These Air Fryer Pizza Bread Sticks, with a golden, crispy crust and melty cheese filling, are the ultimate pizza dippers, topped with savory pepperoni for extra flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1 tube or roll refrigerated pizza crust dough (avoid using thin-style dough)
- 50 pepperoni slices
- 10 mozzarella cheese sticks
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. fresh minced or dried parsley
- Pizza or marinara sauce, for dipping
Instructions:
- Lay the pizza dough on a clean, lightly floured surface.
- Unroll the dough and roll it into a rectangle using a rolling pin. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 5 smaller rectangles.
- Place 4 pepperoni slices in a row on each rectangle and top with a mozzarella cheese stick.
- Starting at the long side of each rectangle, carefully roll up the dough around the pepperoni and cheese. Fold in the ends of the dough to seal the fillings inside. Pinch the seams to ensure the cheese doesn’t escape during baking.
- Place the prepared breadsticks in the air fryer basket, making sure they don’t touch.
- Melt the butter and stir in garlic powder and parsley. Gently brush the mixture over the dough. To Air Fry:
- Air fry at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. You may need to cook in batches. To Bake:
- Place the breadsticks on a greased baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Once cooked, brush the warm breadsticks with more melted butter and serve with pizza or marinara sauce for dipping.
Notes:
- You can use any cheese stick you like (cheddar, colby jack, etc.). If you choose cheddar, try dipping the breadsticks in salsa instead of marinara.
- Feel free to use any refrigerated dough, either homemade or store-bought.
- For meal prep, freeze assembled breadsticks on a sheet pan. Once frozen solid, store them in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 325°F for about 20 minutes, or until golden.
- For dipping sauces, try ranch dressing or a BBQ-ranch combo for variety.
- A heavy-duty baking sheet promotes even browning and deeper flavors when baking these breadsticks in the oven.
