Vegan MoFo #3 - Pizza Rolls

 If a pizza fell in love with a cinnamon roll this would be the result. Pizza rolls! Deliciously herby, cheesy, tomatoey pizza rolled up, sliced and sprinkled with more cheese before being baked to gooey perfection. Heavenly.

I actually prefer these to actual pizza! There's just something so satisfying about biting into the soft dough swirled with tomato and cheese that I can't resist!

Pizza Rolls

Makes 12 large rolls

400g strong white flour

1tsp salt

1Tbsp sugar

1 sachet (7g) fast active yeast

2Tbsp olive oil

225ml tepid water

1 small tin of tomato paste

1/4C basil, chopped

3C grated vegan cheese*

1tsp garlic granules

Salt & Pepper

Garlic infused oil

In a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer combine the dry ingredients until well mixed. slowly add in the water (it's really important that the water is just a bit above your body temperature, if it's too cold it won't activate the yeast and if it's too hot it'll kill it! I just run the tap until its almost hot and that always works fine) and mix on high speed until a smooth dough forms. The dough should be soft to the touch but not sticky, feel free to add more flour if needed.

Form the dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover with a plastic bag and leave to rise for 45mins, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen remove it from the bowl and knead for a couple of minutes on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread with the tomato paste. Sprinkle on the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and sprinkle over half of the grated cheese. Roll the dough up tightly into a long roll and cut into 12 even pieces. 

Grease a large baking dish with garlic oil before placing the rolls about an inch apart in the dish. Cover with a plastic bag and allow to rise for a second time, about 30mins.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5 and sprinkle the risen rolls with the rest of the grated cheese. Bake for 20-25mins, until the rolls are lightly browned on the top and the cheese is molten and bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

*choose a vegan cheese that melts really well, for this I used Violife Pizza Cheese

Note: I recently made a healthier version replacing the cheese with nutritional yeast! You can also bake these in a muffin pan to make individual pizza rolls perfect for freezing for packed lunches!