Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Sticks
Try this Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Sticks recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Sticks recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 32.5500115000007 g
- Cholesterol 6.1006250026162 mg
- Fat 3.34766775098698 g
- Fiber 9.76545983343124 g
- Protein 3.88124375001034 g
- Saturated Fat 1.59350475062506 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (351g)
- Sodium 23.453400007009 mg
- Sugar 22.7845516665695 g
- Trans Fat 0.721867750069093 g
- Calories 122 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Spread pizza dough out on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cut the dough into 10 equal size rectangles.
- Arrange 4 pepperoni slices on each rectangle and top with a mozzarella cheese stick.
- Roll up the pizza dough, enclosing the cheese stick, pinching the seams closed.
- Melt the butter and add the garlic powder and dried parsley. Brush the pizza sticks with the butter.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Enjoy warm with a side of marinara sauce for dipping if desired.
Golden brown pastry surfaces shatter lightly against the teeth before giving way to stretches of warm, molten mozzarella and savory cured meat. High heat is essential for this result, requiring an oven preheated strictly to 450 degrees Fahrenheit so the dough sets and browns before the internal cheese boils out of the seams. Lower temperatures allow the fat in the cheese to render too slowly, resulting in soggy crusts and empty pockets where the dairy leaked onto the pan.
Dividing the pizza sheet into ten uniform rectangles ensures even baking times across the batch. Pinching the dough seams securely closed prevents steam vents from forming prematurely, which traps the heat inside to melt the dairy core evenly. Brushing the exterior surfaces with a mixture of melted butter, garlic powder, and dried parsley right before baking promotes rapid browning through milk solids reacting to the direct heat.
Texture relies heavily on moisture control during assembly and baking. Excess oil on the baking sheet can fry the bottom crust unevenly, so apply a very thin layer of grease or use parchment paper to maintain a dry, crisp interface. Removing the sticks promptly at the 12-minute mark stops the internal moisture from over-softening the structural crumb.
Serving these warm alongside a dish of heated marinara sauce introduces a bright, acidic contrast to the rich dairy and cured meat. Proper cooling for two minutes on a wire rack prevents steam from condensing on the bottom surfaces, preserving the crisp exterior until the first bite.
