 cup flour and mix for another 2 or so minutes. Add more flour by the tablespoon as needed until dough is soft, but slightly sticky. Lightly flour a work surface and turn dough onto your surface, kneading a few times. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place till dough doubles in size. Make your tomato sauce while the dough rises. Add the tomato paste, water and some spices in a bowl. You can use whatever spices you like, I just happen to be on a thyme kick right now! Mix thoroughly until it is the thickness you like. Gently deflate the dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Melt 2 TB butter in a small saucepan and add minced garlic. Saute' for a few minutes and remove from heat. Roll out your dough ball while the butter is melting and the garlic is being sauteed. Roll into a rectangle shape, maybe 1/4 in thin. Brush dough with garlic butter. Brush tomato sauce on top of the garlic butter. Sprinkle with cheese and chopped pepperoni. I just sliced my pepperoni thick, then rough chopped it into chunks. Next, I used my loaf pan as a "measuring guide" to cut my dough into strips. I cut the dough into 5 equal strips width wise. Then, stack the strips on top of one another. At this point, cut the stacks of dough into 4 pieces, so you have nice little stacks of square dough. Lightly oil a 9"X 5" loaf pan. I love, love, love my stoneware loaf pan for pepperoni bread! Now place the stacks of dough in the loaf pan so they are touching one another as shown below.
Preheat the oven to 350 and cover the dough with a towel and let it rise until it is above the top of the pan. As you can see, there is room at each end of the loaf. That's OK because the dough will rise and fill the pan. It should rise for an hour or so, till doubled in size, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and brush with any leftover garlic butter you may have had and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. Turn the loaf upside down onto a plate and pull apart to serve. Y-U-M!
