How to make an easy and cheesy pull-apart challah with pizza dip

You love challah. You love pizza. It might be time to combine these two cherished carbs together in one pan.

If you often make big batches of challah, this recipe will be quite easy to throw together as a fun appetizer, or even an indulgent weeknight dinner. You can set aside around 1 pound of dough to make the pizza dip challah, which is about half of this recipe. But you can use any challah recipe you prefer.

If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can use any 8- or 9-inch cake pan that you have. Make sure to grease the pan before adding the challah and dip. And if you're worried about a mess, feel free to place the dip into an oven-safe ramekin right in the center.

Get creative and add any other pizza toppings you like - caramelized onions, chopped peppers, mushrooms, or even some blue cheese.

Ingredients

1 lb prepared challah dough - any recipe you like

1 cup canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Italian seasoning + flaky sea salt for topping (optional)

Directions

Divide the challah dough into 8 pieces around 2.5 oz each. Roll into smooth balls.

Mix cheeses together in a bowl.

Spray a cast iron pan or other round 8- or 9-inch cake pan. Grease lightly with cooking spray.

Place challah dough balls evenly around the perimeter of the pan. Brush with egg wash and top with Italian seasoning and sea salt if desired.

Allow to rise another 20-30 minutes.

Spread half of the cheese mixture in the middle of the pan. Top with tomato sauce. Spread remaining cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Bake at 350 F. for 22-25 minutes, or until the challah is golden brown, and the pizza dip is oozing. 

Allow to cool slightly before dipping. 

This article originally appeared in The Nosher.