Café Kathleen // Holiday Sausage Bread

This sausage bread is a holiday favorite in the Hay household and a staple of Café Kathleen. Inspired by Kathleen's upbringing in New York with a strong Italian influence on the food scene, this bread is a never-ending hit at parties, especially in the cold winter months. Mangia!

SAUSAGE BREAD

4 packages of pizza dough

16oz shredded mozzarella

12 sausage links

3 eggs (reserve a small amount to brush onto dough)

3-4TBSP parmesan

1 green pepper

1 onion

4-5 garlic cloves

1 jar of Kalamata olives

1 jar of sliced mushrooms

Parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sauté garlic, onion, peppers on medium-high heat until fragrant and softened. Remove vegetables from stovetop and place to the side in a large mixing bowl. Remove sausage meat from its casings and brown in a frying pan over medium-high heat until cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from the stovetop. Combine browned sausage meat, sauteed vegetables, cheeses, and eggs, olives and mushrooms  in a large bowl until combined. On a flat surface, sprinkle cornmeal to keep dough from sticking. Remove pizza dough from its packaging and spread each individual package onto cornmeal surface and flatten into 10” oblongs. Take a spoon and place sausage/vegetable/cheese mixture into the center of the dough, leaving about ¾” around the edges of the dough. Once desired amount of mixture has been placed on dough, take the edges and fold it over itself, completely sealing the bread so that there is no mixture leaking out. Combine a beaten egg with a splash of water and with a culinary brush, brush egg wash over the top of the loaf to ensure the loaf will remain sealed during baking. Place the loaves on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake in oven for 30mins or until golden brown and dough fully cooked. Place on a cooling rack until able to handle. Slice and enjoy!