Cheesy-Stuffed Monkey Bread With Roasted Garlic

Ingredients

• 2 heads garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese,
• 1 heaping tablespoon Calabrian chili paste
• One 16-ounce block low-moisture mozzarella cheese
• Flour, for dusting
• 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Lop off the top-third from each head of garlic to expose the cloves, and place them on a sheet of foil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in the foil and roast in the oven until soft and golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool before handling.

Lower the oven to 350˚F.

Lightly coat the inside of a 10- or 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

Squeeze the roasted cloves of garlic into a medium mixing bowl. With a potato masher or fork, smash the garlic cloves to form a paste. Stir in melted butter, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, grated cheese and Calabrian chili paste.

Cut the block of cheese in half. Grate 1/2 and cut the other half into 16 equal (ish) cubes.

Dust a work surface with flour and place pizza dough on top. Pat into a round shape, then halve dough. Cut each half into 8 equal pieces. Push 1 cheese cube into each piece of pizza dough and roll in clean hands to form a sealed ball.

Roll each ball in the roasted garlic mixture and arrange 8 in the bottom of the Bundt pan. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella between each cheese-stuffed ball. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top of the first layer and arrange remaining 8 cheese-stuffed balls on top.

Bake until golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small rubber spatula, being sure to loosen underneath as well. Invert a plate, platter or baking sheet over the Bundt pan and flip to release the monkey bread.