I Make My Grandma’s 3-Ingredient Sausage Bread for Cozy Winter Mornings

It’s a Southern classic that only needs three ingredients to make.

By
Jessica Furniss
Jessica Furniss
Jessica Furniss
Jessica's food writing and photography have appeared in Food & Wine, MyRecipes, and on billboards. Currently, she specializes in creating how-to articles on baking and creative charcuterie boards for Simply Recipes, Allrecipes, and Southern Living. 
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Published December 17, 2025
Jessica Furniss
Sliced loaf of bread with a sausage filling

Simply Recipes / Jessica Furniss
  • Just three ingredients (frozen bread dough, sausage, and mozzarella) yield a filling, flavorful breakfast loaf that's easy to make at home.
  • The bread bakes up golden and fluffy, with melty cheese and savory sausage inside.
  • You can cook the sausage and thaw the dough the night before to save time in the morning.

There’s nothing quite like waking up cozy and warm on a cold winter morning at my grandma’s house to the aroma of her freshly baked sausage bread. As a child, I remember watching her in adoration as she’d spread sausage and cheese onto bread dough, then gently stretch the dough around the filling to form beautiful loaves.

Even now, in my thirties, when I go for a visit, I’ll catch my grandma in the kitchen at night prepping the delicious breakfast for the next day. She’s always known how to make a recipe stretch to feed all of us, and with 12 grandkids and lots of great-grandkids, there are a lot of mouths to feed. 

My grandma’s stuffed sausage bread recipe only requires three ingredients: store-bought frozen bread dough, breakfast sausage, and shredded mozzarella cheese. She could make a pound of sausage and an 8-ounce bag of shredded cheese spread out enough to fill three loaves of Ready-Dough for three huge loaves of sausage bread that fed us all.

I will often follow her recipe to have extra loaves to give away to friends and family, but if I’m just making it for my partner and me, one loaf is plenty.

Stuffed sausage bread sliced open to show its filling on a wooden surface

Simply Recipes / Jessica Furniss

When it comes to recipes, I’m willing to make for breakfast during the holidays, there are really only two requirements: they need to be easy and packed with flavor. With just three steps and outstanding texture and taste, this sausage bread hits the mark every time. I hope it will become a tradition for you and your family as well. 

Key Ingredients

When it comes to the bread I use for this classic Southern recipe, I always go with Bridgford Ready-Dough. It comes in a three-pack, and if you thaw the dough overnight in the fridge, it will be ready to bake in the morning. The texture and flavor are honestly better than any of my personal homemade bread efforts, so I always opt for the store-bought variety. If you can’t find Bridgford, Rhodes Bake-N-Serv 1-pound loaves is another option to look for.

I’ve tried a variety of ground breakfast sausage for this stuffed sausage bread recipe, but classic Jimmy Dean always ends up being my favorite because it crumbles really nicely and has a rich, wonderfully spiced flavor. This recipe is also great with flavored sausage, like hot or sweet, or even vegetarian sausage crumbles, so don’t be afraid to add your favorite type of sausage. 

Mozzarella is my favorite cheese for this sausage bread because it melts so well, but I’ve also used sliced provolone and shredded Italian blend cheese, and they both work well, too. I do think it’s best to stick with a melty cheese, but otherwise feel free to experiment and find which cheese you like best. 

Sliced stuffed bread with a sausage filling on a wooden board

Simply Recipes / Jessica Furniss

Tips for Making My Grandma’s Stuffed Sausage Bread

  • Stretch instead of rolling: Ready-Dough tends to be very elastic in nature and springs back when rolled, so I always use my fingers to gently pull and stretch it to shape it instead of rolling it with a rolling pin. 
  • Don’t underbake: Your bread will start to brown around the 30-minute mark, but resist the urge to pull it out too soon. In my experience, it needs at least a full 45 minutes of baking time to cook all the way through. I always wait until it has a rich golden brown color before pulling it out of the oven.
  • Don’t overfill: This recipe is stuffed with sausage and cheese, but when you cut into the bread, it may look like mostly bread and not enough filling. That just means you’ve done it right! After years of testing, this is my preferred ratio of filling to bread. If you really want to stuff it, you can opt for an entire pound of sausage per loaf, but it will be a bit more challenging to wrap the dough around the filling, and the bread will have a little more trouble rising, so it won’t be quite as fluffy. 

Can You Make Stuffed Sausage Bread Ahead of Time?

I don’t recommend making this bread ahead of time because it’s just so good fresh out of the oven. However, it is a good idea to cook the sausage the night before and thaw the bread dough overnight so you only need to assemble it in the morning. 

Two slices of bread packed with cooked sausage filling served on a red plate

Simply Recipes / Jessica Furniss

More Special Holiday Breakfasts

Grandma’s 3-Ingredient Stuffed Sausage Bread

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 55 mins
Rise and Cool 75 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 20 mins
Servings 8 to 10 servings
Yield 1 loaf

The easiest way to thaw the frozen bread dough is to pop it in the fridge, loosely covered with plastic wrap, the night before you want to bake. Bridgford Ready-Dough also has instructions for how to thaw the bread dough in the microwave or oven. These methods work fine; they’re just a little extra work. Easily double this recipe by thawing out a second loaf of bread dough, cooking the full 16-ounce package of breakfast sausage, and using the entire 8-ounce bag of shredded mozzarella.

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Ingredients

  • 8 ounces ground breakfast sausage (half a 16-ounce bulk package such as Jimmy Dean Regular)

  • All-purpose flour, for dusting work surface

  • 1 (1-pound) loaf frozen white bread dough (such as Brigford Ready-Dough), thawed

  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

Method

  1. Cook the sausage:

    In a medium skillet, cook the breakfast sausage over medium heat, stirring and breaking it up into crumbles, until it’s cooked through and no pink remains, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease and set aside to cool.

    Simple Tip!

    You can do this step the night before (while also thawing the frozen bread dough) to make prep easier in the morning when serving this for breakfast. Transfer the cooked sausage to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

  2. Stretch out the dough:

    Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it with flour. Place the thawed dough on the prepared baking sheet and use your fingers to gently press and stretch it into a  rectangle about 7x12 inches in size, with the long edge facing you. It may spring back some during this step; get it as far as you can and let it rest for a few minutes to relax before stretching it further as needed.

  3. Fill and shape the loaf:

    Sprinkle the shredded cheese and then the cooked sausage in the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the shorter sides and a 2-inch border on one of the long sides of the dough. 

    Fold the shorter sides in on top of themselves about an inch. Then, roll the long edge up to the center and pull the other long edge over to meet it. Pinch the longer edges together to create a seam. Carefully flip the loaf over so the seam is facing down and gently tuck the ends under.

  4. Let rise:

    Lay a clean kitchen towel over the shaped loaf on the baking sheet and allow it to rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

  5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
  6. Score and bake:

    Use a sharp knife to score three diagonal slits into the top of the risen loaf, being sure to cut fully through the dough. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake until the crust is deep golden brown and the loaf is cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes.

  7. Cool and serve:

    Allow the bread to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving warm. 

    Store leftover stuffed sausage bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, heat slices in the microwave in 15-second intervals until warmed through.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
331 Calories
16g Fat
35g Carbs
12g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 331
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 6g 29%
Cholesterol 27mg 9%
Sodium 578mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 151mg 12%
Iron 2mg 12%
Potassium 166mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.