These little pizza pinwheels were a huge hit with my family! I found them to be a little bit messier and fussier than making a regular pizza, but their cuteness and the fun of having them individually sized made the extra effort worth it. I think for me, these will be more of a special occasion dish, they would definitely be perfect for game day, parties or potlucks where serving individual portions makes things easier.
I made my pinwheels with homemade sourdough discard crust (which is by far my favorite pizza crust), but you can easily use any other homemade pizza dough or even storebought pizza dough or crescent rolls but note that baking times may differ slightly with substitutions.
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Homemade Pizza Pinwheels
Ingredients
Sourdough discard pizza dough (can use alternative dough)
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water 100- 110 degrees (F.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard roughly 125 grams.
- 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups bread flour add more or less as needed
Fillings:
- 1 cup pizza sauce add as desired
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup cubed pepperoni or mini pepperoni
Optional butter topping:
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley or oregano optional
Instructions
- Place yeast, salt and warm water into a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. Add olive oil, sourdough discard and whole wheat flour, then mix again to combine.
- Add bread flour 1/2 cup at a time while mixing well between each interval until the dough is slightly sticky to touch, but workable to knead by hand without too much dough adhering to the fingers. Continue kneading on a floured surface or mixing with a stand mixer for 5-10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and allow to rest at room temperature (ideally 70-75 degrees F.) for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375:
- Remove the dough onto a floured surface, then roll into a large rectangular shape (similar to cinnamon roll dough) and spread pizza sauce over top leaving about an inch of space on the edges. Spread cheese and pepperoni evenly over the sauce.
- Starting on the long end, roll the dough and fillings carefully into a log, tucking the fillings inside as needed. This part gets a little messy, but no worries if it isn't perfect! Cut the log into 2-inch slices using dental floss or a sharp chef's knife.
- Place each pinwheel into the slots of a 12-capacity greased muffin tin, ensuring the tins have a little extra headspace to avoid too much overflow while baking. Bake the pinwheels in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden on the tops and the dough has an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees (F.).
- Remove the pizza pinwheels from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Some cheese may spill over onto the muffin tins and can be trimmed off if desired. Combine the butter topping and brush on top of each pinwheel (optional). Serve with additional pizza sauce or Ranch dressing for dipping if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
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Step 1 (sourdough pizza dough): Place yeast, salt and warm water into a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Allow to rest for 10 minutes to activate the yeast. Add olive oil, sourdough discard and whole wheat flour, then mix again to combine.
Step 2-3: Add bread flour, 1/2 cup at a time while mixing well between each interval until the dough is slightly sticky to touch, but workable to knead by hand without too much dough adhering to the fingers. Continue kneading on a floured surface or mixing with a stand mixer for 5-10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable. Allow to rest for 2 hours until doubled.
Notes on dough texture: I prefer to leave my sourdough pizza dough a little on the sticky side because a well hydrated dough creates a well aerated crust with the best texture! The dough should not be too sticky to handle though, as it can break easily while rolling if too wet. If the dough is easy to knead and still slightly sticky without leaving too much residue on your fingers, then it should be just right.
Step 1 (assembly): Remove the dough onto a floured surface, then roll into a large rectangular shape (similar to cinnamon roll dough) and spread pizza sauce over top leaving about an inch of space on the edges.
Step 1-2: Add the remaining pizza toppings, then starting on the long end, roll the dough and fillings carefully into a log, tucking the fillings inside as needed. This part gets a little messy, but no worries if it isn’t perfect! Cut the log into 2-inch slices using dental floss or a sharp chef’s knife.
Flour that countertop!
Don’t be like me and forget to flour your countertop! because I skipped adding extra flour to the countertop the dough was difficult to handle for the rolling process.
Step 3: Place each pinwheel into the slots of a 12-capacity greased muffin tin, ensuring the tins are only filled about 3/4 full (yes, some of mine were too full and the cheese spilled out on top) to avoid too much overflow while baking. Bake the pinwheels in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden on the tops and the dough has an internal temperature of 190 degrees (F.).
Step 4: Remove the pizza pinwheels from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the tins. Some cheese may spill over onto the muffin tins during the baking process and can be trimmed off if desired. Serve with additional pizza sauce or Ranch dressing for dipping if desired and enjoy!
Storage:
Leftovers can be frozen or refrigerated to reheat for a quick lunch. To reheat the pinwheels, wrap them in foil and warm them back up in the oven or pop them into the microwave for a minute or two until heated through. Be sure to keep them in airtight containers or tightly wrapped when storing in the refrigerator or freezer.
Thank you for stopping by and blessings on your day! Feel free to pin or print this recipe for later, but please leave a comment and rating in exchange. Thank you! -Marilyn Stoltzfus Peight.
