If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a fresh twist on entertaining…esepcially around the holidays!! Well, this Stuffed Bread Christmas Tree in December is perfect for Christmas parties (but also great for hannukah parties – I got you covered!!). Your guests will be calling you Miss Martha in no time!!
Jump to Recipe“It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas”…
Oh yes it is!!
I don’t even have to ask because I know y’all are cooking and baking like never before, am I right?
And, for as sad as it may be for some of you, I think many of us are going to be celebrating the holidays a wee bit different than we ever have before (thank you, Covid 🙁 )…
So that’s why we really need to make it extra special this year. I don’t mean we have to go hog wild on the décor or the gift giving…I actually think that if there was ever a year to scale back, this is it!
Maybe this is the year you actually get rid of that broken ornament that was gifted to you by Aunt Martha in 1973.
And maybe this year, instead of buying gifts, you donate to a local charity that is close to your heart (that’s what we’re doing!). But, I think, when it comes to food we have to be all about the “feels” this year. We need to make simple things that make our tummies happy and our hearts sing
What You’re Gonna Need to Make this Stuffed Bread Christmas Tree:
- pizza dough
- cubed cheese
- cubed meat
- marinara (optional, for dipping)
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
So when the folks over at Williams Sonoma asked me to come up with a holiday dish using their new Gold Touch bakeware and a beautiful wooden-handled offset spatula, I was all in!!
I started thinking about how we could celebrate more than Christmas …maybe do a “twofer” recipe that can do double duty! And that’s when this Stuffed Bread Christmas Tree (also disguised as a stuffed Hannukah dreidel) came to be!!!
Starting with some store bought pizza dough on a flour dusted surface…
We cut the dough into four pieces…
Then we roll each piece into a log…
Then we cut each log into 9 pieces…
Then, in each piece, we enclose a piece of mozzarella and a piece of pepperoni.
Once they’ve been rolled up tightly…
We place them on the baking sheet (sans parchment…really!…trust me!), brush with egg wash and bake in the oven! 
While it’s baking I made a Star of David with some pretzel sticks. Why you ask? Well, I did say this was a twofer!!
What may look like a tree to many of you is actually a dreidel!! Adorned with the pretzel star, it’s a perfect accompaniment to your Hanukah table!
But the right-way-up, it’s a beautiful tree!!!
So how are you gonna celebrate this holiday season? You have to admit, this Christmas/Hannukah tree is a pretty incredible appetizer! And, here’s a crazy secret…I made this stuffed bread pizza tree (but in dreidel form) and brought it to a hannukah party!! Yes I made a hannukah dish with pork!! Sometimes, I amaze myself 😉
Good thing, most people at the party ate pork so it was a big hit!!!
Whatever you stuff your bread tree/dreidel with, I think it will be a conversation piece (heck, you could even make it sweet by stuffing it with chocolate and peanut butter and then drizzling it with some icing sugar…gahhhh, the possibilities are endless!!!).
Chrismukkah Bread
Ingredients
- 1 package store-bought pizza dough
- Flour for dusting
- 1 block 400g mozzarella, cut into 1" cubes
- 9 slices of pepperoni or dried salami, optional
- Pizza sauce (recipe below)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
Pizza Sauce:
- 1 can 28 oz/796 mL whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Extras:
- handful pretzel sticks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a baking surface or wooden board, dust generously with flour and cut pizza dough into four equal pieces. Using both hands, roll each piece of dough into a long rope, then cut dough into 2” pieces (you’ll need 36 total).
- Stack the slices of peperoni and cut into 4 then stack each piece of mozzarella with a piece of pepperoni and then wrap each piece of dough around the mozzarella/pepperoni and form into a tightly sealed ball. Place balls seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree (they should be touching...and if you're making a dreidel, it's important to make the last row of balls before the tip of the tree a bit wider - see photo). Brush beaten egg on dough balls with a pastry brush and bake until golden about 20 minutes.
- While pizza "tree" is baking, make pizza sauce by placing the tomatoes in a large bowl and "crushing" them with your clean hands, breaking up the tomatoes into very small pieces. Add remaining ingredients, mixing together well until fully combined. Use the sauce with the baked bread and store the remaining in the refrigerator or freeze for future use.
- Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter, oregano and garlic. When bread is finished, remove from oven and brush on baked pizza balls. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese. Serve warm with the pizza sauce for dipping.
