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Pizza Rolls

Source of Recipe

From "Classic Snacks Made from Scratch" by Casey Barber


Recipe Introduction

"I think I've discovered the secret to Totino's pizza rolls. The little nibbles mount a big offensive attack, scalding the mouth with a blast of molten sauce at first bite to obscure the fact that the taste is seriously gnarly. For the homemade iteration, I'm rebuilding the roll completely. Homemade dough, real mozzarella, high-quality pepperoni, and - most importantly - my bedrock favorite marina sauce are the tools of the trade here."

List of Ingredients

Sauce:
◦  1 Tbsp olive oil
◦  1 small yellow onion, diced
◦  2 large cloves garlic, minced
◦  1 pinch kosher salt
◦  1 pinch red chili flakes
◦  1 small carrot, peeled and finely shredded
◦  1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Dough:
◦  2 cups (8½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
◦  1 tsp kosher salt
◦  1 large egg, beaten
◦  ½ cup water

Filling:
◦  ½ cup diced mozzarella cheese cubes, about ¼-inch size
◦  ½ cup diced pepperoni cubes, about ¼-inch size

Frying:
Vegetable or canola oil


Recipe

Make the Sauce:
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic, pinch of salt, and chili flakes and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onions are very soft and translucent. Add the carrots and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 1 hour, until the sauce has darkened and thickened slightly. You'll end up with more sauce than you need for this recipe; make spaghetti for dinner!

Make the Dough:
Stir the flour, salt, egg, and water together in a large bowl, using a fork or your hands, until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and supple.

Assemble the Rolls:
Line a rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper. Cut the dough ball in half. Reserve half while you roll the rest into a thin 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Seriously, roll it as thin as you humanly can; it'll bounce back, sort of like pizza dough. Using a pastry or pizza cutter, slice the large dough rectangle into 12 (4-by-2-inch) rectangles. Pull them apart from each other or they'll try to rejoin, like little amoebas.

Using your fingers, stretch each small rectangle as thin as possible until almost translucent. Fill half of each piece with a few mozzarella cubes, a few pepperoni cubes, and a dollop of sauce. Fold the unfilled half on top to make a tiny hot-pocket-style pizza roll; press the edges to seal well. Carefully transfer the completed rolls to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. When all the dough rectangles are filled, place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 1 hour. When frozen through, the rolls can be transferred to a freezer bag and kept frozen for up to 3 months.

Cook the Pizza Rolls:
Heat at least 2 inches of vegetable or canola oil to 350° F in an electric deep fryer or large, high-sided pot. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and an upside-down wire cooling rack.

Fry the frozen pizza rolls, in batches if necessary, until golden brown and floating. Frying time will vary based on your appliance, but should take no more than 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet with heatproof tongs or a metal skimmer or mesh strainer and cool for 1 minute before serving. Serve the pizza rolls immediately.



Makes 24 pizza rolls


â—¦ I can't condone it, but...
They won't be nearly as doughy, ending up more like fried pizza crackers than soft pillows, but premade wonton wrappers can sub in for homemade dough in a pinch. I'll avert my eyes.