Pizza Rolls

Is there anything more delicious than fresh warm pastries? savory or sweet; a freshly baked pastry that just came out of the oven is one of the most delicious things in the world. You just can’t go wrong with soft dough with filling.

Homemade brioche pastries are one of my biggest weaknesses. This is just the kind of foods I really like to make and of course eat. When it comes to savory pastries this is a real “disaster” to me. I simply cannot resist savory pastries no matter what.

For a long time, I wanted to make pizza rolls based on my regular pizza dough. I tried to make them in different designs; stuffed round rolls, braided knots and all sorts of other attempts. In the end, my favorite result was actually in the form similar to cinnamon rolls.

This trick of folding the filling inside the dough – as you do in making your rugelach and other pastries – gives a softer result. The layers of dough get moisture from the tomato sauce and cheese. While baking the cheese is bubbling, the sauce thickens and you get soft pizza rolls that are irresistible.

Looking for more delicious pastries? Try these: pizza croissant | Quick Cornbread Rolls | Soft Bagel with Seeds and Sea Salt | Za’atar and Olive Oil Challah

Pizza Rolls | Photo: Natalie Levin

Delicious! | Photo: Natalie Levin

For the dough:

500 grams 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
10 grams 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
30 ml. 2 tablespoons olive oil
10 grams 1 ½ tsp. of salt
30 grams 3 tablespoons sugar
275 ml 1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

For the filling:

200-250 grams of tomato sauce (store-bought or homemade)
5 slices about 150-200 grams of gouda or emental cheese
50 grams of parmesan cheese

For brushing:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Make the dough:

In a mixer bowl with a kneading attachment put flour, yeast, oil, salt, sugar and water and knead for 10-15 minutes until a uniform dough is obtained, smooth to the touch.
Form a ball from the dough and place in a bowl. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours or until the dough doubles in volume.

Design the rolls:

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and flour the top as well.
Roll into a rectangle about 1-2 cm thick.
Spread tomato sauce evenly and leave 1 cm at the edges.
Arrange slices of cheese in the bottom half of the rolled dough.
Grate parmesan over the entire rectangle.
Fold the dough like a book and rotate so that the fold seam line is perpendicular to the body.
Flour the work surface a little more and continue to roll the dough (with the filling inside), to a thickness of 1-2 cm.
Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut into 8 strips.
Roll each strip into a rose shape and place in a baking pan lined with baking paper.
Cover and allow rising for 30-60 minutes or until the rolls almost double in volume.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius degrees.
Brush the rolls with a little olive oil and place in the oven.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden and firm to the touch.
Remove from the oven and brush with olive oil.
Cool for a few minutes (just so it doesn’t boil) and serve hot.

If you want, you can add toppings over the cheese to taste, just like in a regular pizza. Olives, mushrooms, pepperoni, tuna or any other addition will work great here.
The rolls are at their best on the day of baking, when they are hot and fresh.
You can freeze the rolls for up to a month. It is important and recommended to heat in the oven before serving.
It is important not to give up brushing with olive oil before and after baking, which gives extra moisture to the dough and a shiny and beautiful look to the prepared rolls.
You can use ready-made or homemade tomato sauce.