I love Fridays and for some reason I’m always craving pizza on Friday evenings. Maybe it’s the comfort food factor or the fact that it just seems so easy to prepare, at least if you’re not doing everything from scratch. So, you’ll be relieved to find this recipe for a semi-homemade pizza bread that you can make quite easily and without a lot of mess. If you have the homemade bread and sauce already done, you’ll be really proud of yourself; if not, no worries- it’s still a great quick meal, alongside a nice salad, of course.
I’m also happy to report that this recipe calls for using a halal, certified-organic pepperoni that does not have nitrates- super hard to find! I have steered clear of nitrites in my food (mostly found in processed meats like hot dogs, salami and pepperoni) for a very long time because I had read way too many unhealthy facts about them. Now, researchers have recently published information that indicates a link between sausage and cancer, or basically foods with nitrites and their link to cancer. Alhamdullilah (thank God) for companies like Whole Earth Meats who are trying so hard to bring us halal, organic and chemical-free food. The least we can do back is to show our support by purchasing their products and spreading the word about them to others- anyone interested in eating better and knowing more about the origins of their food.
I used halal, organic beef pepperoni by Whole Earth Meats, shredded mozzarella from Trader Joe’s, and Pomi tomato sauce by Parmalat
Fresh loaves of Italian, French or sourdough breads are perfect for this pizza because they’re hearty and can hold the weight of all the ingredients. They’re also quite inexpensive when compared to healthier versions of sandwich bread, sometimes by nearly half the price. Hoagie rolls would also work nicely.
Alone, tomato sauce tastes quite bland so you’ll want to add, salt, spices and even a bit of sugar to sweeten it up before adding it to the pizza bread. If you’re not too picky and in a big hurry, though, just pour on the sauce.
You could drizzle some olive oil on top, but I generally don’t because the meat will release a little of its own fat during cooking
Enjoy your Friday and your weekend with the ones you love, everyone!
Halal Pepperoni Pizza Bread
Serves 2
Directions
1 loaf French or Italian bread
Prepared pizza or tomato sauce, or tomato sauce to which you add salt, herbs and spices
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or fresh
2 teaspoons dried parsley, oregano, basil
1/4 pound halal beef pepperoni
Olive oil (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice the bread to make two halves and then again lengthwise to open the bread as if you’re making a sandwich. You should have four pieces of bread.
Place the bread onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet or a cast-iron pan (as shown in the picture).
Spread prepared tomato sauce generously onto each slice of bread.
Add the cheese onto each slice piece of bread. Add about 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs onto each slice, if desired.
Cut the pepperoni into thin slices and place desired amount on top of the cheese. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top, as the beef will exude some of its own fat when cooked
Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before serving.
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