My recipe for Italian Sausage Bread yields a hearty and delicious homemade bread filled with sausage, onions, and cheese and is the perfect snack to serve for holidays!
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Italian Sausage Bread – easier than you think!
Many of you have been asking for my sausage bread recipe for years, and I’m so happy to finally share it today, especially with Easter right around the corner.
This Italian-American classic is easy to make and the flavor from the sausage and onions is fantastic!
Serve this and stromboli as an appetizer, or alongside soups such as Italian lentil soup, stracciatella, or escarole and bean soup for a full meal.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Sausage. I’m using bulk sweet Italian sausage with fennel. If you can’t find bulk sausage, simply buy sausage links and remove the sausage from the casing.
- Cheese. The combination of a melting cheese, like mozzarella, and a salty grated hard cheese, like Pecorino Romano, contribute flavor and texture to my sausage bread.
- Flour. I’m using bread flour for this recipe. Its higher protein gives the sausage bread a wonderful chewy texture.
- Yeast. I’m using instant yeast as I find it to be superior to active dry yeast and can be added to the other ingredients without the need to dissolve it in warm water first. I use instant yeast in all of my pizza recipes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make the dough
Note: if using storebought dough, skip this section.
- Place the water in a bowl large enough to hold the dry ingredients plus the water with room to spare. In a separate bowl combine the bread flour, instant yeast, fine sea salt and sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients a little at a time to the water and mix thoroughly to form a dry rough mass.
- Pour the oil over the dough, mix again to scrape off any residue stuck to the bowl, then place the shaggy dough onto a work surface and knead for 5 to 7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait 30 minutes before resuming. Return to kneading and make sure to knead for at least a total of 5 minutes.
- Place the bowl over the dough once more and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes to warm up before forming the dough ball. After 40 minutes, pull the dough towards its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball. Pinch the seam side and place the dough ball seam side down in an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 12, but ideally 24 hours, before using.
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How to make sausage bread
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Remove the dough ball from the fridge 2 hours prior to using. Preheat the oven to 425°F and set the rack to the middle level. In a large pan over medium-high heat add the olive oil and sausage and cook until browned while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or meat masher. With a slotted spoon, transfer the browned sausage to a plate and allow it to cool.
- Add the butter and onions to the pan with a pinch of salt and cook the onions until lightly browned and soft, about 10-15 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Place the dough ball onto a floured surface and use your hands to press it out and open it up.
- Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and and strech or roll it into a rectangle, approximately 12×16″ in size.
- Distribute the sausage and onions onto the dough leaving 1 inch around the edges. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella, oregano, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of Pecorino cheese all over the sausage and onions.
- Fold the roll over once and tuck in the sides. With a wet pastry brush, brush the seam, then use the parchment paper to lift the bottom and roll to form a log shape. Place the seam side down and center the roll onto an oiled baking pan or parchment paper-lined pan. Cover with plastic and let the roll rise for 30-60 minutes before baking.
- Before baking, beat the egg and a tablespoon of water then brush the eggwash onto the top of the roll. Cut a few slits into the top to allow air to escape then sprinkle the sesame seeds and the remaining Pecorino on top.
- Bake the sausage bread for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to 375°F and continue to bake for 20-30 more minutes or until the interior is fully cooked through. Let the sausage bread sit for at least 10 minutes to solidify. Slice and serve.
Top tips
- Cold ferment the dough. If you’re going to take the time to make the dough, it’s best to let it do its thing and cold ferment in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but ideally 24 hours. The cold fermentation process adds great flavor to the dough. New York pizza, Grandma pizza, and Sicilian pizza all benefit from a cold ferment process.
- Make ahead. This sausage bread holds up well and can be saved up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Simply reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through prior to serving.
- Save time. While I do encourage you to try making your own dough, I realize not everyone has the time. You can definitely use storebought pizza dough, or better yet, pizza dough from your local pizzeria.
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Italian Sausage Bread
This Sausage Bread combines sweet Italian pork sausage and onions and cheese encased in a chewy and delicious homemade bread that's topped with seasame seeds. Perfect for holidays and gatherings!
Ingredients
For the dough
- 3 1/4 cups (406g) bread flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (2g) instant yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon (4g) sugar
- 9 ounces (260g) cold water
- 1 tablespoon (14g) olive oil
For the sausage roll
- 1 24-ounce (680g) dough ball from above or use store bought pizza dough
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) bulk Italian sausage
- 4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter
- 2 large onion sliced
- 1 1/4 cups (140g) shredded mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Sicilian oregano
- 4 tablespoons (23g) grated Pecorino Romano divided
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon Sesame or poppy seeds
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Instructions
For the dough
- Place water in a bowl large enough to hold both the water and all the dry ingredients and still have room to spare. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl.
- Add dry ingredients to water a bit at a time and mix thoroughly to form a dry rough mass.
- Pour the oil over the dough, mix again to scrape off any dough residue stuck to side of the bowl, and place the rough shaggy dough onto a work surface.
- Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait 30 minutes before resuming. Return to kneading (just make sure to knead for at least a total of 5 minutes).
- Place the bowl over the dough once more and let sit for 30-40 minutes to warm up before forming the dough ball.
- After 40 minutes pull the dough towards its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball. Pinch the seam side and place the dough ball seam side down into an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 12 but ideally 24 hours before using.
For the sausage roll
- Remove the dough ball from fridge 2 hours prior to using.
- Preheat oven to 425°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan to medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or meat masher. Remove the browned sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside to cool.
- Add the butter and onions to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Cook the onions until slightly browned and soft (about 10-15 minutes) then turn off the heat.
- Place the dough onto a floured surface and press with your hands to open it, then transfer to parchment paper and roll into a rectangle shape approximately 12×16" in size.
- Distribute the sausage and onions onto the dough, leaving about 1 inch around the sides. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella, oregano, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of grated Pecorino cheese all over the sausage and onions.
- Fold the roll over one time then tuck in the sides. With a wet pastry brush, brush the seam and roll with the parchment paper to form a log shape. Place the seam side down and center the roll on an oiled baking pan or on top of a parchment paper-lined pan. Cover with plastic and let the roll rise for 30-60 minutes before baking.
- Before baking, beat the egg and add a tablespoon of water to thin. Brush the eggwash onto the top of the roll. Cut a few slits into the top of the roll to allow air to escape.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds and the remaining grated Pecorino on top. Bake the sausage bread for 10 minutes then turn the heat down to 375°F and continue to bake for 20-30 more minutes or until the interior is fully cooked through.
- Let the sausage bread sit for at least 10 minutes to solidify and make cutting easier. Enjoy!
Notes
- Dough. Any pizza dough can be used. For this recipe, we used 24 ounces of our standard pizza dough.
- Cheese. Soft provolone can be subbed for the mozzarella.
- Leftovers. Sausage bread can be saved for up to 5 days and should be reheated in the oven at 350f until hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.6g | Protein: 13.1g | Fat: 17.5g | Saturated Fat: 6.5g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 601mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 1.2g | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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We appreciate that, Caroline. Thanks!
Love all your recipes. Great directions.
We’re so happy to hear that, Cathie!
Loved this. Made the dough the night before and took it out of the fridge a few hours before. One question though. It turned out crispy. Not overcooked though but definitely crispy. I liked it that way but was it not supposed to be?
Hi Kim. Happy to hear that you enjoyed the flavor. It should have a golden crisp crust, just like pictured. If you want a softer texture, cover it with foil after about 10 minutes of baking.
Thinking of using the filling with sour dough. I also have experimented with individual rolls using sourdough. This filling would be great as a filling for the rolls. Just going to give it a try.
We hope you enjoy it, Ines!
Welcome are going to attempt this recipe with Broccoli Rabe sausage with extra broccoli rabe, onions and mozzarella cheese. Making these changes because that’s what we have on hand right now. Love all your recipes and Tara’s Irish Soda Bread. Thank you. 🍀
We’re so happy to hear that, Alana!
This sounds yummy. I haven’t ever tried to make bread/dough without a bread machine, which I don’t have anymore, so I might just use pre-made bread dough. What do you think about using hot Italian sausage though instead of sweet? We use it in Italian meat sauce and it’s great. We like spicy.
You can definitely use hot Italian sausage here. Hope you enjoy it, Leslie!
Hey, I gave it 5 stars but it showed as 4. It’s a 5 starer to be sure.
Hi! I have been using your recipes for a few years now and I love them, thank you. I am 74 and I am having some difficulty kneading dough by hand. If I could suggest something: give an alternative with a kitchenAid instead of hand kneading. It would help people like me.
Hi Murielle, thanks for the comment. To use a kitchen aid, fit it with the dough hook and place all the water and half the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix on low or the 1 setting for 1 minute or until incorporated. Next, slowly add the remaining flour and the olive oil and continue to mix for about 4 minutes longer still on setting 1. Remove from the mixer and hand-knead for at least 1 minute. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the Kitchen Aid directions. We will try this recipe this way. I also have arthritic hands and had surgery on my right hand. This is much easier.
Delicious
Jim – thanks for sharing what I’ve been making for more than 55 years, going back to the late 60’s. My family loves stuffed breads of all kinds and this one and mine are almost the same.
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Bob!