Pizza bites with spicy ranch
These pizza bites with spicy ranch are super nostalgic for me. As a kid growing up in the early 2000’s, pizza rolls were such a treat after school. I remember loving pizza rolls as well as bagel bites, which are one in the same, if you think about it. They are essentially frozen pizza delicacies of Y2K.
I found myself recently craving pizza rolls, though I couldn’t find them at the supermarket. I rolled them with spring roll pastry and fried them to achieve that crispy golden exterior. There was a trend on Tiktok where people were covering their pizza rolls in a garlic parmesan butter. Go on, I know you wanna try that.
Pizza bites, or pizza rolls, are essentially fried pockets of pizza. There’s just no other way to say it. It tastes just as good as it sounds.
This recipe makes extra spicy ranch, about 1 1/2 cups total. Makes about 20 pizza bites.
Ingredients:
Pizza Bites:
10 spring roll pastry sheets, found in frozen section
100g pepperoni, sliced into small chunks
1 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 cup pizza sauce
750ml neutral oil, to fry, such as rice bran oil
Spicy Ranch:
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp of your favorite hot sauce
2 tbsp whole milk
2 tbsp garlic aioli
1 tbsp lemon juice, fresh!
2 tsp onion powder
handful of fresh dill, chopped finely
handful of fresh parsley, chopped finely
big pinch of salt
big crack of black pepper
Method:
Prepare the pastry: thaw spring roll pastry according to instructions. After it has softened slightly, take one spring roll sheet and lay flat on a cutting board. Cut the spring roll sheet into 4 even squares.
Add oil to a small pot and bring to a high heat, 300F.
Prepare the spicy ranch: mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Blend in a food processor for that ultra smooth texture, optional. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.
To roll the pizza bites: take one square and add 1 tsp of pizza sauce to the center. Add 1 tbsp of mozzarella and a few chunks of salami on top.
Fold up the bottom half of pastry so you’re tucking the pizza fillings to bed and roll the pizza bite up, moving upwards. Fold in the sides. Dip your fingers into a bowl of water and pat down the sides so they stick.
Take the pizza bite you just created and lay it down with the sides facing upwards and the smooth side down. Take a second square of pastry and cover the pizza bite with a second layer, folding it the same way. Dip your fingers into the water and pat down the sides so they stick. All loose ends of pastry should be sticking to the pastry, so it’s a uniform and clean looking pillow of pizza.
Fry the pizza bites: once the oil is hot enough, if you don’t have a temperature gauge, you can check with one pizza bite and see if it sizzles aggressively straight away. If it does, the oil is hot enough and you can proceed! If it doesn’t automatically put on a firework show for you when you lay the pizza bite into the oil, wait until the oil is hot enough! Otherwise you risk the pizza bite not crisping up. Fry as many as you feel comfortable with at a time, I prefer two or three at a time. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lay the pizza bites into the oil and allow them to fry for 1-2 minutes. Once golden brown, remove using a slotted spoon and lay down on a paper towel lined sheet.
Enjoy straight away with spicy ranch, or use extra pizza sauce to dip.
