Pesto Pizza Rolls

It's almost Super Bowl time!! Football fans of any team will love these Pesto Pizza Rolls. They are chock full of flavor and the best part...they won't break the bank. This recipe makes 20 rolls but can easily be doubled. They can also be made a day ahead, leaving you time to actually sit down and enjoy the game!

Pesto with gooey cheese and spicy pepperoni...
perfection in my book!

Pizza Rolls
Ingredients:
1 recipe for Pizza dough (found here)
1/4 cup of prepared pesto (more or less according to your taste)
4-6 ounces thin sliced pepperoni
4 ounces of shredded mozzarella
marinara for dipping

Directions:
Divide dough into two equal portions. Roll out one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to about a 12x6 rectangle.
Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto onto the dough then layer the pepperoni on and sprinkle half the cheese on top of that. Roll-up dough cinnamon roll style, pinching the seam to seal.
Cut into 10 equal pieces. Place on parchment paper. Repeat with second piece of dough. Let rise for 20-25 minutes.
Heat oven to 375, bake for 20-25min. Just until tops start to brown.
Serve with warmed marinara.

Yield: 20 rolls

Note: If making ahead, only cook for 15 minutes and let cool completely before storing in the fridge or freezer. When time to use, preheat oven to 350 and cook for approx. 7 minutes.

Pizza, Pizza!

There is something about snow days that brings on the pizza cravings. The smell fills the house and the oven warms the kitchen, I LOVE it!

This dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas but I usually double the recipe and freeze the extra two pizzas. To freeze the pizzas all you have to do is roll the crusts out to desired thickness, bake for 8 minutes at 425 then let cool before topping with your favorite toppings, wrap in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil and freeze. I write the cooking directions on the foil with a permanent marker before freezing (12-15 minutes at 425). Its perfect for those quick dinners on weeknights.

Sprinkle a little cornmeal before rolling out the dough. This gives a nice texture to the bottom of the crust and also prevents it from sticking to the cooking surface.

Top with whatever your heart desires. Our go to toppings are pepperoni and bell pepper pizza on the left and skillet bacon and pineapple on the right.

 

Bake for 20 minutes at 425, cheese should be melted in the middle and crust a light brown.

Enjoy!

 

Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of luke warm water
• 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of yeast (or 1 packet)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Place ingredients in stand mixer bowl in the order listed. Attach dough hook and mix/knead the dough for 5-7 minutes until smooth, starting at the lowest speed increasing after the first 2 minutes or so. Dough should be slightly tacky but not stick to fingers.
Place in a greased bowl and let rise in a draft free spot for 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
Dump dough onto lightly floured surface, divide into 2 equal pieces.
Roll out to desired thickness. Top with favorite toppings.
Bake at 425 for 18-20 minutes, cheese should be melted in the middle and crust light brown.

Bread machine:
Place ingredients into bread pan according to manufacture's direction. Select the dough cycle. When dough cycle is complete continue directions from the point of rolling out the dough.

By hand:
Place everything but the flour in a bowl, mix with a wooden spoon adding the flour one cup at a time. When it becomes too hard to mix with the spoon, dump on a well floured surface and knead in the remaining flour. Continue to knead until dough transforms from a lumpy mess to a smooth, elastic dough (3-7 minutes).

I think its important to actually be familiar with and feel how the dough changes while kneading it, that way you can recognize it by sight when using a mixer.


Yield: two 14" pizza crusts

Whip up a batch of marshmallow bark while the pizzas are baking, they will be set and ready to devour by the time you have finished eating your pizza!