Addictive Pizza Pull Apart bread made with homemade pizza sauce! It's delicious, loaded with pizza flavors, soft and moist, making it perfect to serve with soups or pasta.
You must be thinking I have totally gone berserk and shared a cheese loaded bread recipe.. well hold on .. this pull apart pizza bread DOES NOT CONTAIN CHEESE! Its also almost dairy-free if you skip the butter added for that lovely golden glaze.
Going one step further, I have substituted bread flour with stone milled whole wheat flour. It has a nuttier taste and healthy’ish’ compared to the processed flour.
Serve pull apart pizza bread with soup, pasta or noodles. Your kids will love it as an after school snack.
This bread is great to bake and serve while entertaining or hosting a dinner party during the holiday season.
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I love baking bread at home. We rarely buy bread from supermarkets or bakery. Homemade bread contains zero preservatives, additives or improvers.
Bonus - House smells divine especially when baking savory breads.
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour – Sift twice for best results.
Lukewarm Water – You can substitute with lukewarm milk or use 50:50 (Milk:Water).
Instant Yeast
Cane Sugar – To activate yeast
Olive Oil – Can be substituted with melted or soft butter. Additionally, you could also use flavored oil or olive oil infused with herbs and garlic, chili oil etc.
Pizza Sauce – I have used HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE. You can use store bought marinara sauce if you are hard-pressed for time. (Don’t forget to read “Variations” section below for more options).
Instructions to Bake Pizza Pull Apart Bread
Step 1 & 2 - Bloom the Yeast (mixing sugar, yeast and water – set aside for 5 minutes until frothy).
Note – Even though Instant Yeast can be directly added to the flour. This is a good method to check freshness of yeast, every once in a while.
Step 3 & 4 - Sift the flour, add the bloomed yeast mixture and salt.
Step 5 - Knead well for 10 minutes either using hands or a stand mixer.
Step 6 - The dough should be soft and supple to touch. Note – Whole wheat will take some time to knead as compared to all purpose flour.
Step 7 & 8 - Keep aside for proving. Once double in size (time depending on weather conditions) knock the air out and transfer the dough to a floured surface.
Step 9 & 10 - Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a circle with 2 mm thickness. It should be thick enough to hold the sauce.
Step 11 & 12 - Spread pizza sauce, roll into a thick log. Divide the log into equal portions (9 rolls) and place them in a greased container.
Step 13 - After 30 minutes of proofing, the rolls are double in volume.
Step 14 - Bake them in a pre-heated oven and once baked, brush some butter on top for that golden glaze.
De-mould the bread after a couple of minutes to avoid condensation. Place on a wire rack for cooling.
Tips for best pull apart pizza bread
Flour - If using whole wheat flour, it is recommended to knead the dough for atleast 10 mins to activate gluten.
Water - Always use your judgement and NEVER add the entire quantity of water specified in the recipe. Quantity of water depends on weather conditions. Feel the dough as you knead!
Kneading – Use a stand mixer or hand (therapeutic).
Fat / Oil - Always incorporate fat or oil into the dough slowly as you knead.
Proofing – Time taken to proof the dough depends a lot on weather conditions. In winter, you can place the bowl with dough, inside an oven with the light on.
OR use Instant Pot Yogurt mode setting to proof the dough in ONE HOUR!
Variations
Vegan Pesto Sauce – Substitute the pizza sauce with homemade pesto. Coarsely crush pine nuts / walnuts and top it on the bread before baking.
Cilantro Mint Chutney – Substitute pizza sauce with cilantro mint chutney.
Marinara Sauce or Pasta Sauce – Use marinara sauce as dipping sauce or substitute with pizza sauce. Careful not to add excess as it makes the bread soggy.
Make it a loaded pizza by adding sautéed vegetables – Peppers, Corn (steamed), Mushrooms, zucchini or squash sliced thin. Ensure the vegetables are finely chopped, lightly sautéed in olive oil with Italian seasoning.
Want a Cheesy Pull Apart Bread – Spread a layer of sauce and grate mozzarella cheese. After cutting and placing the rolls in the baking tray for proofing, you can add more cheese.
While mozzarella is the best cheese for pizza, you can opt for 3 cheese flavors by including Cheddar and parmesan.
Serving Suggestions
Pizza pull apart bread can be served as an appetizer with a bowl of Pumpkin Soup, Broccoli Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup, Minestrone or Mushroom Soup during winter or fall months.
It can be also served with Chilli Garlic Noodles or Pumpkin Sauce Pasta as main course.
Storage / Leftovers
If making / baking ahead the rolls, cool completely before storing in an airtight container. You can refrigerate up to a week and re-heat the rolls in the microwave oven.
On the kitchen counter, it stays fresh for a day. I would recommend transferring leftovers into the fridge for extended shelf life.
You can also freeze the bread (if you are lucky with excess leftovers).
Other Bread Recipes to Try
Focaccia with Onions and Mushrooms
This post was originally published on 27th November 2017 on my niece's 8th Birthday. It has been modified, including the recipe and has been updated with step-wise instructions, tips and fresh photographs.
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Pizza Pull Apart Bread from Scratch (Whole Wheat Recipe)
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls for Wet and Dry Ingredients
- Spatula, Brush or Cooking Spray to grease the baking tin with oil
- Spoons, Rolling Pin
- Round Baking Tin (2" height and 6" diameter)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- 2 teaspoon Cane Sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Instant Yeast
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Pizza Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 1 ¼ cup Lukewarm Water Refer Notes Below
Instructions
- Add yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup lukewarm water in a bowl. Mix using a clean dry spoon, cover and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes until it blooms.
- Sift the whole wheat flour atleast 2 - 3 times. Then add salt and mix using a fork or spatula.
- Once the yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture into the flour. Mix well using a spatula.
- Now add some more lukewarm water to form a sticky dough.
- Transfer the dough on a wooden board (if not using a stand mixer) and knead for atleast 10 minutes, slowly incorporating the olive oil. The dough should be soft and smooth after kneading.
- Place the dough inside the bowl (grease it with some oil to prevent sticking)
- Cover and let it proof until the dough is double in size. It takes anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour for the dough to proof, depending on weather conditions.
- After the dough has doubled in volume. Knock the air by punching a couple of times.
- Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a circle with 2 mm thickness. It should be thick enough to hold the sauce.
- Spread the pizza sauce and carefully roll into a thick log.
- Cut them into 9 equal rolls and place them in a greased round baking tin. Set aside for further proving (approximately 30 minutes).
- Pre-heat the oven for atleast 15 minutes at 200 Degree Celsius(400 Degree F).
- Bake the pull apart bread at 200 Degree Celsius (400 Degree F)for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Once the rolls are out of the oven, brush melted butter or olive oil for that lovely glaze.
- De-mould the bread after a couple of minutes to avoid condensation. Place on a wire rack for cooling. Store in bread box or an air tight container.
Notes
- Flour- Since we are using whole wheat flour, knead the dough for atleast 10 minutes. It would result in soft rolls.
- Water- Always use your judgement and NEVER add the entire quantity of water specified in the recipe. Quantity of water depends on weather conditions. Feel the dough as you knead!
- Kneading – You can either use a stand mixer or hand. Ensure the dough is kneaded is soft to touch before setting it aside to prove.
- Fat / Oil - Always incorporate fat or oil into the dough slowly as you knead.
- Proofing– Time taken to proof the dough depends a lot on weather conditions. In winters, you can place the bowl inside an oven with the light on to fasten the process. Instant Pot Yogurt mode setting also helps in proofing the dough in 1 hour.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan