Pizza Pockets

The last time I made these pizza pockets SP was less than thrilled. He thought they were good but he was expecting something more like Totino's Pizza Rolls, which are cheese and sauce inside the dough. I had taken some dough out of the freezer on a Friday but we ended up going out instead. I needed to find another use for it - perfect time to try making the kind of pizza pockets SP was expecting.


They don't look that great but that's because I was winging it, not following a recipe. The sauce leaked out of a few of the rolls, but the flavor was still very good. I think with a little more tweaking I'll get it right.

Pizza Pockets
Modified heavily from Giada De Laurentiis

1 ball pizza dough
All-purpose flour, for rolling out pizza dough
8 oz opepperoni, diced (or to taste)
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (or to taste)
1 cup marinara or pizza sauce (or to taste)
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to a thin 20 by 12-inch rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise. Then cut each half into 8 equal rectangles.

Mix pepperoni, shredded cheese and sauce together in a bowl. Start by adding a little sauce and adjusting if it looks too dry.

Spoon topping onto one side of each of the rectangles. Using a pastry brush, brush the edges of the rectangle with egg wash. Close the rectangle of pizza dough over the topping. Use a fork to seal and crimp the edges. Really make sure the edges are sealed or the pockets might explode.

Place the pizza pockets onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Brush the top of each pizza pocket with egg wash and cut a small slit in each pocket for steam to escape. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes.