How to Make our Family Favourite Pizza Rolls!
These pull apart pizza rolls are like a cinnamon rolls… but pizza! There are a lot of steps to the recipe but they’re actually not difficult to make! I love them as a more hands off prep option than pizza. While we love to make pizzas for a crowd and do all the time, someone has to be cooking right up until the moment you serve the meal. With these pizza rolls you’re done with prep 1.5 hours before you serve them because these rolls rise and bake and need no attention. We love them for serving when we’re watching a game, for a party, or as a dish to bring and share.
Equipment and Ingredients I use for this recipe
This is a really simple recipe in terms of what you need, but below are some kitchen staples I use all the time. You can also find most of them in charity shops over time, so you don’t need to buy new! If you want a smaller batch of rolls, you can halve this recipe of or divide the dough in two. It then works well in the 10″ skillets below which are my most favourite multi use, sustainable, non toxic kitchen item. The Lodge one below is what I have and have love for years!
If you’re in the UK, THIS is the passata and THIS is my top yeast and flour choice via Abel and Cole. You can currently get 50% off your first and 4th veg box from them with the code ABELKEZIA HERE. The organic GOTS certified dish cloths listed below are also 20% off currently from Abel and Cole HERE!
In the US, Thrive Market can be a great option if you struggle to find speciality ingredients like organic flours. It ships everywhere and you can get 40% off your first order HERE.
US options I love:
UK options I love:
Substitutions for this Recipe
These pizza rolls are very flexible in terms of fillings so make them yours! You can make them vegan with no cheese, replace it with vegan cheese. Pesto or béchamel pizza rolls are delicious in place of tomato sauce. The butter can all be exchanged for olive oil, I wouldn’t recommend a seed oil as I think it alters the taste. On flour, you can use white, wholewheat or spelt flour. The pizza rolls do need a gluten flour though so they can’t be made gluten free with this recipe! THIS is a great gluten free pizza we make and love!
Family Favourite Pizza Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl for Mixing
- 1 12" x 16" Oven Dish for Baking
- 1 12" piece of Cotton to cut the Rolls
Ingredients
Homemade Pizza Sauce
- 1 1/4 Cups Tomato Passata
- 1/4 Cup Butter or Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Pizza Dough
- 4 1/2 Cups Flour You can go white, wholewheat or spelt. I like a 50:50 mix of white and wholewheat.
- 1/4 Cup Soft Butter or Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Cups Room Temperature Water
- 4 tsp Dry active yeast
Toppings
- 10 oz Cheese
- Any other toppings you want!
Instructions
To Make the Sauce
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a pan over a low to medium heat. Cover with a lid leaving space for the steam to escape so the sauce can thicken.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until it has reduced slightly and thickened into a pizza sauce consistency and smells wonderful!
- Set to the side until you're ready to use it. You can cool, seal and refrigerate it for 3 days before using.
To make the Dough
- Add the flour, salt, yeast and soft butter to a large bowl and mix it together.
- Slowly add the water, mixing it to combine until you have a shaggy ball of dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes until it's stretchy and elastic. You should be able to gently stretch it without it breaking. If you're not familiar with kneading, you want to fold and press the dough over and over again, turning it in between folds.
- Cover the ball of dough with a dish cloth and leave the dough to stand for about 10 minutes. While it stands, gather your toppings and make sure you have a large space clear to make the rolls, and lightly grease your oven safe baking dish.
To Assemble the Pizza Rolls
- Tip the ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to stretch it into a long rectangle. You can roll it with a rolling pin, but I usually just stretch it with my fingers. You want to stretch it to about a 10" by 24" rectangle in a "landscape" orientation in front of you i.e. with the long side of the rectangle facing you. Note: Make sure it's not stuck to the surface as it will be really hard to roll. Iff it is stuck at all, gently release it with a palette knife, flour the top and flip it over.
- Spread the tomato sauce (or pesto is a great option too!) evenly over the whole of the dough right up to the edges.
- Spread the cheese and any other toppings over the dough evenly. Again you want to take the toppings right to the edges.
- Starting with the long edge close to you, begin to roll the large pizza rectangle into a long sausage. Go slowly and work back and forth along the long side until it's fully rolled.
- To cut the rolls, take a piece of cotton and slide it under one end of the roll about 1" down from the end. Leave cotton sticking out both sides so you can grab it at both ends. then cross the ends over the roll at the top and pull them to cut the roll. It creates a really clean cut. Note: If you have chunky toppings they can get caught in the cotton as you pull it, it's ok – it still works and it's a cleaner method than a knife that crushes the rolls.
- Put the roll in the corner of the dish and cut the next roll. If you cut them at about an inch or a little over, you'll get 20 rolls which is 5 down the long side of your dish, and 4 across the short side.
- When all the rolls are cut and their places in the pan, cover with a clean dish cloth and let them rise fro 30 minutes to an hour.
- Preheat the oven to a medium heat 175C/350F and when it's heated, put the rolls in.
- Cook the rolls for 35 minutes and then pull them out to test. If you have an oven without a fan assist, they may need 5 minutes more. Carefully pull out one roll and make sure it's fluffy at the top and bottom and not doughy. If it's doughy, pop them back in for another 5 minutes.
- We like to serve them right from the dish with chopped veggies or salad. You can also transfer them to a serving tray to avoid serving on a hot baking dish.
- Optional: You can sprinkle over some more cheese 5 minutes before pulling them out of the oven, drizzle over some pesto, or top with fresh basil leave, get creative and use what you have!
