Pesto Pizza Bread with Chicken and Roasted Red Peppers

Growing up there was this restaurant called Garibaldis. I know for a fact we’ve discussed Garibaldis on this blog before…how could we not? It was THE place to go on half days back in junior high! They had everything from pizza to pasta to sandwiches to waffle fries to long branch fries to grilled cheese. Not to mention Italian ice. It was heaven. Garbaldis closed several years ago and just recently re-opened in another part of town. I visited with my BFF a couple weeks ago and I’m not going to lie…we ordered an XL pizza.

 

In high school, I went with my then-boyfriend at least 2 times a month and every single time I got the garlic bread pizza. It’s a shock that I didn’t weigh 500 pounds. With the pasta dishes they would give you this garlic bread that was SOO GOOD! The garlic bread pizza was simply pizza made with this bread.

When Kara suggested we make pizza bread my mind immediately went to the Garibaldis pizza bread from back in the day. My initial thought was probably something like…hell yeah! Then I got to her house and she revealed her plan to throw roasted red peppers into the mix AND roll it up. Huh??? This is not what I had in mind, and I don’t know if Mr. Baldi would agree with this method.

We went with it and the end result was a success. Always trust Kara. It was gooey in the middle and crusty on the outside. Not a single bit like the pizza bread I had in mind, but delicious nonetheless. You can fill it with your favorite pizza toppings too. The only mistake we made was cutting our pizza bread before it had enough time to cool down. The cheese just oozed right out. But we were ravenous and had to dig in right away. Oops! :)

 

Here’s what you’ll need

 

Roll the dough out to about 13 inch round

 

Layer on the pesto then pieces of mozzarella

 

And then the chicken and roasted red peppers

 

Roll it up…that’s the hardest part!

 

Brush with egg wash then sprinkle with parmesan cheese

 

Try it…you’ll like it!

 

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Pesto Pizza Bread with Chicken and Roasted Red Peppers

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course bread

Ingredients
  

  • pizza dough (frozen or use our favorite)
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into slices
  • 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1/4 cup basil pesto
  • 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
  • egg wash (1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
  • 3 tbsp parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Use a rolling pin to roll the risen pizza dough out to 13 inches round and about ¼ inch thick. Spread the pesto on first, leaving a 1 inch border all along the edges. Top with the slices of mozzarella, the shredded chicken and the roasted red pepper.
  • Starting with the far end, roll the pizza up moving towards you. Roll tightly and make sure the fillings stay put.
  • Once rolled up, brush the egg wash over the top and secure closed with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes, until crusty and golden brown.
  • Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into ½ inch slices and serve with marinara sauce, if desired.
Keyword chicken, Pizza