Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread — Full Detailed Recipe
The dish in your photo is Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread: small pieces of pizza dough/biscuit dough tossed with cheese, pepperoni, garlic and Italian seasoning, baked in a Bundt pan until golden and pull-apart tender. It is typically served with warm marinara or pizza sauce in the center.
F
Food.com
+1Recipe at a glance
Yield: 10–12 servings
Prep time: 20–25 minutes
Bake time: 30–40 minutes
Total: about 1 hour
Pan: 10–12 cup Bundt pan
Oven: 350°F / 175°C
Style: appetizer, party food, game-day snack, family dinner
Ingredients
For the pizza monkey bread
2 cans refrigerated biscuits, about 10–12 oz each
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup pepperoni, chopped into quarters or use mini pepperoni
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
3–4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
For dipping
1½–2 cups marinara or pizza sauce, warmed
The combination of biscuit/pizza dough, mozzarella, Parmesan, pepperoni, garlic and Italian seasoning is consistent with several versions of this recipe.
T
Tammilee Tips
+1
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the oven and Bundt pan
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Generously spray a 10–12 cup Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Make sure you coat the inside of the center tube particularly well.
This is important because melted cheese can stick to the pan.
2. Cut the biscuit dough
Open the biscuit cans and separate the biscuits.
Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.
You should end up with roughly 80 small pieces, depending on the size of your biscuits.
Tip: Smaller pieces make a better pull-apart texture and distribute the pepperoni and cheese more evenly.
3. Make the garlic-butter mixture
Place the melted butter in a large mixing bowl.
Add:
olive oil
minced garlic
Italian seasoning
red pepper flakes
salt
black pepper
Stir thoroughly.
The oil/butter mixture coats the dough and gives the finished bread its garlic-herb flavor. Similar recipes use garlic butter or seasoned oil to coat the dough before baking.
B
Bakerita
+1
4. Add the dough
Put the cut biscuit pieces into the bowl.
Gently toss until the pieces are coated with the garlic-butter mixture.
Don’t knead the dough. You want the individual pieces to remain separate.
5. Add the cheese and pepperoni
Add:
mozzarella
Parmesan
chopped pepperoni
Toss everything together gently.
Try to distribute the ingredients evenly so you get cheese and pepperoni throughout the entire monkey bread, rather than only on top.
6. Fill the Bundt pan
Transfer the mixture into the greased Bundt pan.
Spread it around the pan evenly.
Don’t pack it down tightly. Leave the pieces somewhat loose so they can expand and cook properly.
7. Bake
Place the Bundt pan on the center/lower-middle oven rack.
Bake at 350°F for approximately 30–40 minutes.
Start checking at 30 minutes.
The finished monkey bread should be:
golden brown on top
visibly puffed
bubbling with melted cheese
cooked through in the center
If the top is becoming too dark while the center isn’t cooked, loosely cover the Bundt pan with aluminum foil and continue baking.
Recipes using refrigerated biscuit dough commonly fall in the 30–45 minute range, while pizza-dough versions may require around 35–40 minutes.
F
Food Fanatic
+1
8. Rest before turning it out
Remove the pan from the oven.
Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Run a thin knife carefully around the outside and center tube if necessary.
Place a large serving plate upside down over the Bundt pan.
Carefully flip the pan over.
The pizza monkey bread should release onto the plate.
9. Add the dipping sauce
Warm your marinara or pizza sauce separately.
Put it into a small heatproof bowl and place it in the center of the monkey bread.
Now simply pull off individual pieces and dip them into the sauce.
How to Make It Look Like the Photo
For the attractive Bundt shape shown in your picture:
Use a standard ridged Bundt pan.
Don’t overfill the pan.
Distribute pepperoni throughout the dough.
Reserve a little mozzarella and pepperoni for the upper layer.
Bake until deeply golden rather than pale.
Allow it to rest about 10 minutes before flipping.
Put a small bowl of warm pizza sauce in the center.
A standard ridged Bundt pan is specifically recommended for versions of pizza monkey bread because it produces the characteristic ring shape.
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Sprinkle Bakes
Variations
Supreme Pizza Monkey Bread
Add:
diced bell pepper
mushrooms
black olives
cooked Italian sausage
Meat Lovers
Add:
pepperoni
cooked sausage
ham
bacon
Keep the total amount of additional toppings moderate so the dough can still cook properly.
Vegetarian
Replace pepperoni with:
mushrooms
olives
peppers
spinach
sun-dried tomatoes
Extra Cheesy
Use:
2 cups mozzarella
½ cup Parmesan
½ cup provolone
Spicy
Add:
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
sliced jalapeños
spicy pepperoni
Pizza Dough Version
You can also make this with refrigerated or homemade pizza dough instead of biscuits.
Cut the pizza dough into small pieces, toss with seasoned oil, cheese and pepperoni, and arrange it in the Bundt pan.
Pizza-dough versions generally need some rising time before baking; one established version uses approximately 45–60 minutes for the dough to become puffy before baking.
O
OpenRCP
+1
For the quickest version matching your photo, refrigerated biscuit dough is easier.
Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
1 can (14–15 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar, optional
Black pepper to taste
Method
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan.
Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add crushed tomatoes.
Add oregano, basil, salt, sugar and pepper.
Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Because nutrition varies substantially according to the biscuit brand, pepperoni, cheese and amount of butter used, these are approximate estimates, not laboratory values.
For 1/10 of the recipe, assuming the ingredients above:
Nutrient Approx. per serving
Calories 330–380 kcal
Protein 12–15 g
Carbohydrates 25–32 g
Fat 20–24 g
Saturated fat 9–12 g
Fiber 1–2 g
Sugar 3–5 g
Sodium 700–950 mg
Calcium 200–300 mg
Iron 1–2 mg
Important: Pepperoni, refrigerated biscuits and cheese can make the sodium level fairly high. If you’re watching sodium, use low-sodium pizza sauce, reduced-sodium pepperoni and less added salt.
A published version using different quantities and brands reports different nutrition values, illustrating why the numbers can vary considerably by ingredient selection.
S
Steph’s Real Life
Recipe Q&A
Can I make this without a Bundt pan?
Yes. A 9×13-inch baking dish can work. The finished bread simply won’t have the traditional ring shape. A casserole dish generally cooks somewhat faster, so start checking earlier.
T
Tammilee Tips
Can I use pizza dough instead of biscuits?
Absolutely. Pizza dough gives you a more bread-like, chewy texture. Biscuit dough is faster and produces a softer, richer result.
Why is my monkey bread raw in the middle?
The most common reasons are:
pieces are too large
the Bundt pan is overfilled
the oven temperature is inaccurate
the bread was removed too early
the dough pieces were packed too tightly
If the outside is brown but the middle is still doughy, cover the top loosely with foil and continue baking.
Why did it stick to my Bundt pan?
Usually insufficient greasing or cheese baked directly against the pan.
Spray the pan generously, especially around the center tube and grooves.
Should I put pizza sauce inside the bread?
You can, but for the recipe pictured, serving the sauce in the center for dipping is preferable. It keeps the bread less soggy and makes the pull-apart texture better.
Can I use pre-shredded mozzarella?
Yes. Freshly shredded mozzarella usually melts more smoothly, but pre-shredded works perfectly well for this recipe.
Can I use turkey pepperoni?
Yes. Turkey pepperoni is an easy substitution.
Can I use vegetarian pepperoni?
Yes. Vegetarian/plant-based pepperoni works well.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. You can assemble it ahead and refrigerate it, but the exact timing depends on whether you’re using biscuit or yeast-based pizza dough.
For a yeast/pizza-dough version, some recipes specifically allow the assembled bread to be refrigerated overnight before baking.
W
Wheat Foods Council
Can I freeze it?
Yes, although the texture is best fresh. Cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze. Reheat covered, then uncover briefly to crisp the outside.
How do I reheat leftovers?
Oven: 350°F for about 10–15 minutes.
Air fryer: 325–350°F for about 4–7 minutes.
Microwave: 20–40 seconds per piece, although the crust will be softer.
How long does it keep?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for approximately 3–4 days.
Can I use cheddar?
Yes, but mozzarella gives the classic pizza-style cheese pull. A mozzarella/cheddar combination is delicious if you want a stronger flavor.
Can I make it without pepperoni?
Yes. Increase the vegetables or use cooked sausage, ham, chicken, mushrooms or olives.
Why is it called “monkey bread”?
“Monkey bread” refers to the pull-apart format: the baked dough consists of many small pieces that you pull apart and eat individually rather than slicing like a conventional loaf.
My Recommended Version
For the closest result to your photograph, I’d use:
2 cans refrigerated biscuits + 2 cups mozzarella + ½ cup pepperoni + ¼ cup Parmesan + 6 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp olive oil + 4 garlic cloves + 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, baked in a well-greased Bundt pan at 350°F for about 30–40 minutes, then rested for 10 minutes and served with warm marinara in the center.
