Merciful God, You are great in compassion and Your tenderness for us is without measure. We ask You to give us today our daily bread, and also provide for the needs of all of Your hungry children around the world. Through Christ Your Son and Our Lord. Amen.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Pizza Rolls

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Lunch is such an issue in my house. My picky children just don't like to eat the same thing all the time. I could eat peanut butter and jelly every day. They balk if I serve the same thing two weeks in a row. Most of the time I just ignore their complaints, but once in a great while I create something new, and to their liking. These pizza rolls were created to shush them. They are just like cinnamon rolls, but with pizza toppings inside instead of cinnamon and sugar. They are really yummy. I used pepperoni and cheese, but you could use cooked sausage, or veggies, or make it into something else entirely -- like corned beef, Swiss and sauerkraut, or ham and Swiss with Dijon mayo -- the possibilities are endless. They would be great to serve at a party or for a ball game on the television.




Pizza Rolls
serves 6

Printer version

1 cup warm water
2 t. yeast (or one package)
2 T. sugar
2 T. olive oil
1 t. salt
3 - 3 1/2 cups flour (amount needed depends on brand of flour and humidity)

6 oz. package sliced pepperoni
8 oz. package shredded pizza cheese (or mozzarella)
14 can pizza sauce, or 2 cups homemade

Combine water, yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add 1 c. flour, oil and salt and mix with dough hook until dough forms (or if mixing by hand, with a spoon). Add flour, 1/4 c. at a time, kneading at low speed until a smooth elastic dough forms,
about 5 minutes, in mixer (or if kneading by hand, turn onto floured surface
and knead until smooth and elastic). Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise about one hour, until doubled. Punch down. Roll dough out into a rectangle 24 inches long and about 10 inches wide on a lightly floured surface.

Spread with about 2/3 cup sauce. Place pepperoni and cheese in bowl of food processor and pulse until chopped finely (but not pureed -- see picture of mixture). Spread pepperoni mixture over sauce. Roll up from long side and pinch edges to seal.



Cut in half and then cut each half in half. Cut each quarter into three pieces for a total of twelve rolls. Place rolls in a greased 13 x 9 pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. and when preheated, bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until rolls are golden brown and when poked in the middle look completely baked.

Let cool for 10 minutes or so and serve with leftover sauce warmed up.

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6 comments:

Charlotte (WaltzingM) said...

How funny! My picky kids LOVE to eat the same thing every day for lunch while I am the one who likes variety. These look yummy enough that I think they would try them!

Wayne said...

These look awesome! I wonder if you could add a little something to them by creating a sort of creamy garlic dressing to drizzle over the top like icing. MMMMMM...

Sara said...

I might have to try those. I like Wayne's garlic dressing idea.

Plain Chicken said...

Looks good. We love pizza at our house.

Anonymous said...

Can you make these rolls ahead of time but freeze or fridge them before baking?

Barbara said...

Anon,
You could definitely prep these and put them in the fridge. They will still rise slightly even at cold temps, so you can let them rise a little after you cut the rolls, but don't let them get quite double in size. When ready to serve, take them out of the fridge, allow them to warm up a little at room temp while you preheat the oven, and allow a little bit longer baking time.
You probably could freeze them, but I would bake them almost all the way, cool them, wrap in foil and freeze. Then when you're ready to serve, thaw and bake until golden brown and hot throughout.