Pizza Rolls

We love pizza.  

Okay, who doesn't love pizza?  

There's someone around this house (cough-Grant) who is particularly fond of  Barbecue Chicken Bacon Pizza, so that's what I usually make.  A couple of times a month at least. 

Not that I'm complaining...I love it too.....but it is nice to have different flavors once in awhile.

I recently had the chance to make some appetizers for a get-together and 

decided to make these Pizza Rolls.  

Homemade dough stuffed with pepperoni or bacon, two kinds of cheese, and some spices,

rolled up into an easy-to-grab-and-dip-into-pizza-sauce form.  

To be honest, I was worried that the cheese would leak out and make a huge mess,but thankfully, that wasn't the case at all.

We thought they were great!  

Since I actually made a double batch of this and we had tons of leftovers, we were delighted to munch away on them for lunch for a couple of days as well, although the kids actually preferred them plain, no sauce.  

Recipe: adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

 (makes 2 pizzas, which is 22-24 rolls)

*Pizza Dough

• 1 T. instant yeast
• 1 cups very warm water (110°-115°)
• 1 T. sugar or honey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 T. olive oil
• 3 cups flour (I use at least half white whole wheat)

1 t. garlic salt

2 t. Italian seasoning (or just basil if you prefer)

1/2 cup sliced turkey pepperoni

1/2 cup cooked turkey bacon, chopped

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or pepperjack)

1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

For pizza dough:

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Allow to sit a few minutes until it gets foamy.

Add salt, oil, and gradually stir in flour until dough forms into a ball.  Knead by hand or with a dough hook in your mixer for 5-6 minutes.  Remove from bowl, grease the bowl, return the dough to the bowl and cover with a damp towel or greased wax paper.  Allow to rise in a fairly warm place for 20-30 minutes. 

To make the Rolls:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Divide dough in half.  Roll each half into a rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches long.  Just think about the size of a piece of notebook paper.

Sprinkle each half with equal amounts of garlic salt, Italian seasoning, cheeses, and pepperoni or bacon (or both!).  Starting at a short end (oops, I think I started at a long side....and they turned out just fine, so I guess it doesn't matter!) roll up dough tightly to form a log.  Slice into 1-inch pieces.  Place rolls on lightly greased baking sheets (or use Silpat liners - works great!).  Bake for 10 minutes or until browned on top.  Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Linked to Life as Mom Ultimate Recipe Swap: Grains