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.
One reader, Remi, commented: “I made this recipe rather than our typical dinner rolls for salad night tonight. They were a hit, and suffice to say, I will be making them again. They were the perfect amount of every ingredient and flavor, as well as buttery and soft. I can’t wait to try more variations! 11/10 would recommend! ★★★★★“
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 flaky soft sweet potato dinner rolls, 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. 🙂
Print
Pizza 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 the recipe through step 7. 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 7. 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Reminds me of the Pepperoni rolls from West Virginia. A family favorite!
I loved this!! It was very easy to make. My 8yo was helping me stuff the balls . It was fluffy and very flavorful. The herbs in the dough really is the money!
These were great! My daughter’s did not let them cool fully before they were chowing down. Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe.
This recipe was shockingly easy and DELICIOUS! I don’t have a stand mixer and it worked just fine with a spatula as the recipe noted. The step that took the longest was stuffing and rolling the dough into balls. But it was all worth it! I topped mine with pepperoni, cheese, sausage, bell pepper, red onion, and fresh basil from my herb planter! So good and worth the effort.
These rolls were such a fun bake and taste absolutely delicious! The dough came together so easily and they smelled fantastic while baking. The texture of the rolls is really great from the bread flour as well. Another hit (as always) from Sally!
These rolls were delicious! The directions were super easy to follow, and my picky eaters loved them! We’ll definitely be making these again!
Great recipe! I think it could use a little more pepperoni in the filling or maybe chunks of pepperoni instead of sliced. Definitely a recipe I’ll make again.
Two thumbs up from the whole family! Easy enough for my 10 year old to help me. We make something similar to this in a loaf shape but everyone liked this more because the bread stayed more tender. It’s a great recipe that we will keep in our family favorite’s cookbook.
These were delicious and fun to make! I need to work on getting the rolls more packed with the pepperoni/cheese mix, any suggestions? The flavors were great!
These were sooooo delicious! We are a house divided though as two prefer your pizza rolls ( a weekly family fave) and two preferred these. I really loved the dough so much and dreaming about other flavours. Do you think I could make these using an apple cinnamon filing and cinnamon sugar topping or would the filling be too wet and seep through?
Yes, absolutely! I would love to try a sweet version of this recipe. I haven’t tested anything yet, so let me know if you do.
So tasty! These turned out perfectly! I made some with just cheese and others with pepperoni and cheese. My whole family loved them! I will definitely make them again! I always have amazing success with Sally’s recipes and this was no exception!
I just made these rolls as part of the September baking challenge! I used AP flour – since that’s what I had on hand – and while they were fine, I agree with the recipe that bread flour would probably be a better texture. I also used just cheese to make them vegetarian, but I’d also try adding some more flavorful topping next time (maybe a second cheese, fresh garlic, or pesto).
Could you do the dough on a bread machine?
Hi Angela, we haven’t tested this recipe with a bread machine, but let us know if you do give it a try!
Absolutely loved these! I am a long time Sally’s fan. All her recipes are well-written and easy to execute. This was no exception. The rolls were light and fluffy and the filling was just the right amount. I used a combination of mozzarella cheese and a little bit of shredded Parmesan with turkey pepperoni and baked it in a cast iron skillet. Will definitely be making these again!
These were delicious! I quadrupled the recipe and put them in three 12-inch pans. They turned out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe!
Easy to make. Flavorful. They won’t replace our pizza but they’re great for an appetizer or tailgate.
Made these today and the recipe was so easy to follow. They are delicious!!
What a great recipe and so many options! If it goes on pizza it can go on/in these! Delicious!
So tasty and a perfect football snack. I used all purpose flour and they came out tender, flavorful and so so yummy!
I made this for the September baking challenge and it was absolutely perfect❤️
These are so good! The rolls are light and fluffy – delicious! I’ll definitely be making them again.
I made these tonight along with pizza soup. They turned out great and my husband and son loved them. I followed the recipe exactly except that I had some of the filling left over. I felt like I was putting a lot in each roll and wanted to be sure I could get the dough around it. However, when I bit into them, I couldn’t see much filling. Next time I will really stuff each roll. This is definitely a recipe I will repeat!
Yet to try it …I am excited your recipes are always a success and they are always spot on!
Looks great!
Question – do you think you could substitute pepperoni with another meat, like small pieces of soppressata?
Absolutely!
AWESOME!! I made rolls from scratch and people loved them!! I have been such good reactions from my deserts I have made from Sally’s site I saw this and got inspired to make rolls again. I have tried to make bread by hand with very little success, so wanted to try this. IT WORKED!! The rolls were perfect! I totally followed directions except on the filling, as I wanted to use what was in the house and didn’t have pizza stuff. So instead I put Greek Chicken and feta cheese inside and topped with greek yogurt sauce with pine nuts, uses a Tzatziki sauce on the side. AWESOME so if you have pizza stuff these are worth the effort, next I am going to do bbq beef with cheddar cheese. This pull apart idea is awesome and following Sallys directions made it fool proof!
Can I make these without the eggs? They look amazing btw!
Hi Kinsee, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of the dough, but let us know if you do. Here are all of our egg-free recipes if you’re interested.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I want to know if it can work with package rolls.
I’m sure that would be fine!
This sounds wonderful! I want to take 2 batches of these to my granddaughter’s for a housewarming! They each live about 3 hours away. I would like to make and fill the dough the day before and let them rise as we drive so I can bake them fresh when we get there. Question is what is the longest the dough can be refrigerated if I make them the morning before? Sounds like a wonderful recipe and can’t wait to make them. BTW your crepe recipe is awesome and we loved your salted caramel. I filled them with mascarpone and a little sugar and vanilla and topped with the caramel! I make your artesian bread about every other week and rave about you to all my friends and share your wonderful site with them. We are all around 70 yrs old and still learning and enjoying you!
Thank you so much, Dee! If they’re covered tightly and refrigerated, I’d say about 12-18 hours max is fine. I hope everyone enjoys them!
So delicious. Perfect for Friday enjoy Whole family loved it.
I would like to shape/fill these at night and then finish the rise and bake them the next morning. Will that work?
Hi Joanne! Absolutely. See the overnight/make ahead instructions.
This is a winner recipe, one I’m very thankful to now have!!!
Looks Amazing!