Spelt Pizza Scrolls
I’ve gotta say that this pizza scroll recipe made me do a happy dance when I nailed it! I used to LOVE making puff pastry pizza scrolls as a kid. Just from frozen puff, a jarred pizza sauce, and all my favourite pizza toppings including mushrooms, red onion, pineapple, baby spinach and artichokes, all topped with stacks of tasty cheese.
These days I’m a bit more conscious about what I put in my body and have little interest in filling it with the long list of additives you’ll find in commercial frozen pastry and choose to avoid dairy.
So I was thrilled when this recipe, made with a yeast-free spelt dough, and additive free ingredients turned out SO WELL. Mine still have that killer mushroom, artichoke and pineapple combo, but you can fill yours with all your favourite pizza fillings.
This recipe makes 8 pizza scrolls. If you want to double batch it to make 16 and make use of the full jar of tomato passata then make the pastry in separate batches. You’ll want to minimise the time between mixing and baking to maximise how well the dough rises. The pizza scrolls freeze really well, so it’s a great way to batch a bunch of school lunches so they’re ready to go.
Ingredients
For the Dough
2 ½ C Wholegrain Spelt Flour ¾ C Hot water 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 3 tsps baking powder Large pinch of salt
For the Filling
½ jar tomato passata, reduce liquid by half by simmering gently while stirring. This thickens the passata for spreading evenly and concentrates the flavour. Add in some minced garlic while you simmer if you love a pumped up garlic flavour.
1 tbsp olive oil ½ cup mushrooms, sliced 1 medium capsicum, finely diced ½ red onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, finely diced 1 cup baby spinach leaves ½ cup cashew cheese + extra for topping
Optional fillings: Artichoke hearts, sliced olives, pineapple pieces, sundried tomatoes, pesto, roasted veggies, chilli flakes, fresh chilli, grilled eggplants, nutritional yeast, dried italian herbs.
Method
1. Start by preparing your veggies first, this will reduce the amount of liquid in them and concentrate the flavour. You can skip this step if you choose. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Toss mushrooms, onions, garlic, and capsicum into the oil and saute for 5-10 minutes to reduce the water content.
2. While the veg is sauteing, reduce the tomato passata in another pan.
3. Set aside sauce and veggies to cool.
4. In a mixing bowl add spelt flour, baking powder and salt, stir with a fork to combine.
5. Make a well in the centre and add the ½ a cup of the water, olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar. Hold back ¼ cup of the water, and add as needed.
6. Stir with a fork to bring together until the dough looks like rags.
7. Dust your hands with some extra spelt flour and pull the dough together with your hands, it should feel wet, but not sticky.
8. Turn out onto a floured surface to knead for 3-5 minutes. Pulling together into a neat ball.
9. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
10. Roll dough out into a rough rectangle, about ¾ cm thickness.
11. Spread tomato passata over the dough, leaving 2 cm at one end to join the roll.
12. Top with veggies, covering the surface evenly, except the 2cm at one end and season with salt and pepper.
13. Dollop on cashew cheese and cover with baby spinach leaves and any other preferred toppings.
16. Roll as tightly as possible from one end to the other, pinching the end you’ve left free from ingredients into the body of the roll to join. 15. Make a cut in the centre, then cut those pieces into half again, then halve again to cut eight even pieces.
16. Place on a non-stick, silicone baking matt, baking paper or an oiled pan, spread out.
17. Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 45-50 minutes, or until dough is cooked through. 18. Top with extra cashew cheese to serve and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
