Pepperoni monkey bread

I've never tried any kind of monkey bread before, but I found this recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride and thought I'd give it a try. And now, I don't think we'll ever go back to normal pizza. We've already made it a couple times, I'm just now getting around to posting about it.

This recipe could be made even quicker if you skipped the homemade dough. I had the time, and I like it, so I went for it.

What you need for the dough:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 packet rapid rise yeast
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

In your mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over it and allow it to sit for about five minutes. Add the rest of the olive oil and warm water.

With the dough hook on your stand mixer, turn on to a low speed and add the bread flour and salt. After it's pretty thoroughly combined, turn the speed up to medium and knead until the dough is stretchy and smooth (about five minutes). Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot for about an hour.

What you need for the monkey bread
8 oz mozzarella pearls
1 package of mini pepperonis
3 cloves garlic, sliced
6 tablespoons butter

In a small skillet on medium heat, melt the butter with the sliced garlic. Allow to simmer until fragrant. Brush the melted garlic butter on the inside of a bundt pan.

Pull off small chunks of dough (a little smaller than golf ball size) and use your fingers to spread it out on a floured surface. In the center, add some mozzarella and pepperoni (be generous!). Now pull all the sides up and pinch closed to make a little dumpling. Brush the outside with butter and throw it in the bundt. Repeat until all the dough is used up.

Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, until it's well-browned. Let it cool in the bundt pan for a little while before you try to dump it out, otherwise the whole thing falls apart! Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.