No, stop. Don’t go searching for the original pepperoni bread post, ’cause there isn’t one. Instead, this Parfait! is referring to the dough used, specifically, the dough I made those oh! so tasty ham rolls with. Recall that when I made the dough for the rolls, I left out the called for half-cup of shortening and my dough came out fine; but I wanted to test that on a second batch, and while I was sorely lacking in leftover bits of ham, I had some lovely deli pepperoni and provolone not getting any younger in the cheese drawer…
There was also the little matter of the yeast.
In the original recipe, the yeast was stirred into a bit of warm water, left to rest for a bit and…
nothin’.
I am used to the yeast at least foaming and becoming a bit frothy when beginning a bread dough, but just stirring it into water didn’t give the yeast anything to work with, so I decided to add a tablespoon of the sugar and bingo! Nicely frothed yeast after ten minutes.
The other thing I found with this batch of dough was that it took a touch over six cups of flour total for it all to come together, as opposed to the 4-1/2 called for – but that could’ve been a function of the heat and humidity on the day I was making it. No matter, the dough still rocks! and this 
filling is my new favorite, so check out all the details, then make a batch yourself; you’ll end up with four loaves of goodness, which should carry you through a fair amount of the holiday weekend.
INGREDIENTS
Dough:
•2-1/4 tsp (1 pkg) active dry yeast
•1/4 cup warm (110° to 115°) water
•3/4 cup warm (110° to 115°) milk
•1/2 cup shortening (didn’t use)
•3 eggs, lightly beaten
•1/2 cup sugar
•1-1/2 tsp salt
•4-1/2 to 6-1/2 cups flour
•Melted butter
Filling:
(use any and/or all, or make up your own)
•Deli sliced pepperoni
•Provolone cheese, sliced
•Pepper jelly
•Mayonnaise
•Dijon mustard
•Pepperoncini, sliced
•Diced fresh onion
•Diced fresh tomato
Stir the yeast into the warm water in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook along with one tablespoon of the sugar and let rest for ten minutes, until the yeast is nice and frothy – see above.
In another bowl, whisk together two cups of flour with the remaining sugar and the salt.
Add to the yeast mixture along with the eggs, warm milk and, if you want to use it, the shortening.
Stir to blend, then with the mixer set on medium-low, add additional flour and knead until the dough comes together and pulls (mostly) away from the sides of the mixing bowl – about eight to ten minutes and, this time, 6-1/2 cups of flour.
Once the dough has come together, gather into a smooth, slightly sticky ball, and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl (I use the mixing bowl), turning to coat all sides with the oil.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm space for an hour, until the dough has doubled. Don’t fret if you get delayed; recall that you are the boss of that dough, and an extra hour or three rising will not cause any real problems later on.
When you do get back to it, punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured board – it’ll be sticky, so you’ll want some extra flour for sprinkling while you work.
Divide the dough into fourths, then roll each quarter out into a large rectangle.
Here’s where you get to choose. I tried several different combinations of pepperoni and cheese and accessories on my four loaves, and, by far, the favorite around my dinner table that evening was what I call the deluxe:
Brush the rolled out dough with a bit of pepper jelly, then some Dijon mustard. 
Arrange slices of pepperoni down the length of the dough, slightly off center, then brush them with a bit of mayonnaise. Top that with the provolone slices, diced fresh onion and tomato, and finally, the sliced pepperoncini.
Starting at the edge closest to where you’ve stacked your fillings, roll the dough up and over into a log, tightening the filling as you go.
Place the filled loaf, seam side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet, tuck the edges under, give the loaf one, final light squeeze to tighten up the filling, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes – plan on two loaves per baking sheet.
When ready to bake, brush each loaf with the melted butter and bake on two racks in an oven preheated to 350º for 30 minutes, switching racks after fifteen minutes, until the bread is golden brown.
Note: this bread didn’t quite sound hollow when I thumped it to see if it was done, so don’t rely on that old test.
Remove from the oven and let rest for ten minutes before slicing.
Whoa…
loads of flavor, and, while I thought I could’ve mebbe gone a bit heavier on the pepperoni and provolone, our guinea pig, ermmm, dinner guest, thought it all a practically perfect balance of filling to slightly sweet dough. Two loaves were easily gone through at dinner, so yes, you will want to make all four.
Enjoy, and happy Labor Day!