Pull Apart Pizza Bread

5 from 1 vote

An easy appetizer made with store-bought frozen yeast rolls, plenty of shredded cheese, pepperoni and a scrumptious garlic butter sauce. Serve with pizza sauce or marinara for your next gathering.

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Thawing and Rising4 30

Total Time5 10

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Bread, pizza, rolls

Servings:

Calories: 240kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil for greasing skillet or pan
½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (1 oz)
16 store-bought frozen yeast rolls like Rhodes brand
½ cup unsalted butter melted
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves chopped
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3 ounces pepperoni chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella
8 ounces pizza sauce or marinara for serving

Instructions

Thaw the rolls

Lightly grease a large cast iron skillet or casserole baking dish with olive oil. Sprinkle Parmesan to cover the bottom and sides of the pan. Place the desired amount of frozen rolls in the pan about 1-inch apart.
Thaw overnight: Coat a piece of plastic wrap with vegetable cooking spray. Cover the rolls with the plastic wrap sprayed side down to prevent sticking. Refrigerate overnight to thaw.
Two hours before you’re ready to serve, remove the rolls from the refrigerator and allow them to rise (covered) at room temperature until doubled in size. Don’t overproof or the rolls will fall after baking.
To check if the rolls are fully risen, gently make a small indentation in the dough with your finger or knuckle. If it fills in right away, the dough is underproofed and needs more time to rise. If the indentation does not fill in at all, it’s overproofed. The rolls are perfectly proofed when the indentation springs back a little bit and does not fill in completely.
OPTIONAL - Thaw at room temperature: Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, frozen rolls can take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to thaw and rise until doubled in size.

Prepare the topping and bake:

Preheat oven to 350℉. Combine the melted butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, parsley and red pepper flakes (if using). Set aside.
Once the rolls are fully proved, place half the pepperoni pieces and half the mozzarella in between the rolls. Brush with half the butter mixture. Set the remaining butter aside.
Bake uncovered or 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the remaining pepperoni and mozzarella. Drizzle with the remaining butter mixture. Return to the oven and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Serve with marinara or pizza sauce for dipping.

Notes

Don’t skip the fresh Parmesan on the greased pan. The cheese melts and forms a fantastic crispy crust on the bottom of each roll.
If using garlic salt in place of garlic powder omit the added table salt. Parmesan is salty as is pepperoni and pizza sauce. You don’t need the extra salt.
Depending on the size of your skillet or baking pan, you may need more or fewer rolls to fit. Adjust accordingly

Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition