Speckled Pepperoni Cheese Bread

The magic of this bread is it has these teeny tiny little speckles of pepperoni and an underlying hint of cheesiness to it, but the flavors are very subtle, so you have this soft savory bread with just a hint of this extra flavor and (if you don’t tell them ahead of time) people can’t quite identify what it is. It’s a perfect bread for that grilled cheese sandwich … or an egg in a hole … or toasted alongside your favorite soup or pasta dish or a big cheesy omelet. You can use it to make cheesy garlic toast or even peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The bread machine does pretty much all of the work here, so it’s a cinch to make too.

Speckled Pepperoni Cheese Bread

Adapted from Food.com. (If you don’t have a bread machine, consult the original recipe for instructions. )

• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup sliced and finely chopped pepperoni (in about 1/4 inch pieces … the bread machine will “cut” it into speckles for you)
• ½ cup finely grated Romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¼ cups water

Directions:

1. Toss all the ingredients in a bread machine and set it on the dough cycle. You can bake it in the bread machine if you want, but I like the shape of the loaf better when it’s baked in a loaf pan.
2. When the dough is done, take it out and shape it into an oval shape. Set it in a standard bread pan that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
4. Bake at 375 for about 35 – 40 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when you tap it.
5. Remove the bread from the pan, spray it with cooking spray (softens the crust and makes it all pretty and shiny) and place the bread on a rack to rest for 5 to 10 minutes (if you can stand to wait that long). That’s the hardest part … the waiting … when your house is full of that delicious fresh bread aroma and your mouth is watering …

This recipe was shared at Tastetastic Thursdays, Thursday’s Treasures, It’s a Keeper Thursdays, Newlyweds Recipe Linky, and Weekend Potluck.