Braided Pizza Loaf

Total Time

Prep: 50 min. + rising Bake: 30 min.

Makes

1 loaf

Updated: Sep. 24, 2022
You can take the frozen bread dough out in the morning and then finish the meat-filled loaf after work. It's important to let the filling cool completely before spreading it on the dough. &Mdash;Debbie Meduna, Plaza, North Dakota.

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • Melted butter

Directions

  1. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Cool completely. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 15x12-in. rectangle. Place on a greased baking sheet. Spread filling lengthwise down center third of rectangle. Sprinkle cheeses over filling.
  4. On each long side, cut 1-1/2-in.-wide strips about 2-1/2 in. into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Brush with butter.
  5. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 234 calories, 10g fat (5g saturated fat), 36mg cholesterol, 687mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 15g protein.