Italian Sausage Bread

This is an appetizer that my husband's Italian grandmother used to make when he was a kid. When we married, he made it for my family at the holidays and now it's our most requested dish. It's so easy and everyone will think you slaved over it. This recipe makes two loaves, and trust me, you'll want to make both. Grandma Tallini makes her own bread dough of course, and you can too, but I find pizza dough from the local pizzeria or from the supermarket deli works just as good and saves me a lot of time. Same thing goes for the marinara.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• 1  lb  ground  sweet Italian sausage (links are fine, just take them out of the casings)
• 1  tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1⁄4 cup salted butter
• 1  teaspoon dried parsley
• 2  medium onions, coarsely chopped (white or yellow)
•  salt and pepper
• 4  cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2  pizza dough, balls
• 1  egg white
• 2  cups  marinara sauce (for dipping)

Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil, set aside.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions, salt, pepper and parsley. Cook onions until they are translucent, then add the garlic. Cook the onions until they are carmelized.
3. Remove the onions to a bowl, leaving the extra butter in the pan.
4. Put the sausage into pan and chop it into bite sized chunks. Cook the sausage until it is browned.
5. Add the onions back to the pan with the sausage and cover with a lid. Simmer on low heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. DO NOT let it burn.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.
7. Flour a surface and roll out one dough ball with a rolling pin until it is the size of a large pizza. Try not to let it get any thin spots or holes.
8. When the sausage mixture is finished, use a slotted spoon to scoop half of it onto the dough and spread it evenly over the surface. You will save the other half for the second dough. Cover with a layer of half the shredded mozzarella.
9. Roll the dough up like a cinnamon roll, but tuck in the ends like a burrito before you get to the end of the roll.
10. Lay it with the flap down on the cookie sheet and brush with the egg white.
11. Bake in the oven until golden brown, approximately 25-30 minutes. After baking, let the bread rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
12. Repeat process for second loaf.
13. Slice and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.