Description
Romantic pizza roses highlight Italian culinary creativity for special Valentine’s celebrations. Delicate dough petals spiral into elegant heart-shaped presentations that guests will adore.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
- Olive oil for brushing
- Fresh basil leaves for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 375°F and prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet for the pizza roses.
- Dust a clean surface with flour and gently stretch the pizza dough into a thin, even layer about ¼ inch thick.
- Slice the dough into precise 2-inch wide ribbons using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
- Apply a delicate layer of pizza sauce across each dough strip, maintaining clear margins around the edges.
- Generously distribute mozzarella cheese over the sauced surface, ensuring even coverage.
- Arrange pepperoni slices along one edge of each strip, creating a slightly overlapping pattern to mimic rose petals.
- Carefully roll each dough strip from one end to the other, forming tight, compact rose-like shapes.
- Transfer the rolled roses onto the prepared baking sheet, positioning them with slight separation.
- Delicately brush the surface of each rose with a light coating of olive oil.
- Sprinkle a modest amount of salt and freshly ground pepper over the roses for enhanced flavor.
- Slide the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the roses achieve a golden-brown, crispy exterior.
Notes
- Precision matters when cutting dough strips to ensure uniform rose sizes that bake evenly.
- Pepperoni can be replaced with vegetarian alternatives like roasted bell peppers or thinly sliced zucchini for plant-based diets.
- Roll strips carefully and tightly to maintain the delicate rose shape without causing the filling to spill out during baking.
- Experiment with different cheese blends like parmesan or fontina to create unique flavor profiles that complement the pepperoni or vegetable filling.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 390 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 21 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg