An affordable and convenient replica of the much-loved Bakers’ Delight Pizza Bread on the go! As the name suggests, it is not as hot as regular pizza and is meant to be eaten at room temperature in a lunch box. Just think: morning tea, a picnic, a hungry teenager, and what you’ve stashed in the freezer!
A homemade pizza bread
Bakers’ Delight is a popular Australian bakery chain that sells baked goods ranging from sweet cinnamon buns to savory buns for a convenient “lunch on the go”.
I’ve always wanted to recreate the fan favorite pizza bread. And seeing the MSRP jump to $4.90 (inflation!) was the impetus for me to keep going.
Instead of making the pizzas individually, I decided to go with the simpler option of making large pizza slices and then cutting them into portions.
Then I decided to take it one step further and use plain cheese muffin dough instead of the sourdough pizza dough which takes hours.
So today is my pizza bread. Since it can be eaten at room temperature, it is recommended to take it with you for lunch or, for example, morning tea at work.
Ingredients in pizza bread
This is a quick pizza bread made with savory muffin dough. And that means no yeast, no kneading, no rising time. Mix and bake!
THE BATTER
Flour – Regular Flour/All-Purpose Flour. Self-rising flour can be used instead of flour + baking powder + baking soda, but the crumbs will not be soft or springy and will not stay fresh for very long.
Baking Powder + Baking Soda (Two Carb Mix) – I know it’s annoying if I tell you to use both instead of either one! I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. In this case, there is a noticeable difference.
Basically both make cupcakes, cakes etc rise.
However, baking soda is similar to triple-strength baking powder and has different boosting properties depending on which other ingredients are used. For this recipe, only baking powder = the crumbs are soft and not very moist. Baking soda only = mound, not a flat surface. A combination of the two = perfect!
Grated Cheese – Used to flavor crumbs and coat bread.
Use your favorite melty shredded cheese (or cheese mix), except mozzarella, which is not very flavorful. I use Devondale 3 Cheese Blend (Mozzarella, Colby, Parmesan). This cheese is my favorite store cheese for its melting properties and taste (I’m in Australia).
All you need is mozzarella and you just add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the batter.
Pre-Ground Check! I usually recommend shredding it yourself, but in the spirit of this quick and easy recipe, I recommend shredding beforehand!
Milk and sour cream (or yogurt) are the liquids in this batter. Sour cream keeps pizza bread moist for days without going stale the next day, which happens with most muffins. For baking lovers, the reason is that sour cream is thicker than milk, so the dough doesn’t need as much flour to get the right consistency. Less flour = more moist crumbs.
Olive Oil – Helps keep crumbs moist.
This is because butter, the other most common fat used in baking, tastes like good butter. Butter, on the other hand, remains in liquid form, making the crumb more moist.
Eggs are the binder in the dough. Only 1 egg is used, which is another reason why this bread has a long shelf life. Because the more eggs in the dough, the drier the crumbs will be.
Salt – For seasoning.
TOPPINGS
Today I’m going to go fast and easy, so I used a pizza sauce sold at a mart. But if you’re better than me, feel free to make your own (one of the 3 options is fine).
Sauce for pizza. As mentioned above, this is just store bought. Use any scent you like!
Toppings – Pepperoni, Chopped Olives, Onions and Green Chili/Green Peppers (yes it’s missing from half of the picture above and the pizza!). Feel free to use whatever you like.
Shredded Cheese – Use the same cheese as above for the batter.
How to make my easy pizza bread
You will love how easy it is! Are you ready?
- Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl. You can whisk dry ingredients first to keep the whisk clean and then use it on wet ingredients!
- Whisk wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Mixing – After pouring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mix with a rubber spatula until the flour is almost incorporated, but you can still see a bit. It’s still bumpy. This is normal!
Add the cheese and stir until the flour is no longer visible. It’s okay if there are small lumps of flour left in the dough. What you don’t want to do is mix too much because it activates the gluten in the flour and makes the crumb hard and dense. - Pour batter into a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in) metal mold lined with parchment paper. I spray it with oil and then lay out the bottom and long sides with a large sheet of paper with an overhang for easy removal later. If you are spraying oil, you do not need to line the short side.
- Ceramic and glass pans work too, but I add an extra 3 minutes of baking time as the bread rises a little less. This is due to the fact that the glass heats up a little longer.
Filling – Drizzle with pizza sauce, then top with cheese, onion, paprika (forgot half of the picture!), olives, and pepperoni (in that order). - Bake 40 minutes – Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Then cover with a baking sheet and bake for another 15 minutes. This will prevent the cheese from becoming too golden.
Cool in skillet for 10 minutes, then on a cooling rack for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. - Because baked goods are cooked internally, it is important to follow the instructions in Refrigeration Methods. If you cut this bread right out of the oven while it’s hot, it will taste slightly “kneaded” and will be undercooked on the inside.
- This bread stays warm even after not moving for 20 minutes. However, it is specially designed to be delicious even at room temperature, so you can put it in your lunch box!
And it will stay fresh for 3-4 days.
How to serve Lunchbox Pizza Bread
As mentioned at the top, this pizza bread is designed to be eaten at room temperature like a savoury muffin rather than piping-hot-straight-out-of-the-oven like pizza, easy to make in bulk (do 2 pans at once!) and freezes perfectly.
