Pepperoni pizza toppings stuffed inside of soft, pillowy sourdough rolls, and brushed with the most delicious herby garlic butter. These make a really fun lunch or dinner served with a simple salad, and are also always a hit as an appetizer.

Years ago, a friend of mine made these pizza rolls from Sally for a tailgate and people hoovered around them and could not get enough. I distinctly remember the cast iron skillet was still hot by the time they were gone - that's how quickly they went!

Those rolls were so good, I've thought about them probably on a weekly basis ever since.

So naturally, I had to try them out with sourdough rolls, and they're every bit as good!

They're the perfect handheld appetizer that aren't overly messy or hard to eat, they're familiar enough for kids to willingly try, and the garlic herb butter packs so much flavor that adults love them, too!

The Dough

This dough is on the stiffer side, so it's easy to work with, but there's enough water and melted butter in it that they stay soft and pillowy when baked.

The garlic + herb butter that's brushed on the rolls at the end not only add tons of delicious flavor, but really help to keep them extra soft as they cool - don't skip it!

Since there's so much sourdough starter in this dough, you can mix it up in the morning and be eating these rolls for dinner the same day!

This recipe does call for a stand mixer to knead the dough, but if you don't have one, don't let that stop you! You can most definitely do the kneading by hand.

(Yes, this is the exact dough from my favorite sourdough breadsticks. I love it for being so easy to work with, so flavorful, and rising so quickly... at least for sourdough!)

Stuffing the Rolls

There is a bit of a learning curve to stuffing these rolls, but once you get the hang of it, it is really fun!

Start by dividing your risen dough into 20-24 pieces. I find the easiest way to do this is to press the dough out into a disc, use a bench scraper to cut the disc into 8 triangles, then cut each triangle into 2-3 pieces.

Shape each piece into a ball. Taking one ball at a time, poke a deep depression into it with your thumb and stuff with a generous pinch of the cheese + pepperoni mixture. Pinch the edges together to seal the filling inside, and reshape into a ball.

I like to shape all of the rolls before arranging in my cast iron skillet. If you don't have a 10-inch cast iron, you can bake these in a 10-inch pie pan, an 11 by 7-inch baking dish, or even a jelly roll pan. Work from the inside out so all of the rolls are touching, and keep in mind that anything other than a well-seasoned cast iron will need to be greased so the rolls don't stick!

You will have some filling left after the rolls are stuffed - save it to sprinkle over the top of the rolls while baking.

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5 from 1 vote

Sourdough Pull Apart Pepperoni Pizza Rolls

This will serve 4 people as a meal, or 8 people as an appetizer.

Prep Time30

Cook Time35

Rise Time9

Total Time10 5

Servings:

Author: mandyjackson

Ingredients

For the Dough

100 grams active sourdough starter
12 grams sugar
160 grams water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
380 grams flour
8 grams salt

For the Filling

1 ½ cups shredded mozarella cheese
2 ounces pepperoni, chopped (about ½ cup chopped pepperoni)

For the Garlic Herb Butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
For serving: pizza sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, fresh basil (optional)

Directions

Make the Dough

Combine the starter, sugar, water, and melted butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Once it's well combined, continue kneading for 8-10 minutes on LOW speed. Shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size - about 6-8 hours.

Shape, Stuff + Second Rise

Combine the cheese and pepperoni in a medium bowl.
Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press into a disc and cut into 20-24 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then press your thumb into the ball to make a crater. Stuff it with about 2 teaspoons of filling, then pinch the edges together to seal. Place the ball seam side-down in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (see note). Repeat with all the dough pieces. You will have some extra cheese + pepperoni mixture left when you're done - you'll use this on the top of the rolls so cover it and pop it in the fridge for now!
Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another 45 minutes-1 hour, until puffed up.

Bake + Garlic Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls on the lower third of the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove, sprinkle with the remaining cheese + pepperoni mixture, and return to the top rack of the oven. Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.
While the rolls bake, combine the butter, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl. Brush over the rolls when they come out of the oven. Serve warm with pizza sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.

Notes

If you have a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, it will not need to be greased. Alternatively, you can use a 10-inch pie pan, an 11x7 baking dish, or a jelly roll pan - all of these will need to be lightly greased or buttered before using.