Pizza Bites
Photo by Mark Weinberg
MAKES
40 pizza bites
TAKES
Prep time: 3 hours (includes chill time)
Cook time: up to 15 minutes
Total: 3 hours 15 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This is a homemade version of those saucy bites you find in the freezer section. I’ll admit, this one is a bit of a project - but a really fun, really nostalgic one. Plus, the shaped rolls can be frozen and cooked on demand - which means you can spend one day making this, and be rewarded with amazing homemade snacks whenever you like! For the record, the fried version (see Note) will have the most recognizable flavor to the stuff you can get in a box.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
360 g / 3 cups all-purpose flour
3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
140 g / 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch / 1 cm cubes
56 g / 1 large egg
21 g / 1 large egg yolk
60 g / ¼ cup ice water, plus more as needed
Pizza Bites
120 g / ¾ cup finely diced low moisture mozzarella
60 g / ½ cup finely diced pepperoni
4 g / 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
220 g / ¾ cup prepared tomato sauce
egg wash, as needed (see Note)
Craving Something Savory?
METHOD
1. Make the dough: in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is almost entirely incorporated and the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
2. Add the egg and egg yolk and pulse to combine. Add the water, and pulse just until a smooth dough forms. If the mixture appears dry or crumbly, add additional water 5 g / 1 teaspoon at a time until the mixture comes together into a smooth ball around the blade.
3. Remove the dough, press into a 1 inch / 2 ½ cm thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. When ready to assemble the rolls, toss the mozzarella, pepperoni, and cornstarch together to combine—everything should be very lightly coated. Stir in the tomato sauce.
5. Assemble the Rolls: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 even pieces, and form each into a rough rectangle shape. Work with one piece of dough at a time, and keep any dough you’re not working with covered with plastic wrap.
6. The process of assembling these is a bit like building a filled pasta—we’ll roll out the dough, place filling in the center, then fold the dough over to encase the filling. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of dough into a rectangle slightly larger than 5 x 18 inch / 13 x 46 cm (it should be about 1/8 inch / 3 mm thick)—don’t worry if the edges are a little wonky, you’ll be trimming). Use a pastry wheel to trim the dough to be 5 x 18 inch / 13 x 30 cm with straight edges. Arrange the dough so one of the longer sides is facing you.
7. Use a bench knife to score/mark (don’t cut through) the dough in half horizontally to make two 2 ½ inch / 6 cm portions, then score the dough across the longest portion into ten even (1 ¾ inch / 4 cm) sections. The idea is to help you make assembly easier by marking each piece so you can center the dough each section of dough.
8. Scoop about 10 g / 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of each marked portion of dough. Lightly egg wash the long side of dough closest to you, then egg wash lightly between each portion of filling. Gently lift the top portion of dough, folding it over the half with the filling. Lay it in half slowly, aiming to not allow any air pockets as you press it down. Use your hands to press the dough firmly around the filling to ensure there are no air pockets. Press down very firmly to seal the dough together around the filling.
9. Use a pastry wheel or bench knife to trim the assembled bites, and transfer them to the parchment lined baking sheets. If you see any visible filling after cutting, firmly squeeze the dough around the edges to better seal the bites. Stagger the rows—but they can be placed quite close together. Cover the assembled bites with plastic wrap while you assemble the remaining bites.
10. Once one tray of bites is assembled, transfer it to the refrigerator (if baking immediately) for 30 minutes, or freeze until firm.
11. Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C with the oven racks on the upper and lower thirds of the oven (or in the center, if you’re only making one tray). Egg wash the surface of the chilled bites, and bake until deeply golden brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.
12. Cool for a few minutes before serving warm. Serve with more tomato sauce for dipping, if desired.
NOTES
To freeze the bites, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour, or until firm. Transfer the frozen bites to a freezer bag or airtight storage container. Keep frozen until ready to use (up to 6 months).
If you want to take it to the next level, try frying the bites:
In a heavy-bottomed pot or fryer, heat about 2 inch / 5 cm of vegetable, canola, or other neutral frying oil until it reads 350°F / 175°C on a thermometer.
Have ready a wire rack on a baking sheet and a spider or slotted spoon.
Working in batches, add the chilled pizza bites to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove from the oil and drain on the wire racks. If desired, you can return the bites to the oil for a shorter, second fry—this will make them extra crisp.
Season the drained bites with kosher salt, and serve immediately.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
