So this is one of my go-to things for A) when I don’t know what else to make or B) when my husband is watching sports with friends and I want them to be happy so I can watch trashy reality TV upstairs by myself.

It has as many names as there are injuries in the NFL, but I just call it pizza bread. You might also hear me call it scamboli from time to time, though I have no idea what scamboli is or if it is even a real thing.

If you are not a bread baker, do not fret; you can use frozen bread dough to really good results. If you are a bread baker, this is a great showcase for whatever your favorite bread recipe du jour is. I use a simple Italian bread dough for this, but almost anything would work. I usually double the recipe below, because go big or go home.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2014/jun/05/274712/

Simple Italian Bread*

2 1/4 teaspoons (roughly equivalent to one package)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the yeast, sugar and water in a mixing bowl, and walk away for 5 minutes to “proof” the yeast. When it looks bubbly, you are ready to rock and roll.

I just dump in the rest of the ingredients and use the dough hook on my mixer to combine thoroughly. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Too dry, add water and/or olive oil.

You might want to add the flour 1 cup at a time so as to avoid an explosion all over your kitchen.

When the dough is soft and smooth, it’s ready to rise. Just cover the mixing bowl with a towel and put it in a warm place until it doubles in size, about half an hour. If you have doubled the recipe, you will need to divide the dough before you set it out to rise.

Punch it down, wait about 10 minutes, and then roll it out into a large square or rectangle, sort of like you would a pizza crust.

For the pizza bread, just drizzle with olive oil and spread it around. Down the center, lay a generous strip of pepperoni, pieces of ham, black olives, onions, peppers, browned sausage — whatever floats your boat. Then top with shredded mozzarella and a little basil, garlic powder and oregano.

Pull the sides up to seal (I use a little water to keep it sealed) and turn it over onto a greased cookie sheet.

Sprinkle the top of the bread with Italian herbs, give it a little egg wash (just mix an egg and 2 tablespoons of water and brush on top) and then slash it in 1 1/2 inch increments.

Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes, until the bread is golden brown.

I serve it with a side of marinara, which you can get from a jar or make yourself. My Sunday gravy is always waiting in reserve in my freezer, so it’s easy to pull out a few cups to go with this treat.

Really, it’s a meal in itself, but somehow it always serves as a good-looking appetizer or heavy snack for us.