By Laura | Laura the Gastronaut
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Resting Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: ~15 pizza rolls [4 servings]
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Have a super spooky dinner or snack with these delicious spider pizza rolls! The easy homemade pizza dough is filled with all of your favorite pizza toppings, rolled up, and baked. Green bell pepper legs, black olive mouth, and green olive eyes. These spiders are so cute and perfect for Halloween!
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 teaspoon honey, or sugar
• 1 cup (237 mL) warm water, warmed to about 110°F (43°C)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups (360-420 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 cup pizza sauce, homemade or store-bought
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 50 slices of pepperoni
• 1 teaspooon garlic powder
• 1 teaspooon dried oregano
• 7 green bell peppers
• 7 sliced black olives
• 14 pimiento-stuffed green olives
➊ Make the dough: Add yeast and honey to warm water in a large bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes until frothy. If the mixture does not become frothy, start over with new yeast.
➋ Add salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour to the bowl with the yeast, and stir until well combined with a wooden spoon. *You may need to add up to a 1/2 cup more of flour. You want the dough to be slightly sticky but not stick to your hands when kneading.* With floured hands, knead dough on a lightly floured surface until dough is soft and smooth (about 3 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
➌ Divide the dough in half. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball of dough into a rectangle, about 9" x 12", on a lightly floured surface. Cover with towel while you prepare the toppings.
➍ Prepare the Pizza Rolls: Spread 1/2 of the pizza sauce (1/2 cup) over one rectangle of pizza dough. Add on 1 cup of cheese, ~25 slices of pepperoni, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano. *See notes below for more pizza topping ideas.* Repeat with the other rectangle of pizza dough.
➎ With the short end of the rectangle of pizza dough facing you, gently roll the pizza dough very tightly into a log.
➏ Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
➐ Place the pizza log in the fridge for 20 minutes (this will make it easier to cut). Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 1 inch slices. I was able to get 7 full pizza rolls plus two ends from each log.
➑ Cook the Pizza Rolls: Place pizza rolls on 2 parchment paper-lined baking sheets and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pizza dough is lightly browned. After the pizza rolls are done cooking, let rest on baking sheet for 5 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle.
➒ Make the Spider: Meanwhile, cut the bell pepper into mutliple "V's". First, I cut the bell pepper into eighths. Then I cut out a very small triangle on the long edge of the bell pepper slice. From there, I was able to get "V's". *See pictures above.* I was able to make legs for 2-3 spiders from one bell pepper. Using a small knife, cut 8 small slits/holes into the side of each pizza roll (4 holes on each side of roll), and insert 8 bell pepper legs. It's okay if all the legs are different sizes. I think this adds to the cuteness!
➓ Cut a black olive slice in half. Cut two small holes in the front of the pizza roll for the mouth of the spider, and insert a half of black olive slice into each hole. Cut the pimiento-stuffed green olives into slices, and place two slices on top of each spider for eyes.
✽ Cheese: I love to use mozzarella for these pizza rolls, but an Italian blend and cheddar would be great too! Pretty much any cheese will work, and the more cheese- the better!
✽ Meat: Pepperoni makes these pizza rolls very easy to make, but Italian sausage, ground beef, bacon, or chicken would be great additions as well.
✽ Vegetables: Adding onions, jalapenos, mushrooms, and red pepper flakes would be delicious.
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Find recipe at: https://laurathegastronaut.com/spooky-spider-pizza-rolls