Okay, so you’ve had homemade garlic bread, you’re probably well acquainted with cheesy bread, and there’s a good chance you’ve tasted a calzone or two. But have you ever heard of garbage bread? Despite it’s playful name, this stromboli-like stuffed bread is beyond delicious, and it’s super filling and easy to make.
Garbage bread is basically a customizable loaded bread that’s made using pizza dough and ingredients like cheese and ground meat. It gets it’s name from the fact that you can put whatever you like in it, for example ingredients that you might otherwise throw out when you’re cleaning the fridge. A bit like a one-skillet chicken cacciatore or a meat lovers omelette.
People use beef, chicken, sausage, or vegetables as fillings, and some sort of dipping sauce is usually utilized, be it tomato sauce, barbecue, or pesto. The most common garbage bread resembles a pizza or a disassembled cheeseburger, but you can really use anything you’d like. Make a breakfast version, a sloppy-joe inspired one, or a buffalo chicken bread. It’s the perfect quick and easy meal to feed hungry kids or serve at a party.
How to make garbage bread
Garbage bread really couldn’t be easier to make. You can use homemade pizza dough or just grab a store-bought one and you can also make garbage bread with French bread dough, which some people actually prefer. Start by preheating the oven to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then start cooking your fillings, be it meat or veggies, and make sure to season everything well. Roll out your dough, spread out the filling across it, and top with cheese. Now, get ready to roll. When sliced, the pieces will look like pinwheels, so just roll the dough lengthwise starting at the longer side and make sure the filling stays inside. Pinch the edges to seal them, place the bread seam-side down on a baking tray, and brush with some egg wash for a golden finish.
The garbage bread should be ready in about 20 minutes and it will last for up to three days in the fridge if you have leftovers. You can even make it ahead of time and just reheat it for about 20 minutes before serving or freeze it for up to two months. Giving it some time to come to room temperature can help make sure it doesn’t get soggy. Try out some different versions and bring some to your next watch party or cookout –- maybe just don’t reveal the name to people before they try it!
