It’s been awhile since I posted a recipe on the blog, which is sad because I’ve had some great ones in the past few months. Yesterday morning on Twitter, I asked people what their favorite football food was, and what their most unique favorite was. One of the responses led me to this recipe, and I immediately decided to make it for dinner and Monday Night Football. Have I mentioned how much I love football season, and the sounds of football on TV? This recipe was a big hit with all three of us (Josh, myself and my brother–Brianna is out of town but I don’t doubt she’d have loved it too) so I’m sharing it here. And, of course, I adapted it so I’m writing my adaptation here instead.

* 1 can of Pillsbury French Bread dough
* 1/2 – 3/4 cup pizza sauce (recipe below if you want homemade. And you do).
* Pepperoni (how much you use will depend on you). I also think Canadian Bacon would be great in this.
* 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1/4 – 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (I used Herbs de Provence direct from France. Thanks, Lindsey!)
* garlic powder
* Olive Oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil
3. Sprinkle a clean area of your counter with flour
4. Unroll bread dough and spread into a rectangle.
5. Spread dough with a thin layer of pizza sauce. It shouldn’t be super saucy, this is just for a little added flavor. Yum!
6. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of sauce, then top that with shredded parmesan.
7. Sprinkle a light dusting of garlic powder on top of cheese and follow with italian seasoning. You could also use just oregano or just basil. Crush the seasoning between your fingers to release the oils.
8. Roll dough like a jelly roll and pinch each long end closed (so stuff doesn’t seep out during cooking). Pinch seam along roll to seal as well, and place on lined pan seam side down.
9. Brush outside of dough with olive oil, then sprinkle with a small amount of italian seasoning.
10. Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine was done in 35 minutes at exactly 375 (I have an oven thermometer I keep in there).
11. Let cool for a few minutes so cheese and ingredients have a chance to set a bit. Slice into 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick pieces and serve with heated pizza sauce for dipping.

Pizza sauce. I never buy my own pizza sauce any longer, I’ve been making my own for at least a year and it’s better than anything I’ve ever been able to buy. Here’s the original recipe. Rather than measuring out the spices every time I do this, I make a large batch of the spices mixed together, and store them in a plastic container, so all I have to do is add a Tbsp of that to the wet ingredients and the pizza sauce goes together in 5 minutes. I’m providing here the recipe for mixing a large batch of spices together. If you want a single serving just for this recipe, visit the original recipe here.

Mix this in a small plastic container, we’ll call it pizza sauce seasoning:
2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2-1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2-1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1-3/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1-3/4 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

For sauce mix together in a small bowl:
1 Tbsp of pizza sauce seasoning
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I don’t always include this, if I’m in a hurry)
2 tablespoons honey (this makes a sweet sauce. I suggest adding 1 Tbsp and tasting)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional and not an ingredient I include)
salt to taste (remember, cheese and most meats like pepperoni have high salt content so you won’t need much if any)

Sauce should sit for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Heat in microwave for several minutes to serve as dipping sauce, to further blend flavors. This recipe makes enough to cover one pizza, or for the above recipe plus dipping sauce for 3-4 people.