1 pound ball of pizza dough, good quality store bought or homemade
1 - ½ lb. of Italian sausage, casings removed if you like spicy use that
2 cups of shredded mozzarella, do not use fresh mozzarella.
¾ cup or so of grated romano cheese.
1 cup of rapini,( broccoli rabe) tips only, sautéed til tender, or chopped parsley, or chopped spinach, cooked and drained
black pepper
olive oil
extra romano and a little mozzarella to top on rolled dough
marinara for dipping
Instructions
Heat oven first to 400, bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven to 350 and finish baking until deep golden around 30 minutes more.
Place a piece of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet.
Have your dough at room temperature before rolling out.
Brown sausage in a skillet with a little bit of olive oil, cooking until you see no pink, breaking up the pieces into crumbles, let it cool down and drain on paper towel.
Roll your dough into a large rectangle, as big as you can get it.
Scatter cooked sausage all over dough leaving a 1 inch border all the way around.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly all over sausage.
Sprinkle grated cheese, evenly all over.
Sprinkle chopped parsley, cooked rapini tips or cooked spinach all over.
Grate black pepper on top of mixture, at this point you could add some additional red pepper flakes or more grated cheese, it's up to you, depending on the heat of your sausage.
Start to roll the dough, jelly roll style, tucking in the ends as you're rolling so no leakage occurs while baking, pinching dough making sure it's sealed at the seams.
Place large log or half moon shape unto a parchment lined baking sheet, seam side down. ( make sure seam is pinched and sealed.)
Brush top and sides with olive oil, grate some black pepper on top, a sprinkle of romano and a little shredded mozzarella here and there.
Bake as stated above but ovens do vary.
Remove from pan and place on a rack to cool so it doesn’t get soggy on the bottom from moisture.
Let it rest before cutting into it so that the cheese sets, use a serrated knife to cut your slices.
Serve as a appetizer, lunch with a salad or an addition to any special meal.
Serve it with some warm marinara for dipping
Recipe by Proud Italian Cook at https://www.prouditaliancook.com/2016/03/sausage-bread.html