This pepperoni pull-apart bread is packed full of pizza’s best qualities

Even if you’re a bread-baking beginner, you needn’t be intimidated. The dough, which can be kneaded in a stand mixer or by hand, comes together quickly and is easy to work with. Because Hussain developed the recipe with the self-raising flour commonly used in England, you’ll find baking powder included along with yeast. This makes the dough rise in a fast and reliable way. You can get a loaf on the table in less than 3 hours, perfect for an impromptu game night you don’t decide on until late afternoon. I found the baking powder lent the crumb a slightly cottony texture with more, smaller air pockets than bread leavened solely by yeast (turns out another key to the perfect texture was baking the loaf rather longer than the recipe specified). It reminded me, not in a bad way, of the Pizza Hut breadsticks I ate way too many of in college.