Pepperoni Pinwheels

5 from 5 votes

The classic pizzeria style pepperoni pinwheel is made with pizza dough rolled with ham, pepperoni, mozzarella, and marinara and baked until golden and bubbly. Served with more marinara for dipping.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Appetizer, pizza

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: rolls

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

Marinara sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28 ounce can crushed plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon Sicilian oregano
salt and pepper to taste

For the pepperoni pinwheel

1 24 ounce pizza dough ball recipe or store-bought dough
3/4 cup marinara sauce
15 slices mozzarella cheese or enough to cover the dough
40 slices slicing pepperoni or enough to cover the dough
15 slices deli ham or enough to cover the dough
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano grated
1 tablespoon semolina for dusting

Instructions

For the sauce

In a saucepot, saute the garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until golden (about 2-3 minutes).
Add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the plum tomatoes and bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes then season with oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
Set the sauce aside to cool. To work faster take 3/4 cup of the sauce, place into a bowl and freeze for 10-15 minutes to cool it down more quickly. The sauce shouldn't be hot when moving on to assembling the pinwheel below.

For the pepperoni pinwheels

Make sure to start with warmed-up pizza dough (at least 3 hours out of the fridge) for easy stretching. Preheat oven to 425f and set the rack to the middle level.
On a floured work surface stretch or roll the pizza dough into a rectangle shape (approximately 14 by 18 inches).
Spread the sauce all over the dough while leaving 1-inch on the top and bottom with no sauce. Spread the pepperoni, mozzarella, and ham again leaving the top and bottom uncovered by 1-inch.
Roll the pinwheel into a log, sealing the edge with a bit of water.
With a very sharp knife cut the log into 1 to 1 1/4-inch wide pinwheels. Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet and spread a thin layer of the semolina all over.
Place the pinwheels onto the sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each one. If necessary, use 2 sheets to avoid crowding.
Sprinkle the Pecorino onto each pinwheel and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with remaining marinara. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Any pizza dough can be used. For this recipe, we used 24 ounces of our standard pizza dough.
Use your own already made marinara or store-bought to skip the sauce preparation step.
Provolone is a great substitute or addition to the mozzarella. The same goes for salami, soppressata, or other cold cuts for the pepperoni.
Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and should be reheated in the oven at 350f until hot.

Nutrition