Stuffed Pizza Balls!

Warning: incredibly addictive…

…this is one of my favorites to have as a snack, breakfast, lunch or dinner.

In short, I absolutely love these this pizza balls! They’re perfect for anytime of day and are a definite crowd pleaser!

I’ve made them a few times to perfect the texture and crisp on the pizza dough and when stuffed with cheese and pizza sauce, it’s just heavenly in one bite!

Yields: 12 delicious pizza balls

Ingredients:

For pizza dough:

1 packet of dry yeast
1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
260 grams all-purpose flour (approx. 2 cups plus 2.5 tablespoons)
140 grams bread flour (approx. 1 cup plus 2.5 tablespoons)
1 cup warm water (95-100 degrees)
2 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil (olive oil is fine too)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt

For filling:

3/4 cup Pizza sauce (I personally love the one from Trader Joe’s)
3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese or can also include cheddar cheese (I love cheddar and mozzarella mixed together on a pizza)

Before baking:

1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Parsley flakes or fresh parsley
Grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Start by dissolving the dry yeast with 3 tablespoons of warm water (95 to 100 degrees F) with 1 teaspoons of sugar. Allow the yeast to sit for up to 15 minutes for it to bubble and expand.
While the yeast is resting, in the bowl to standing mixer, combine the all-purpose and bread flours, avocado oil and salt together with dough hook attachment.
Once the yeast is ready, pour it into the mixing bowl with the cup of warm water.
On low speed allow the dough to come together. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, then slowly add a little bit of all-purpose flour until it comes together and is no longer sticky.
Grease a large bowl with avocado oil (or olive oil) and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or paper towel and place in a warm area. I usually place it in my oven if it is not in use or near the stove. If you’re planning to make the dough balls the same day, allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes. If you’re planning to use the dough within the next 24 hours or overnight, allow the dough to rise for 45 to 60 minutes and then place in the refrigerator to allow it to continue to slowly rise.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Once the dough is ready, separate the dough into 12 equal pieces, which is a little more than 1/4 cup each. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add a little bit more all-purpose flour or if too dry, add a little bit of avocado oil.
Take one of the dough pieces and roll it into a ball and slowly stretch it out to about the size of the palm of your hand.
Take 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce and spread it around on the center of the dough (try not to get it on the edges as the edges need to remain clear of sauce so it can stick back together to form a ball. If the edges of the dough get sauce on them, it makes it harder for the dough to stick together).
Add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of cheese on top of the pizza sauce. An alternative to this process is to take the sauce and cheese and mix them together in a bowl, which will work just as well!
Fold the opposite ends of the dough together and pinch together for the dough to stick together. Continue to pinch together opposite ends until you form a ball.
Place the ball on a greased foil, parchment paper or silpat.
Once all 12 pizza dough balls have been formed, use a pastry brush to brush on a layer of butter all over each ball and then brush over a layer of egg wash.
Sprinkle the parsley flakes on top and finish with about 1 to 2 teaspoons of grated parmesan cheese on top of each ball. Feel free to add more cheese if you like! Nothing better than lots of extra cheese!
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until the dough balls are a light golden brown.