Halloween Mummy Pizza Braids
Looking for a fun, easy Halloween dinner? These mummy pizza braids can be filled with any toppings and are spooky delicious.
Makes: 4 individual pizza braids
Cost: $15
Equipment
- large rimmed baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Rolling Pin
- Sharp paring knife
- pastry brush
Ingredients
- ½ to ¾ cup super-easy marinara sauce or your favorite pizza sauce, plus more for serving
- 4 to 6 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, shredded (1 to 1½ cups)
- 2 to 4 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni (optional)
- Other pizza toppings (see note)
- 4 large pitted black olives
- 2 (14- to 16-ounce) balls pizza dough (one full recipe), at room temperature
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the middle position. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grab a spoon for the marinara sauce, shred the mozzarella, and prep your toppings (see note). Cut two perfect slices out of each pitted black olive to make eyes (you should have four sets.) Arrange all of this on a clear work surface where you plan to assemble the pizza braids.
- Divide each dough ball into two equal pieces and ball them up. Place one of the balls on a large, floured cutting board. Keep the remaining three under an upside-down bowl so they don't dry out while you form the first mummy pizza braid.
- Roll or stretch the dough into a 7-by-11-inch oval. Then, use a sharp paring knife to cut 2-inch-long, ¼- to ½-inch-thick diagonal strips into the long edges of the oval, leaving a 3-inch-wide column down the center for the fillings. (See photo.) Place the prepared dough on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of pizza sauce down the middle of the dough, sprinkle with ¼ to ⅓ cup of the shredded mozzarella, and add sliced pepperoni and other toppings.
- Pull the triangle of dough up and over the toppings at the bottom of the oval. Next, working from the bottom upward, braid the strips of dough over the toppings to make a mummy wrapping, leaving a gap near the top for the eyes to peek through. Place two olive slices in the gap and press little pieces of mozzarella into the holes, if desired. (See image here and video below.)
- Repeat the rolling/stretching, topping, and wrapping steps with the remaining three balls of dough.
- Brush the tops of the mummy pizza braids with a little olive oil and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, rotating the pan around the halfway mark, until the tops and bottoms are evenly browned.
- Serve hot with marinara/pizza sauce for dipping.
Video
Notes
- Dough: Any "regular" (not Sicilian-style) pizza dough will work for this recipe. If you're making it yourself, try my Weeknight Pizza Dough and let it rise for 2 hours so it's extra pliable, or plan ahead and make Overnight Dough, New York-Style, or Neapolitan. If you'd rather buy premade dough, make sure you choose a bagged ball of dough and let it come to room temperature before dividing and rolling/stretching.
- Toppings: I went with thinly sliced pepperoni, sliced baby spinach, chopped black olives (since I needed them for the eyes anyway), and sauteed mushrooms (thinly sliced, cooked in a little oil just until tender, then blotted dry). Feel free to use any toppings you like, as long as they aren't too high in moisture. Remember: Your toppings will be baked INSIDE the dough, so moisture can't evaporate as easily as on a traditional open-face pizza.
- Baking: For best results, go by visual cues, not timing. You want the braids to be golden brown on the top and the bottom.