Inside-Out Pizza Roll

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Extra-virgin olive oil, for greasing
2 cups Meat Sauce
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
1. Using a standing mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the lukewarm water and yeast; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth and wraps around the hook, about 5 minutes. Grease a large bowl with olive oil, transfer the dough to the bowl and let rise, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium skillet, cook the meat sauce over medium heat, stirring, until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes; let cool.

3. Punch down the risen dough and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out to a 12-by-16-inch rectangle. Scatter the cheese on top, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Spoon the meat sauce over the cheese. Brush the border with some of the beaten egg and roll the dough up loosely, beginning at the short end. Transfer to a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, brush with more egg and cut 3 vents on top. Bake until golden-brown, about 40 minutes.

Comments:
I opted to use bread dough rather than pizza dough for this since pizza dough always seems to be dryer than I like. Plus it saved a lot of time. It worked out pretty well. But I obviously didn't seal that top seam well enough since it exploded open...

They want you to use their meat sauce, but I just made my favorite dependable stand-by slow cooker pasta sauce instead. I made it the night before, letting it bubble away all night. This also saved time since I didn't re-heat it before assembling the roll.

Overall, this is very good. Even though I let it hang out for ten minutes after taking it out of the oven, it was still a mess to cut and serve:



I also think I may have overfilled it since it blew out both ends (and the top.) I might try this one again, perhaps getting some dough from the grocery store or trying something like that.