Meat Lovers Pizza Bread (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Seasoned Beef Filling

01 - 1/2 lb lean ground beef
02 - 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
03 - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
04 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
05 - 1 jar pizza sauce, divided

→ Pizza Bread Assembly

06 - 1 tube (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza dough
07 - 4 slices provolone cheese
08 - 2 oz thin-sliced pepperoni (about 1/3 cup)
09 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Finishing Touches

10 - 2 tablespoons butter, melted
11 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large non-stick skillet, cook ground beef with 1/2 teaspoon oregano, garlic powder, and kosher salt until browned, stirring frequently to break up the meat. Drain any excess fat.
02 - Let the cooked beef cool slightly, then stir in 1/3 cup of pizza sauce. Mix well and set aside.
03 - Unroll the pizza dough onto a baking sheet with shallow sides. Gently stretch the dough if needed to form a rectangle.
04 - Spread 1/2 cup pizza sauce down the center of the dough in a strip, leaving plenty of dough on both sides for braiding.
05 - Over the sauce, layer the provolone cheese slices, pepperoni, seasoned ground beef mixture, and finally the shredded mozzarella cheese.
06 - Using a sharp knife, cut 1-inch wide strips down both sides of the dough toward the filling, leaving the filling area intact. Alternately bring strips from each side up and over the filling to create a braided appearance.
07 - Brush the braided dough with melted butter, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon oregano.
08 - Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is golden brown and baked through. Meanwhile, heat the remaining pizza sauce for dipping.
09 - Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with the heated pizza sauce as a dipping sauce.

# Notes:

01 - Make sure to drain the ground beef well to prevent soggy bread
02 - Don't overfill the center or the bread will be difficult to braid
03 - This can be assembled ahead and refrigerated before baking

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