Stuffed Crust Pizza Braid

Atlanta fall — the first crisp morning, finally. Set the Table at New Birth Saturday morning. Six girls. We did baked chicken.

Daddy in his apartment in the back. I brought him his coffee and his medication this morning. He grumbled. The grumble was the love. I caught the smell of Mama's seasoning blend at the stove Tuesday morning. Just for a second. The grief comes when it comes.

Smothered pork chops Sunday. Bone-in. Onion gravy. Over rice. Brenda's recipe and Mama would approve.

Marcus, 21, studying for finals at Alabama. Jasmine, 19, home from Howard for the weekend.

I sat at the kitchen table with my tea after everybody went to sleep. Just me and the quiet.

The kids were home for the weekend. The house was loud the way it should be.

Darnell sent a photo from Clarksville. The garden is producing. He grew tomatoes the size of softballs. I sent him back a photo of my sweet potato casserole. We are competitive about food now in our middle age.

I drove to the Walmart on Camp Creek Saturday morning. The kind of grocery run that takes two hours because you run into three people you know. Sister Patrice caught me in the produce. We talked about her grandbaby for fifteen minutes.

I made a casserole for the church potluck. The pan came back empty. That is the only review I trust.

Daddy sat in his chair after dinner watching the news. He fell asleep before the third quarter. Standard.

Sunday service at New Birth this morning. The choir sang. I sang soprano in the second alto row. Pastor preached about Naomi and Ruth. The congregation said amen. I said amen.

Pastor preached about the prodigal son again. He preaches about that boy at least three times a year. The text is the text but every preaching is different. I cried in the second service this time. Don't ask me why.

I read for an hour Sunday night before bed. Some novel about a Black woman in 1960s Alabama. Mama would have liked it.

Derek and I had date night Friday. Same restaurant, same booth, same enchiladas for me and carne asada for him.

Andre called from LA. He told the Kevin Hart story again. Twenty-some years and that boy is still telling that story. Everyone in this family is going to hear about Kevin Hart at our funerals.

I had a hard counseling case at school this week. A seventh-grade girl whose mama lost her job. We talked. I gave her my number. I told her she could call.

Tuesday evening I sat at the kitchen table with my composition notebook and worked on the cookbook. From Brenda's Kitchen — that's the working title. I cannot write the introduction without crying yet.

I went to the cemetery Saturday morning. Brenda's grave is on the hill at South-View. Curtis still goes most Sundays. I left a small bouquet of magnolias.

Miss Ernestine called Tuesday. She's ninety-something and sharp as ever. She told me my potato salad still needs more mustard.

Thursday I made cornbread for a sister at church whose husband had surgery. I dropped it off at the hospital. She cried at the door. I told her, eat the cornbread, baby. The food is the saying.

The neighbors had a Friday cookout this week. I brought my mac and cheese. They have come to expect this. I have come to expect this. The block is the block.

Wednesday Bible study at the church. We read through Proverbs. The women in my row argued about whether wisdom is built or born. I said both. They agreed, sort of.

The neighbors’ Friday cookout got me thinking about what I bring and why I bring it — the mac and cheese has become my signature on this block, but every now and then you want to surprise people, remind them you have range. The Stuffed Crust Pizza Braid is what I reach for when I want something that travels well, feeds a crowd without any fuss, and makes somebody’s eyes go wide when you set it on the table. Brenda would have called it showing off. I call it showing up. The block is the block, and the block deserves something golden.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 8—10

Ingredients

1 lb store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature
8 mozzarella string cheese sticks
1/2 cup pizza sauce, plus more for dipping
3 oz sliced pepperoni (about 40 slices)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper (optional)
1/4 cup finely diced onion (optional)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Allow pizza dough to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes if it hasn’t already — cold dough tears.
Roll the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough into a rectangle approximately 10 by 14 inches. Transfer it carefully to the prepared baking sheet.
Build the center. Spread the pizza sauce down the center third of the dough lengthwise, leaving about 1 inch clear at each short end. Layer the pepperoni over the sauce, then scatter the shredded mozzarella, diced bell pepper, and onion on top.
Place the string cheese. Lay the mozzarella string cheese sticks end-to-end in two rows along the length of the filling, running parallel to the long edges of the dough. These create the stuffed-crust pockets in each slice.
Cut and braid. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut diagonal strips about 1 inch wide along both long sides of the dough, stopping where the filling begins. Fold the short ends up over the filling to seal. Then alternate folding strips from each side over the center at an angle, overlapping slightly, to form a braid. Tuck and pinch the final strips to seal the ends.
Egg wash. Brush the entire surface of the braid evenly with the beaten egg. This gives you that deep golden color when it bakes.
Add the garlic butter. Stir together the melted butter, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning. Drizzle or brush half of it over the braid before it goes in the oven, and reserve the rest for right when it comes out.
Bake. Bake at 400°F for 22—26 minutes, until the braid is deep golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. If the top is browning too fast, tent loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
Finish and serve. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the remaining garlic butter. Sprinkle Parmesan and fresh parsley over the top. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with warm pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Stuffed Crust Pizza Braid — When the Block Expects You to Bring Something Good