Pepperoni bread

We've been having our annual holiday party since 1998. In every city we've lived, we have a regular crew of friends who attend the party. And amongst our scientist friends, there are more than a few cooks (turns out, bench the skills that are required to succeed at bench science make for being good in the kitchen). One of regular attendees in Houston is a good friend, biochemist, genome biologist and fantastic Italian-American cook. His contribution, without fail, was his pepperoni bread. We left Houston in 2003, but this pepperoni bread is still a regular part of our party.

2 tsp dry yeast
¼ C warm water
1 C warm milk
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
3 - 3½ C all purpose flour
1 C thin sliced pepperoni
grated monterey-jack cheese

tomato sauce

Mix the water, yeast, milk and sugar in a large bowl. Give a few minutes to let the yeast hydrate and get all fired up. Mix in the flour bit by bit. Mix in the salt and oil. Flour a board and knead for 15 minutes by hand (or about 7 minutes if you're using a mixer). Put into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a cloth.

Allow to rise for two hours. Split dough in half, and roll into two balls on a lightly floured surface.



Allow to rise for 15 minutes.

Roll out each ball with a rolling pin into a rectangle, roughly five inches by twelve inches. Layer on the pepperoni, like a pizza (i.e., leave the edges clear).



Cover the pepperoni with a thin layer of grated cheese.



Roll up the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seams shut.



Place the loaves onto an oiled cookie sheet. Allow to rise for another half hour while you preheat the oven at 375°F. Bake the loaves for 20-25 minutes until browned nicely.



Either slice and serve now, or let cool. This pepperoni bread is best served hot. Toast the loaf in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 300°F. Slice and serve.



Dip the slices of bread in briefly warmed tomato sauce. This bread is always a Christmas party hit, we get cleaned out within minutes of removing them from the oven. Greasy, salty, cheesy tastiness. Yum.