Stuffed Pizza Rolls

I try really hard to make elegant, sophisticated dishes. This is not one of them.

However, it is easy, delicious, and has wide appeal. I made it for an Oktoberfest party, but it would be perfect for a football-watching gathering or any type of party.

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Pizza crust dough (homemade or storebought — I used the kind of dough in a tube that you roll out)
1 package mini pepperonis
Mozzarella cheese
Pizza or tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
Dried basil
Olive oil
Roll out the dough. Using a pizza cutter, slice it into squares about 2 square inches.  In the middle of each square, place two to three mini pepperonis, a sprinkle of mozzeralla cheese, and a dollop of tomato sauce. Wrap up each square, pinching it tight to close the roll securely.

Place each bundle in a pie pan. The unbaked rolls will not fill up the pan, so just space them evenly. They will rise and expand during baking and fill the whole pan.  Brush oil on top of the rolls and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and basil.

Bake at 350 degrees until the tops of the rolls are browned. Serve with additional pizza sauce.

Breakfast Pizza (or “Brizza”)

When you have guests this holiday season and want to make them a breakfast that’s a bit out of the ordinary, try this recipe for breakfast pizza — or “brizza.”

Photo by Tony J. Lewis Jr.

For the dough
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar

For the toppings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch basil, chopped
1 roma tomato, thinly sliced
4 slices bacon
Fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 eggs
Freshly cracked pepper

To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in warm water in a small bowl. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. In a large bowl (a stand mixer works well for this), combine the bread flour, olive oil, salt, sugar, and yeast mixture. Beat until the dough stiffens. Cover and let it rise until it’s doubled in volume, or about 30 minutes.

While the dough is rising, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Lay it on a plate covered in a paper towel to drain, and then chop it roughly.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball. Working slowly, stretch it out into a thin pizza shape. Brush olive oil onto the surface and put it in the oven for 5-7 minutes to prebake.

Remove the crust from the oven and sprinkle garlic over it, followed by the basil and bacon. Arrange the tomato and mozzarella slices on top. Crack the eggs on top of the pizza pie and return the pizza to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown, the mozzarella is slightly browned, and the egg yolks are set.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the top with any remaining basil and freshly ground black pepper.

Note: To speed thing up, buy pre-made pizza dough. Both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have excellent dough, and it can be frozen if necessary.