Cheesy Pizza Swirls with Smoked Scamorza and Tomato Filling

Pizza Swirls (Girelle di Pizza)
Category: Appetizers
Servings: 11 pieces

Ingredients:

Instructions:

For the Dough:

1. Begin by preparing the dough. Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the sugar. Stir to combine the ingredients.
2. Gradually add the water, little by little, until the dough comes together into a smooth and homogenous consistency.
3. Once the water is fully incorporated, add the salt to the dough mixture.
4. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pour in the extra virgin olive oil. Continue to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough in a bowl, cover it with a clean cloth, and allow it to rise in a warm place, away from drafts, until it doubles in size. This should take about 2 hours with this amount of yeast.

For the Tomato Filling:
6. While the dough is rising, prepare the tomato filling. Place the canned peeled tomatoes in a bowl, add salt, olive oil, and oregano. Use a fork to crush the tomatoes and mix the ingredients well.

Assembling the Pizza Swirls:
7. Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle shape, approximately 27 cm wide and 40 cm long, with a thickness of about 4mm.
8. Spread the prepared tomato mixture evenly over most of the dough, leaving a 1 cm border around the edges.
9. Layer the sliced scamorza cheese on top of the tomato mixture.
10. Carefully roll the dough up from the longer side to create a tight log, making sure the seam of the roll is on the bottom to prevent it from unraveling.
11. Using a sharp knife, cut the rolled dough into 11 individual swirls, each about 2.5 cm wide.
12. Place the swirls onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and lightly dusted with flour. Allow them to rise for another 30 minutes.

Baking:
13. Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan-assisted). Bake the swirls in the center of the oven for about 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
14. Once baked, remove the pizza swirls from the oven and allow them to cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy these delightful, bite-sized pizza swirls as a delicious appetizer that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

Nutritional Information (per piece, approximate):

Tip: For an extra burst of flavor, you can add some finely chopped green olives or a pinch of chili flakes to the tomato mixture before spreading it on the dough!