Bloomin' Pizza Bread

I made this for the Superbowl party I went to last night and it was huge hit! 

:: Ingredients ::

1 unsliced round loaf sourdough bread

12-16 ounces mozzarella or Provolone cheese, thinly sliced

1 (3.5 ounce) package pepperoni, halved

4 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasonings or parsley

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

{pizza/marinara sauce for dipping}

:: Directions ::

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the bread lengthwise and width-wise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving.

Place bread on a foil-lined baking sheet. Combine butter, garlic powder, Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Drizzle or brush with a pastry brush down into the slices with about half of the mixture where you have made the cuts in the previous step.

Then insert cheese slices and pepperoni between cuts as shown below.

 

Brush with remaining butter mixture, sprinkle a little more Parmesan cheese on top and wrap bread completely in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted and pepperoni is a little crispy.

Serve hot with a side of tomato sauce and watch it disappear!

Source:  Foodtastic;  inspired by the The Girl Who Ate Everything