Prepare to make a little mess:
Making this wheel is a messy job – I’m not gonna lie. Sauce and cheese will get on the counter. And there will be times
when you think you’re failing. You'll say to yourself, "This can't be right, it's falling apart." Don’t
fret. It won't fall apart (well, it will a little, but that yields the best result). Follow along with the instructions, and keep a smile on your face. Once you get that ring of dough to the baking sheet, even if it's a hot mess, you can fix whatever needs fixing (before baking). But don’t get too crazy tweaking - the baking process puffs up the dough and ties everything together. As the bread
rises and the cheese melts, a wheel of heaven is born. Trust me on this.
Want to prep ahead? No problem. Despite what you may think, you can refrigerate the wheel for up to 24 hours before baking. I did it with this one and look at it! After creating the wheel and topping it with parmesan, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Pull the wheel from the fridge 1 hour before baking and keep it in a warm place (the kitchen counter should be fine as long as it's not drafty); this gives the dough a chance to rise before you pop it in the oven.
Pepperoni Pizza
Wheel
1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed according to the
package directions
1/2 cup marinara sauce (or pizza sauce), plus more for
serving on the side
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
16-20 thin pepperoni slices
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out on a flat surface, creating a rectangle about 20x9 inches in diameter (this doesn’t have to be exact – just the ballpark).
Spread the sauce all over the dough, to within 1/2 inch of
the edges. Top the sauce with the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices.
Starting from the longer side, roll up tightly, jellyroll style (rolling up tightly is important so the dough doesn't unroll when you cut it lengthwise). Pinch the edges and ends together to seal.
Using a sharp knife, halve the roll lengthwise, creating two
long pieces (the inside rolled portion will be revealed).
Carefully turn the halves so the cut sides are facing up. Loosely
twist the halves over each other, keeping the cut sides up (it will look a little
bit like a braid, but you only have two long pieces crossing over each other - left over right, right over left, and so on).
Carefully transfer the rope to the baking sheet and shape it
into a circle. Pinch the two ends together to seal (slightly overlap one end to make a solid seal). Sprinkle the top with the
parmesan cheese.
Let the dough rise, uncovered, in a warm place, until slightly
puffed up, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the wheel for 15 to 20 minutes, until the dough is puffed
up and golden brown.
Serve with additional warm marinara sauce (for dunking) if
desired.
Serves 4
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