Pepperoni And Cheese Bread

This bread is simply very tasty, especially if served with a little butter.

Ingredients:

  • 700 to 800g all-purpose flour
  • 15 to 20g fresh yeast (or active dry yeast)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 500ml of water at room temperature or lukewarm
  • 300g thinly sliced pepperoni
  • 300g sliced mozzarella cheese
  • Olive oil for greasing the loaf pan
  • All-purpose flour for dusting the loaf pan

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, add the water, the salt and mix well with a spoon until dissolved.
  2. Add the fresh yeast (or active dry yeast), crumbling it with your hands (or using a fork) to completely dissolve it.
  3. Add the flour gradually and knead the dough until it stops sticking to the hands (if necessary add more flour for that). On a flat surface, knead the dough a bit more with movements from the bottom up. Cover with plastic wrap or lid and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. After this time the dough should be smoother and elastic.
  4. Divide the dough into two large portions plus a small piece to be used later to patch the dough if necessary. Get all the pieces of dough and shape into balls. Place the balls in a try and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest for 15 minutes. They will get softer and increase in size a bit.
  5. Flour a smooth surface. Open each of the large balls, one at a time, with the help of a rolling pin. Use a little flour from time to time on the dough to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin. Each piece should be thin and in a circle (disk) shape.
  6. Divide the amount of pepperoni and cheese. On each circle (disk), spread half the pepperoni slices and, on top, spread half the mozzarella cheese slices.
  7. Start rolling the dough, always tightening the dough well with the filling. Do this for the entire length of the dough and, at the same time, put the ends inside to prevent the filling from leaking. Roll to the end and place the finishing area down. Repeat the same process with the other ball of dough.
  8. Make a braid with the two dough rolls. Place the rolls side by side, mark the middle (center) of the length on both rolls and, from the center, start braiding one side, alternating the rolls by placing one on top of the other, until the end of this side. Then go to the other side and, from the center mark, continue braiding the rolls until the end of this other side. This process is to prevent the braid from breaking during handling.
  9. Grease a loaf pan with olive oil and dust with flour. Join the two ends of the “braid”, twist a little and put all the dough in the loaf pan so that it is completely filled. If the dough breaks, use the reserved piece and open with the rolling pin and fix the pieces where the dough broke (opened), making a kind of patch.
  10. Cover the dough and loaf pan with a large plastic bag or wrap everything in plastic wrap. Let it rest for 40 minutes to 1 hour. The dough will almost double in size.
  11. Preheat oven to 425° F (about 220°C).
  12. Wrap the sides of the loaf pan with aluminum foil, as if increasing the depth of the loaf pan. Close the top, next to the bread, with the aluminum foil extension.
  13. Bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
  14. Once ready, unmold. The bread will have a rustic style and a beautiful color, as if it had been baked in an old farm-style oven.
  15. Cut into slices to serve.

Total Time / Yield:

  • About 3 hours and 50 minutes / 1 loaf – about 12 servings

Pepperoni Cheese Bread