Pizza Roll-Ups

Some of my best ideas come to me in the middle of the night when I can't sleep, which isn't often because honestly, I love sleep, but on those rare nights that I toss and turn, crazy ideas come to me. Like how to rearrange my kids rooms so we can fit a Lego table, or how in the world we can save up money to take the family to Disneyland. Or like my blue-ribbon apple pie. It had apples and a pecan streusel and spiced whipped topping. It was delish. And it won me $100 at a local fall festival. But that's another story.

On one of these other non-sleeping nights, not so long ago, I was trying to figure out how to use up the rest of our pepperoni from pizza night. Hmm....got it! Pizza roll-ups! Like cinnamon rolls but without with cinnamon. I was so excited to try it out.

First, if you aren't using store-bought pizza dough, you'll want to make your own. I use the pizza dough from Our Best Bites. It's a no-fail recipe for me.

You want to add the sugar, water, and yeast and let it sit about 10 minutes until its nice and bubbly/frothy looking. Add the salt and 1 1/2 cups flour and mix. Gradually add more flour until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl and it's barely sticky.

Shape the dough into a ball and put into a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let sit for about 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size...

...like this. I cheated and sat the bowl outside for about 1/2 hour. It was nice and warm outside, nothing like my air conditioned kitchen.

Now on to the star of the show, unintentionally. I played around with pizza sauce recipes from several websites and added a little bit of everything I loved. Most call for sugar, but I found one that called for honey, and for some reason it's made a huge difference. That and a small dash of cayenne pepper, and that's saying a lot coming from me because I'm not a huge fan of spicy dishes, but a little gives this pizza sauce an amazing flavor.

Add all the ingredients in a bowl, just like this. You want to make this at least a half hour before using it so the ingredients can become best friends.

Stir, stir, stir.

Once your dough has risen, roll it out on a greased or floured countertop unti it's about 18 inches long and 6 or so inches wide. I never measure, I just go with what looks good :) Add the pizza sauce, reserving about 1/3 cup, leaving about a 1-inch border, then add your toppings. Honestly, you can use whatever you want, but we went with mozzerella cheese and pepperoni. Olives would be nice. So would Italian sausage crumbles. Whatever your little heart desires. Be generous!!!

Startling at the bottom, roll up your dough like you would cinnamon rolls, making sure to roll the toppings along with the dough so they don't all pile up at the end.

Using string or waxed dental floss, cut the dough into 1-inch rolls. Place each roll in a greased 9x13-inch pan, close but not touching.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it's preheating, spoon the remainder of the pizza sauce on each roll and top with a little mozzerella or Parmesan cheese. Let rise until oven is preheated.

Check out this ooey-gooeyness. And yes, they are as delicious as they look.

Pizza Roll-Ups

by Kelli

PIZZA DOUGH, courtesy Our Best Bites

1 1/2 cups warm (105-115 degrees) water

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp yeast

1/2 tsp salt

3-4 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl (preferably of a mixer) combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your fingers.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and put the dough in the bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Spray a countertop with cooking spray (or use flour) and roll dough to 18x6 inches, give or take.

PIZZA SAUCE

1 (6 fluid 0z) can tomato paste

6 fluid oz warm water (just use the tomato paste can to measure)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp honey

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Let sit for at least half hour before using so flavors can blend.

PIZZA ROLLS

Spread the pizza sauce on the rolled out pizza dough, reserving 1/3 cup, leaving a 1-inch border. Add toppings of your choice. I recommend mozzerella cheese, pepperoni, Italian sausage, and olives. Be generous, you want it to be flavorful!

Roll up, jelly-roll style, making sure to tuck toppings as you go, otherwise they all get pushed to the end. Using dental floss or string, cut rolls about 1-inch thick. Place each roll in a greased 9x13-inch pan, close but not touching. You can also place each one in a muffin tin. Top each roll with a spoonful of the reserved pizza sauce and any extra cheese, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While you are waiting for the oven to warm up, allow your rolls to rise. Bake 18-20 minutes or until tops are browned and insides are cooked through. If the tops are browning too fast, lay a piece of foil on top. This will stop the direct heat from burning the rolls.

Serve warm.