Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Start your party off with these amazing cheesy pepperoni pizza bites! They are made from homemade dough and filled with cheese and pepperoni. These little guys are baked until golden brown on top, then served alongside a side of sauce for dipping or drizzling. You’ll be the talk of the town with this delicious appetizer recipe that is sure to please.

Adults love these, too, and they make a great appetizer for the big game and holiday parties.

The best thing about this recipe is that it’s simple to make and you get to control what goes into them. If your kids love pizza, then try these for a fun lunch idea or appetizer!

The base of these tasty treats is homemade pizza dough. The dough is topped with a layer of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, rolled, sliced, and then baked. Let’s take a quick peek at how to make them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water warm (110 – 120°)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces pepperoni slices
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese shredded or grated
• fresh basil leaves

How To Make Pinwheel Pizza Bites

Start by making a batch of homemade pizza dough. To do this, you start by “blooming” yeast in warm water. Combine water, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. The sugar will feed the yeast and the end results is a bubbly “foam” at the top.

Be sure to use warm water, not hot water. Hot water will kill yeast, which is a living organism.

It usually only takes about 5 minutes for the sugar and yeast to “do their thing.”

Next, add salt and oil to the yeast mixture. Turn your mixer on to medium speed and slowly add flour. Beat it for three minutes until the dough has formed a cohesive ball and does not stick to the bowl.

Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and spray the bowl with non-stick spray. Replace the dough ball and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a draft-free environment for 3 hours, or until doubled in size.

Tip: Don’t want to wait 3 hours for the dough to double? You can do what I do to speed up the process. I turn my oven on and let it warm up to around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. I then turn off my oven and place my covered bowl of dough in the oven and shut the door. It usually only takes around 45 minutes to an hour for the dough to double in size. Don’t forget to remove the dough before you preheat your oven!

Now that the pizza dough-making is done, it’s time to get to the fun part – rolling out the dough! But first, let’s put that oven to use and preheat it to 375° Fahrenheit.

Roll the dough into a long rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Evenly sprinkle the surface of the pizza dough with mozzarella cheese and the top with pepperoni slices. Roll the dough lengthwise and pinch the seams to seal the dough.

Slice the dough into 1 ½” thick slices.

Place the slices on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray or covered with Silpat or parchment paper. Sprinkle the pizza pinwheels with Parmesan cheese and basil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve these tasty bites with your favorite marinara sauce or pizza sauce.

Can’t get enough pizza? I hear you! Be sure to check out these other pizza recipes at Southern Kissed:

• Keto Pizza Fat Bites
• White Pizza with Spinach and Mushrooms
• Bagel Pizza Bites
• The Best Homemade Pizza Dough
• Quick and Easy Personal Keto Pizza

If making dough from scratch is not your “thing,” you can use prepared pizza dough. Look for it in the bakery section at your local grocery store. You can also try using canned pizza dough, like Pillsbury’s Classic Crust. I don’t know how long it will take for them to bake, so be sure to keep an eye on them.

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