Game Day Pull-Apart Pepperoni Cheese Bread Recipe (with VIDEO) - Making Lemonade (2024)

Game-Day Pull-Apart Pepperoni Cheese Bread Recipe is the perfect appetizer for the big game. This cheesy pull-apart bread recipe answers the question ‘what should I serve on game day’ by proving to be a huge crowd-pleaser. It’s a delicious pizza bread that the whole family will love, whether you make it as a fun dinner idea or make it your go-to football party food!

Feeding a crowd? You’ll want to make these Easy and Delish Crockpot Meatballs and our popular Baked Chicken Wings.

Looking for the perfect game day party food? Look no further, today I’m sharing a crowd-pleasing appetizer for your BIG GAME festivities– Pull-Apart Pepperoni Cheesy Bread! Plus y’all, it’s shaped like a football. Does it get any more perfect? Anywho, my husband and kids went gaga for this when I made it yesterday, so I thought I’d share in case you were in charge of game-day snacks this weekend and were looking for a touchdown with the party crowd!

Oh yes, that IS pepperoni encrusted with parmesan right there.

A delicious marinara dipping sauce takes it over the top.

I mean, you could create a football dip out of hummus but I’m guessing it won’t go as fast as this guy.

FLAG. ON. THE. PLAY. Is that too much cheese? (NOPE.)

On my first run of this recipe (when I shot the photos,) I divided my dough into 36 pieces but only used 24. When I did it a second time, I cut it into 24 pieces instead and the dough balls were bigger as was the overall size of the bread. So take the photos with a grain of salt, yours will be bigger!

How to Make Pull-Apart Bread

Game Day Pull-Apart Pepperoni Cheese Bread Recipe

(keep scrolling for the PRINTABLE version of the recipe! This shows the step-by-step if you have questions while making it)

Ingredients:

• 1 tube pizza crust dough (such as Pillsbury)
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 5 mozzarella sticks (use string cheese– NOT the reduced-fat type!)
• 2 TB butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 24 pieces of pepperoni
• sprinkle of grated Parmesan Cheese

Suggested Supplies:

• baking sheet
• parchment paper sheets
• pizza cutter
• silicone basting brush
• rolling pin

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Open the tube of pizza dough. Unroll onto large cutting board or surface (I covered mine in parchment paper so it didn’t stick.) Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out so it’s thinner, without it being so thin that it breaks. Use the pizza cutter to make 3 cuts the long way and 5 cuts the short way to make a total of 24 pieces.

Like so:

Step 2: Unwrap 4 of the string cheeses, saving one for the final step. Cut the four string-cheeses into 6 equal pieces (for a total of 24 pieces.) Place a piece of string cheese in the center of each rectangle. Fold opposite corners and pinch closed, then pinch to seal the entire seam. Seal them REALLY well, otherwise, the cheese will leak out and that would warrant a penalty flag.

Step 3: Place each ball SEAM SIDE DOWN on a baking tray lined with parchment paper in the following pattern:

• start with one middle row of 6 dough balls
• offset a row of 5 dough balls on either side of the middle row so they are nestled in between the ones in the first row
• offset a row of 4 dough balls on each of the outside rows in the same manner

You’ll end up with 5 rows total, using all 24 dough balls.

One all the dough balls are in place, gently push in on the sides with your palms to form it into a football shape.

Step 4: Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. While that is baking, melt 2 TB of butter in a microwave-safe cup and add in a clove of minced garlic to make garlic butter. In a small serving bowl, place about a cup of canned marinara sauce for dipping.

Step 5: When lightly browned, remove the cheese bread from the oven and immediately brush with the melted garlic butter. I used a silicone brush for this step.

This photo is post oven, pre-butter wash:

Step 5: Place a piece of pepperoni on top of each cheese ball (the garlic butter ensures that it sticks!) Then, cut your remaining cheese stick so there’s one long piece and three short pieces. Place on top so they resemble football laces. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Step 6: Place under the broiler for about one minute, watching carefully so it doesn’t melt too fast or burn. You just want to heat the pepperoni and allow the cheese ‘laces’ to sink in a teeny bit.

Step 7: Place on a platter with the marinara sauce and DIG IN!

This is fun to make and even more fun for my family to eat. I’m gluten-free so I couldn’t partake, but the smiles on their faces (and empty plate) were my barometer of just how YUM this pull-apart cheesy bread was!

Boy oh boy, this one is a keeper.

Share it so everyone sees it before the BIG GAME… and enjoy!