Pizza Perfect Pull-Aparts

Yesterday, we were back up at Camp Sheppard teaching Dutch oven cooking to Boy Scouts and their Scoutmasters. It was a whole lot of fun despite the windy and rainy weather.

I’ve often found that even when camping in the worst of conditions, it’s the people you are with who make it a great experience. It also makes a huge difference if you are well prepared.

We made pizza pull-aparts and they were a huge hit. I mean, who doesn’t like pizza?! And, with the weather being so icky, these were warm, tasty, filling, and comforting. I’m not sure I’d ever classify pizza as comfort food but, yesterday, these definitely fell into that category.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it any way you want. If you have more than one Dutch oven, you could make multiple kinds (meat lovers, pepperoni, cheese, vegetarian, etc.). You can use whatever cheese you like. You can use pizza sauce from a jar or make your own. You could even make your own pizza dough in camp or at home and bring it in a cooler. The possibilities are endless, so have fun improvising!

The only thing you need to be mindful of is the amount of sauce you use. If you don’t use enough, the “pizza” will be dry; use too much and it will be sloppy. We used half of a 14-ounce jar of sauce, which was about 7 ounces and I think we could have used a smidge more sauce. My two teenagers said to double the pepperoni and the bacon bits so I adjusted those numbers up. They also said to add more cheese, but if you look at the picture, it looks like it’s drowning in cheese! So, here’s an adjusted version of what we made yesterday. You can add more cheese if you want to.

Equipment

12-inch Dutch oven

Mixing bowl

Mixing/serving spoon

Measuring spoons

Knife

Cutting board

Aluminum foil

Ingredients

2 (13.8 oz.) tubes Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Dough

1 (5 oz.) bag pepperoni minis

½ pkg. (17 slices) Canadian bacon, halved

1 (5 oz.) bag bacon bits

6 links fully cooked sausage, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

1 cup pizza sauce

⅛ tsp. garlic powder

⅛ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

⅛ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp. basil

1 (2-cup) bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Line Dutch oven with foil and apply a thin coating of non-stick cooking spray. Prep 25+ coals.

Open pizza containers; do not unroll pizza dough. Cut pizza roll into 8 slices and quarter each slice. Roll these bits into balls being careful not to overwork the dough. Cut Canadian bacon pieces in half, chop up your sausage links and dice the green pepper. This could all be done at home and brought to camp in resealable bags or plastic containers.

In a bowl, combine pizza sauce and spices. Add all the other ingredients, except for the cheese, and gently mix (you just want to get all the pizza dough bits coated with sauce and the ingredients mixed). Pour into Dutch oven and arrange the bits into one layer.

Bake at 350°F, using 17 coals on the lid and 8 underneath, for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Top with shredded cheese, let melt for five minutes, and serve. Serves 4-6