This is a question I have to ask at work twice a week. I’ve never been a waitress, but I do take orders on Tuesdays and Fridays. Without fail, cheese is the more popular option. But I can always appreciate a good pepperoni, and that was never truer than on Sunday afternoon.
I was going to make a pasta skillet that capitalized on the best that summer has to offer, but 5:30 hit and we were both looking for a snack. We had tortilla chips, we had chips and crackers, but I remembered something I had pinned. Pepperoni pizza pull apart muffins. They ended up taking the place of dinner altogether because they’re everything you could ever want in a meal.
Jessica makes her dough from scratch, but I cheated and used store-bought pizza dough. That got this from my head to my table in no time at all.
To make 15 rolls, you will need:
- pizza dough
- 3 T melted butter
- 1/2 C marinara sauce, plus more for dipping
- 12 oz. some combination of melty, yummy cheeses, like fontina, provolone, and mozzarella
- 1/2 C ish pepperoni slices
- 1/4 C grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Press the dough out into a rectangular shape. I used a baking sheet and stretched it that size. Brush dough with a thin layer of melted butter. Spread marinara on top. Top with cheese. Arrange pepperoni. Cut the pizza into squares at this point using a pizza cutter or a very sharp knife. I used the pepperoni as my grid.
Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray (you could also grease each muffin tin, but that’s a lot of work. And you’ve already got butter in this game. Stack 2 or 3 slices of dough together, and put them in the pan. (Jessica used 5 or 6, but maybe her squares were smaller than mine? I was stuffed at 2 with some of the bigger pieces.) You want to keep in mind that you’re working with dough that will rise, and melted butter here. Things can get messy, fast. Which is also why I recommend putting your muffin tins on a baking sheet, that will catch any potential greasy drips.
Bake 25 minutes. Wait about 2-3 minutes (the smell will be killing you, but we do what we must), and use a fork or knife to lift the muffins out of the tins. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.
a glass of milk 