Bring new pizzazz to pizza night with these stuffed pizza pull apart rolls! Soft, buttery garlic herb yeast rolls are topped AND stuffed with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, and finished with garlic herb butter. Use your favorite pizza toppings and wait until you taste (and smell!) one fresh from the oven.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
Is there anything more appetizing than pulling apart a warm, soft roll to reveal a gooey cheese center, a little puff of steam escaping? Add to that the smells of freshly baked bread and pizza, garlic butter, and Italian seasonings. Oh my gosh… is your mouth watering yet?
My taste testers raved about these pull apart pizza rolls, and especially loved them dipped in some warm pizza sauce. They’re soft and flaky like dinner rolls, but with the added flavors and toppings of your favorite pizza, and a surprise-inside melted mozzarella-and-pepperoni middle.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Pizza Pull Apart Rolls
- Flavor: Today’s rolls combine the savory flavors of herbs, garlic, and butter, with the classic pizza flavors of mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. If you love the garlic and herb butter flavors in this recipe, try this rosemary garlic pull apart bread or these sea salt herb skillet rolls next!
- Texture: This is a rich dough (think raspberry sweet rolls) rather than a lean dough (think pizza dough), so the texture is like a flaky soft dinner roll, honey butter rolls, or homemade breadsticks as opposed to chewy pizza crust. (I do use pizza dough to make these different pepperoni pizza rolls though!) Pulling apart a roll reveals the stretchy melted mozzarella cheese and pepperoni in the middle. Stuffed crust pizza fans will love these rolls!
- Ease: Homemade bread or rolls can seem intimidating, but the recipe below is packed with thorough details so you can be confident in the kitchen. And if you’re new to baking with yeast, start by reading my Baking with Yeast Guide.
- Time: Making rolls from scratch certainly takes time, but after 1 taste of these pizza pull apart rolls, I think you’ll agree they’re worth it! Set aside at least 3 and 1/2 hours from start to finish, but keep in mind much of that time is hands off as the dough rises.
Ingredients You Need for Dough and Filling
- Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. For the softest pizza pull apart rolls, use whole milk. Non-dairy or low-fat milks work too, but whole milk produces phenomenal flavor and texture.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star, which is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers.
- Sugar: A scant 1 Tablespoon of sugar feeds the yeast and tenderizes the dough.
- Egg: Provides structure.
- Melted butter: We’re using melted butter instead of softened butter in this dough, because I just love the intensely buttery flavor it provides.
- Seasonings: Salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. The Italian seasoning I use is a store-bought herb blend, but you can make your own homemade Italian seasoning if desired. Or substitute with the same amount of your favorite dried herb like oregano or parsley.
- Bread flour: Bread flour is best in this recipe, as it produces chewier rolls. But you can use all-purpose flour instead, and the rolls will still be delicious.
- Mozzarella cheese + pepperoni: If you don’t like pepperoni or want to make these vegetarian, simply leave out the pepperoni and add a little more cheese in its place.
You’ll top them with more cheese and pepperoni after about 20 minutes of bake time, and then finish them with a mixture of melted butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. (All ingredients you need for the dough!)
Key Steps
- Proofing the yeast: Proofing the yeast isn’t always necessary when you use instant yeast. However, I recommend doing it anyway to ensure the yeast dissolves and that it’s alive and active. Mix the yeast with warm milk and a little sugar. Cover and let it sit for a few minutes until foamy on top.
- Making the dough: You can use a stand mixer or a spatula to combine the dough ingredients.
- Kneading the dough: Knead the dough with your stand mixer or with your hands for 5 minutes. If you’re new to yeasted doughs, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial will be a handy resource.
- 1st rise: The dough rises in about 60–90 minutes in a relatively warm environment.
- Shaping + stuffing the rolls: See below for detailed instructions on how to form the stuffed rolls.
- 2nd rise: Let the shaped rolls rise in the baking pan until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
- Baking: Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven to add your toppings.
- Topping: Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese + chopped pepperoni, and supreme-topping mixture, if using. Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and return the pan to the oven for 12–15 minutes.
- Finishing: Brush melted garlic herb butter on warm rolls, and serve with a side of pizza sauce.
Proofed yeast mixture:
Pictured below on the left: Dough in the mixer before kneading. Pictured below on the right: Dough after kneading. It’s ready to have its 1st rise.
After rising, punch down the dough so you can begin shaping:
Let Me Show You How to Shape & Fill Them
Pinch off a piece of dough about 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons in size (1 ounce/30g). With your hands, form into a ball and make an indent in the center. Pinch a bit of cheese and pepperoni with your fingers and stuff into the middle of the dough. Press the dough around it to seal the filling inside, and place the stuffed dough ball into the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling until you’ve filled the pan (you should have about 20–24 balls).
It’s much easier than it sounds and you can watch me do this in the video located in the recipe below.
Cover the pan of rolls loosely with plastic wrap or foil and let rise in a warm location until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
Below: Before and after 2nd rise. Rolls get nice and puffy!
Bake the rolls after the 2nd rise. You’ll bake for only 20 minutes and then add some pizza toppings like more pepperoni and cheese, or you can try a “supreme pizza” version. Return topped rolls to the oven to finish baking. I don’t recommend adding toppings any earlier because they will burn.
Note that I also added pepperoni to the following rolls, but the photo only shows cheese:
Supreme-Style Pull Apart Pizza Rolls
If you love a supreme pizza, loaded with sausage, pepperoni, olives, and green peppers, you’ll also love a supreme-style variation of these pizza pull apart rolls. Grab these ingredients:
- Ground Italian sausage (or plant-based sausage)
- Chopped green bell pepper
- Sliced black olives
After you’ve shaped and stuffed the dough balls, while they’re having their 2nd rise, cook the sausage and chopped green bell pepper together in a skillet, stirring and breaking up the sausage into small pieces, until the sausage is cooked through. Drain on paper towels, and then add in the sliced olives. You’ll add this supreme topping mixture to the rolls, along with more mozzarella cheese and chopped pepperoni, after the initial 20 minutes of baking.
Please Do Not Forget the Garlic Herb Butter Topping!
No matter which version you make—plain cheese, cheese and pepperoni, or supreme—when the rolls finish baking, top with garlic herb butter. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and stir in 1/2 teaspoon each of Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Gently brush the garlic herb butter on top of the warm rolls. (A pastry brush is such a handy kitchen tool… always use it for pie crust!)
This simple finishing touch elevates all your hard work. 🙂
You can also add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes for a little heat, and some chopped fresh basil adds color and fresh flavor. Serve with a side of pizza sauce or homemade pesto for dipping, or even with this pepperoni pizza dip for an extreme pizza experience!
Best Baking Pan to Use
You can bake these pizza pull apart rolls in an oven-safe skillet (I use this 10.25-inch cast iron skillet), but they’re just as tasty in a baking dish. In testing, we found that a 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish was too small for this recipe, but you can bake these rolls in a 9-inch square baking pan, a 9-inch springform pan, or a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Serve With…
The cheesy rolls are wonderful as a shareable appetizer—perfect for a football get-together—or make a delicious accompaniment alongside bruschetta chicken with zucchini noodles or a steaming bowl of minestrone soup or slow cooker chicken chili.
See Your Pizza Pull Apart Rolls!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintPizza Pull Apart Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 hours (includes rises)
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
- Yield: 20-24 rolls
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft, buttery garlic herb yeast rolls are topped AND stuffed with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni, and finished with garlic herb butter. Take your time with this recipe because there are a few particular steps for shaping, topping, and finishing the rolls.
Ingredients
Dough & Filling
- 2 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star*
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 2 and 3/4 cups (360g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed*
- 1 and 1/2 cups (135g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup (60g) chopped pepperoni (or more cheese)
Topping
- 1/2 cup (45g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup (30g) chopped pepperoni (or more cheese)
- optional: 4 ounces (113g) uncooked ground Italian sausage
- optional: 1/3 cup (50g) chopped green pepper
- optional: 2 Tablespoons (20g) sliced black olives
Garlic Herb Butter for Brushing
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- optional, for serving: pizza sauce, chopped fresh basil, crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Make the dough: Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Heat the milk on the stove or in the microwave until warm to touch, about 110°F (43°C). Pour warm milk on top of yeast/sugar. Whisk gently to combine, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5—10 minutes. The mixture will be frothy after 5—10 minutes.
- If you do not have a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in this step. Add the melted butter, egg, salt, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and about 1 cup of the bread flour. Beat on low speed for 1 minute to combine ingredients, then add the remaining flour and beat on medium speed until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 2 minutes. If the dough seems too wet to a point where kneading (next step) would be impossible, beat in more flour 1 Tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. Dough should be soft and a little sticky, but still manageable to knead with lightly floured hands.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place in a slightly warm environment to rise until doubled in size, around 60—90 minutes. (If desired, use my warm oven trick for rising. See my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- As the dough rises, grease a 9-inch square pan, a 9-inch springform pan, a 9×13-inch baking pan, or a 10-inch oven-safe cast iron skillet; if using a cast iron skillet that’s already seasoned, no need to grease it. A 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish is too small for this recipe. See Notes for other baking pan options.
- Prepare the filling: Mix together 1 and 1/2 cups (135g) shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup (60g) chopped pepperoni in a bowl.
- Shape the rolls: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release the air. Pinch off a piece of dough about 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons in size (1 ounce/30g). With your hands, form into a ball and make an indent in the center. Pinch a bit of cheese and pepperoni (a scant Tablespoon, about 7–8g) with your fingers and stuff into the middle of the dough. Press the dough around it to seal the filling inside, and place the stuffed dough ball into the prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling until you’ve filled the pan (you should have about 20–24 balls).
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow to rise once again in a slightly warm environment until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
- Prepare the toppings: In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup (45g) mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup (30g) pepperoni. If you’re making the supreme-style option, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and chopped green pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage into bite-size pieces with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until sausage is cooked through, about 6–7 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a plate lined with paper towels, to drain. Combine with the sliced olives.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position, then preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the rolls from the oven and sprinkle on the cheese and pepperoni topping; plus the cooked sausage, peppers, and olives, if making supreme style. Loosely tent with foil, then return to oven and bake for another 12–15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. For a more accurate test of doneness, the rolls are done when an instant read thermometer reads 195°F (90°C). Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes as you prepare the topping.
- Make the garlic herb butter: Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and stir in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Brush on warm rolls before serving. Serve with a side of pizza sauce, and any other additional pizza toppings such as fresh chopped basil or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Cover leftover rolls tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Prepare recipe through step 6. Place shaped rolls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Once frozen, the dough balls won’t stick together anymore and you can place them in a freezer bag if needed. On the day you serve them, arrange the dough balls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, then let them thaw and rise for about 4–5 hours. Bake as directed. You can also freeze the baked rolls. Allow them to cool completely and then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Reheat as desired. If reheating the whole pan, loosely cover with foil and reheat in a 300°F (149°C) oven for about 10 minutes or until warm.
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the recipe through step 6. Cover the shaped rolls tightly and refrigerate for up to about 15 hours. At least 3 hours before you need them the next day, remove the rolls from the refrigerator, keep covered, and allow to rise on the counter for about 1–2 hours before baking. Alternatively, you can let the dough have its 1st rise in the refrigerator overnight (step 3). Cover the dough tightly and place in the refrigerator for up to about 15 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the dough to fully rise for 2 more hours. Continue with step 4.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl | 10.25-inch Oven-Safe Cast Iron Skillet, 9-inch Square Baking Pan, 9-inch Springform Pan, or 9×13-inch Baking Pan | Pastry Brush
- Yeast: I always use Platinum Yeast from Red Star, an instant yeast. If using active dry yeast, the rise times could be slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Flour: I recommend bread flour for extra chewy and flaky rolls. You can use all-purpose flour if needed instead. Either flour is fine and there are no other changes to the recipe if you use one or the other.
- Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a store-bought herb blend and you can make your own homemade Italian seasoning if desired. Or substitute with the same amount of your favorite dried herb.
- Make Them Vegetarian: You can leave out the pepperoni and just include more cheese for the filling and topping, or use a plant-based pepperoni instead.
- Baking Pans (affiliate links): If baking in a skillet, make sure it’s oven-safe. I always use this 10.25-inch skillet. You can also bake these rolls in a 9-inch square baking pan, a 9-inch springform pan, or a 9×13-inch baking pan. A 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish is too small for this recipe. You could also arrange and bake them on a lined or greased baking sheet; make sure the rolls are touching.
Keywords: pizza pull apart rolls
This recipe was easy to make and the dough was nice and soft. I found stuffing it with shredded cheese a bit of a challenge but got the hang of it. Next time, I might try chunk cheese and maybe spinach as well. I topped my pizza rolls with veggies – peppers, broccoli, and tomatoes. I blotted the cooked peppers and broccoli after cooking to remove some moisture. I also seeded the tomatoes, so they would add any moisture.
★★★
These were so yummy and easy and fun to make. My advice is not to skimp on the filling… I wound up with some leftover after I was done filling the rolls, and more is better. I feel so confident to tackle other rolls now, too. Also definitely pairs well with Sally’s minestrone, too!
★★★★★
I wasn’t going to let a kitchen renovation keep me from this months baking challenge! These Pizza Pull Apart Rolls were everything I wanted and more. And the flavor was perfect! The light fluffy texture of the rolls made it hard to stop eating them. I filled some with cheese, some with cheese and pepperoni, and left a few plain for my dairy free kiddo. Baked them in the toaster oven and they were done in just under 20 minutes.
Thank you Sally for another hit!
★★★★★
I thought this recipe was delicious and fun to make! When I make it again, I think I will put the toppings inside the balls instead, because they kept falling off when dipped.
★★★★★
My kids loved it! Its a nice twist on pizza night. We liked experimenting with toppings, and decided we are going to have to make it again for our next game/movie night.
★★★★★
Took a little longer to bake but the recipe was delicious! The bread was so soft and fluffy! Great game day recipe!
★★★★★
I also found mine needed a bit more time than the recipe called for.
These were great! I was a little intimidated reading through all of the directions but she laid it out perfectly and I had no issues. Turned out very good! I did the supreme pizza version
★★★★★
These were so fun to make and delicious too! I actually forgot the basil herb butter, but the rolls were still so good without it! The insides could’ve used more filling, but everything was scrumptious. I really want to make these again soon, maybe the supreme style. This was my first baking challenge and I really enjoyed it. Thank you!
★★★★★
Good appetizer. Good flavor. Family enjoyed.
★★★★
These pizza pull apart rolls were so delicious! They’re so good when dipped in pizza sauce.
★★★★★
What a fun and easy recipe! My kids absolutely love them. The only downside is they enjoyed them so much, there won’t be any leftovers! Thank you for another great recipe!
★★★★★
These were really fun to make! I should have stuffed even more cheese into the inside because they were kind of hallow, but they were still amazing! Definitely recommend!
These pull apart rolls turned out so well! They made for a fun family dinner that everyone enjoyed. A little pizza sauce for dipping was perfect to add a bit of moisture.
★★★★★
These rolls were absolutely delicious! I didn’t use all of the cheese for the filling, but I know for next time to be more generous when filling the dough balls!
★★★★★
These Were So Good!!!! 🙂
This recipe makes beautiful and delicious rolls! I topped mine with yellow and orange bell peppers as that is all I had on hand and they added a delicious flavor!
★★★★★
Made these a few weeks ago and making them again today. Delicious and the recipe is easy to follow.
★★★★★
“the day you serve them, arrange the dough balls in a greased baking pan, cover tightly, then let them thaw and rise for about 4–5 hours.”
My question is thaw at room temp or in the fridge?
Ni Nancy, You can let them thaw at room temperature. Enjoy!
This pizza dough was so soft and pillowy. I served this dish with dipping sauce and it was a hit.
★★★★★
These were so good and fun to make.
★★★★★
This was a really fun recipe to make.
My dough didn’t rise as such as I would’ve liked so I do recommend making sure your milk isn’t too hot.. I think that’s what happened to me. Will invest in a food thermometer is the near future T-T
★★★★★
My family ate these so fast and without complaints! (Which is a rare feat with my 7 year old!) A fun spin on pizza and perfect for sharing. Delicious and full proof. I doubled it and did one in cast iron and one in a springform pan. Both were perfect!
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I always seem to be accomplishing my challenges at the end of the month. It has been so hot here that I just had no desire to turn on my oven and bake. With that said, this past weekend we (my husband and I) made the Pizza Pull Apart Rolls.
This is a fabulous recipe and we both enjoyed it. We added extra chopped-up pepperoni as well as extra cheese. We also added Italian Sausage. Go big or go home, right? I used regular yeast because we could not find the yeast listed in the recipe.
Great flavor, great texture, the dough was fabulous. We plan to make these again.
Perfect pizza flavor in little pillows sit dough, stuffed with melty mozzarella cheese, perfect for dipping! My only change would be to add all the topping next time. We play it conservatively for the kids and it was amazing but I know some peppers, onions and mushrooms would take it to the next level.
★★★★★
Making these for our next party! (Not that we ever really go to parties these days …but when we do!!) these rolls were super easy and addicting. Can’t wait to try more of your yeast recipes. This is so approachable. My son loves watching your video tutorials and he especially loved punching down the dough. Thanks for another great recipe. We absolutely love these challenges. It is something to look forward to every month.
★★★★★
I’ve been wanting to try this ever since the picture came in on my email! I love how light the rolls came out. They were absolutely perfect! I had trouble getting enough filling in them. I’m not sure how I could have gotten more filling in. I will make the bread rolls all the time with a variety of spices and toppings! I imagine cinnamon inside brushed with honey butte or on top. Mmmm
★★★★
These pizza rolls are so yummy!! I made them for my family and everyone loved it! My one-year old especially 🙂 I filled the rolls with ground beef.. and topped with mushroom, green olives and bell pepper! But best part was the dough. So delicious! Pretty easy to make too. I prepared the dough in the morning and put the stuffed rolls in the fridge while I was at work. I let them reach room temperature and then baked as instructed when I got home. Fun recipe!
★★★★★
Made these Sunday night and enjoyed while watching football. This is a great recipe to work with someone else on. I appreciate the detailed instructions and weight measurements… helps ensure consistent results.
★★★★★
This was a fun and wonderful change up to our Friday night routine pizza! We served it with the homemade sauce, which everyone loved. I think next week when I make it I will try some hot Italian sausage and a little more cheese sprinkled in between the rolls. It will become a regular recipe at our house. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
This was fun to make and my family devoured it!
This was so much fun to make. I followed the directions exactly except I used red bell pepper and onion for the toppings along with the pepperoni and mozzarella. It turned out perfectly. I used a really simple pizza sauce for dipping–tomato sauce, garlic powder, oregano, fresh basil and a bit of sugar. This is going in my “make again” file.
★★★★★
Easy recipe to follow. Kept it simple making half pepperoni and half cheese. Will certainly make these again.
★★★★★
excited to try this!! Could non dairy milk be used?
Hi Sallie, Non-dairy or low-fat milks work too, but whole milk produces phenomenal flavor and texture.