I’ve always wanted to braid bread! And this took all of half an hour, from start to baked—only because of a secret shortcut.

I know, I know, I could have made my own dough. Except I…didn’t. Haha! I was making this the night before I would give it to a friend for her birthday, and it had been a long, hard day at work. I wanted to give my friend something homemade, but I didn’t have the energy to make dough, have it rise and roll it out. So I decided to compromise, something I rarely do. This one was a Pillsbury Bake-off finalist (1992), after all!

Along with the Pillsbury Pizza Crust, here are the other ingredients: Boursin cheese (one of my favorite things to eat!), Canadian bacon, pepperoni and eggs. You’ll also need some mozzarella and parmesan.

And really, this couldn’t be any easier! First, unroll the crust and press to size. Spread Boursin down the middle third of your dough rectangle, then top with the Canadian bacon and pepperoni.

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the cured meats, then the parmesan. Bacon+pepperoni+cheese=how can you go wrong?

With a sharp knife, make cuts down both sides of your dough about an inch long, to about a half inch from your fillings. Start “braiding” the dough by overlapping alternating strips, making sure to cover the yummy goodness inside.

What to do with the ends? Pinch them shut the way I did here, and tuck them underneath the dough to seal.

Step back and say, “Wowza!” (It’s so simple to do yet looks so impressive!)

Mix an eggyolk with some water, brush on top of your braided wonder and sprinkle some poppy seeds on top.

Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, and this is what you get.

Slice and dip in pizza sauce to enjoy. So good and so embarrassingly easy!

Here’s the RECIPE for this quick, savory treat. I hope you try your hand at it, too!

It was good practice for me, and now I want to try my hand at making my own dough and playing  with different fillings. I’m already thinking of a mediterranean-inspired one with feta cheese, artichoke hearts, black olives and roasted red peppers. Doesn’t that sound delicious?