There is a time and a place for comfort food, and that time is now!! As many of you know, Italian food has a special place in my heart, since that is what I was raised on. However, in general I don't usually cook Italian food due to the high carb and high cheese content, which is not exactly the most healthy for me.

However, right now we are all trying to find small things to celebrate as we deal with being quarantined, away from family and friends, changes to our routines, fear, a pandemic, and health concerns near and far. So, for me I go to the kitchen to find comfort and that is where I spent the majority of my rainy weekend.

We have all heard the social media jokes about the population and baby boom that will be exploding in 9 months as a result of the shelter in place orders. And yes we have also heard about the increase in domestic violence and divorce. This is a great time to be single. Joking.....sort of!!



But let's go back to the baby boom because this recipe is honestly what would happen if a cinnamon roll and a pizza mated. It is basically the pizza toppings wrapped into a cinnamon roll dough. yeah don't worry there isn't any actual cinnamon or sugar....that might be good....but I just can't go there as I tend to be more of a traditionalist with my Italian food.

And let me tell you I am scared of making pizza dough because I was raised by a Mom who is the pizza queen, but this dough is made in the food processor and its truly foolproof. Also, how can you go wrong with marinara sauce (use high quality or homemade if you can), mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. However, honestly you could fill these with any of your favorite pizza toppings. These are so good and portable....um but wait none of us are going anywhere so you don't care that they are portable #oopsie! But seriously try these! So good!! And I know you all have a ton of yeast, since I can't find any at the grocery store....even my Google search only gave me the option for Monistat, which is not the yeast accoutrements I need right now.

Side note, has anyone else noticed that it is nearly impossible to find fresh garlic right now? No offense, but I thought we were dealing with a pandemic and not a vampire apocalypses. I am not late to the garlic stockpile game, am I? So frustrating!!

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 T olive oil
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt

For the Rolls:
1/2 cup marinara sauce
4 oz sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 T grated parmesan cheese
Fresh basil



1. Make the dough. Combine the yeast, sugar, and 1 cup warm water in a food processor and pulse once.


Foamy yeast

2. Let sit until foamy, 5 to 10 min.










3. Add the olive oil and pulse to combine.



4. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl, then add to the food processor and pulse until the dough comes together.




5.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball.

6. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 4 hours.





7. Make the rolls. Stretch the dough into an 8x12 rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

8. Spread the marinara sauce on the dough all the way to the edge; top with pepperoni and 1 3/4 cups mozzarella.



9. Starting from a long side, tightly roll up the dough, slightly stretching as you, to form a 14 inch long log.

I am sorry there was no way to make a photo of this look any better.

10. Line the bottom and side of a 9" square baking dish (I used 8" and it worked fine) with parchment paper. The original recipe said to spray it with cooking spray first and then add parchment paper, but I didn't do that because that made no sense to me. Cut the log crosswise into 9 rounds. Arrange cut side up in the prepared pan in 3 rows of 3, slightly touching. Cover with foil and set aside, 20 to 30 minutes.



11. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls, covered, until the cheese begins to melt and the rolls are puffy, about 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown, about 20 minutes more.




 
 






















12. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and the parmesan, continue baking until the cheese melts, about 7 more minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan. Top with basil.


Stay safe everyone!! I miss hugging you all! Cheers!!