Pizza Swirls

My friend, Lei recommended that I try out this recipe and I'm so glad that she did! It was a huge hit in our house....everyone loved it (and that's rare. There's always someone that isn't pleased - isn't that always the case?)

I was a bit intimated about baking my own bread but in the end it was worth it and not nearly as difficult as I imagined. The bread was PERFECT! So incredibly soft! I made one roll with pepperoni and one without. While there were a few leftovers they were gobbled up for breakfast! 

Lei found the from Allrecipes but I will post it here as well. The changes I made (just a few) are in blue.

Ingredients:

Bread:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

SAUCE:
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

TOPPINGS:
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 (3 ounce) packages sliced pepperoni (we used turkey pepperoni and only used one package. I chopped the pepperoni into small pieces.)
1 (2.25 ounce) can chopped ripe olives, drained (we did not add olives)


Directions:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.
Add oil, sugar, salt and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth.
Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Punch dough down.
Turn onto a floured surface; divide in half.
Roll each portion into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle; set aside.


For sauce, combine the onion and garlic in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute.
Add tomato sauce and basil; cover and cook at 50% power for 3 minutes or until bubbly.
Spoon over crust to within 1/2-in. of edges.
Sprinkle with 3 cups mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and olives.


Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal.
Cut each roll into 12 slices.
Place cut side down on a greased baking sheet.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.
Serve warm.

There are so many variations that you could do with this recipe - buy store bought dough  and/or store-bought spaghetti sauce....but seriously.....I'd leave it just the way it was written! This recipe is definitely a KEEPER!