Pizza Buns

I have made pecan rolls many, many times now.  They're glorious.  Sweet, sticky and delectable, these sweet buns have made their way into birthday parties, Thanksgiving, and random days.  But you know me: I am not a big fan of sweets, so imagine my excitement when I saw this recipe for savory buns!  Pizza buns!!!!  Pizza buns, people.

They are basically pizza rolled up into a beautiful little roll, and you can customize them however you want.  I added just cheese to mine, but put some chopped up pepperoni into Mark's.  Maybe next time I could add some vegetables too.  The options are endless.

I did make my own pizza dough and sauce, because, why not?  Then I rolled the dough out thin, added sauce and desired toppings, and rolled it back up.  I used my excellent secret cutting technique: a piece of string wrapped around the log of dough, bringing both ends together to squeeze out a perfectly round roll.  Then bake, and voila: pizza buns.  These were absolutely wonderful right out of the oven (and dunked in the leftover sauce!), but I popped them into Mark's and my lunch bags for the next week and they were great at room temperature as well.  These are definitely make-agains.  Are you looking for a cute appetizer a for Christmas party?  Add some fresh basil and you have a red and green snack that will be loved by kids and adults alike.

With that said, I have an ugly sweater party tonight and my cookie swap tomorrow.  Lots of recipes to come... not the best time to be hit with a bad cold!  Off to finish my snack and take some medicine to get me through :)

Recipe:

pizza buns
from Fresh Mama
makes 16 - 20 buns

Ingredients:
for dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup warm water
for sauce:
1 14-ounce can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
toppings:
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pepperoni or sausage, chopped
olive oil spray

Instructions:

1) Place warm water, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer with hook attachment.  Slowly add flour mixture and mix on low speed until well combined.  If too dry, add additional warm water one tablespoon at a time until dough forms one big ball.  Then increase the speed to medium and stir an additional 5 minutes until dough is well-formed and stretchy.

2) Place dough in large bowl and cover with damp kitchen towel.   Place in warm spot for 30 - 45 minutes until dough is doubled in size.

3) While dough is rising, heat tomato sauce in small saucepan, with garlic and Italian seasoning.  Simmer about 5 minutes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

4) Once dough has doubled in size, punch down the top, place on counter, and knead a few times until it forms a smooth ball.  Allow to rest an additional 10 minutes to make it nice and stretchy when you are ready to roll it out.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5) Sprinkle a clean and dry countertop with flour, place your dough ball on the flour, and flatten it with your palms.  Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin into a rectangle approximately 12x16".

6) Spread 2/3 cup pizza sauce on the dough, all the way to the edges.  Sprinkle with cheese and pepperoni or sausage.

7) Start rolling lengthwise until a log is formed.  Spray a 9x13" baking pan with olive oil.  Use a sharp knife or length of string to slice the log into circles, slightly less than half an inch thick.  Place circles in baking pan, leaving a 1/2 inch gap between buns.  Place in oven and bake 25 - 30 minutes until browned and cooked through.