Denmark and America

As we have mentioned on our About Us page, as well as countless other times on this blog, we were born in Denmark but moved away when we were 5 and 8. We lived in Greece for 3 years, then moved to America when we were 8 and 11. Our dad is American and our mom is Danish, so we speak fluent Danish (and English of course). We are still very in touch with Denmark and our Danish side, as we have lots of family and friends who still live there. And of course, growing up in the US means that we also feel as American as we do Danish. So, we thought it was about time to bring a recipe out that combines the two food cultures. That’s why today’s recipe is a fun crossover, just like us!

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Pizza rolls with pepperoni and cheese on a cutting board.

Pizza rolls with pepperoni and cheese on a cooling rack.

Today’s Recipe

One of the first things we think of when we think of American food is pizza! Of course, pizza is from Italy, not the US, but it is extremely popular over here. Also, I think American pizza is pretty different from Italian pizza (depending on where you go, of course!). So, for today’s recipe, we took one of our favorite pizza toppings, pepperoni, and made a savory crossover with a classic Danish pastry, kanelsnegle (cinnamon snails). The result is these pizza snails! The dough has a little bit of tomato paste, italian seasoning, and olive oil in it to give it some more pizza flavor. Then, we top it with cheese, pepperoni, and more cheese. The end result is a beautiful swirl that tastes absolutely delicious! We obviously won’t claim to have invented these, as there are many people out there who have made their own versions of pizzasnegle before.

How to Make Pizzasnegle!

The process of making these delicious mini pizzas is actually quite simple! You start by making the dough. Activate your yeast if necessary, combine the ingredients, knead for 10-12 minutes, and then let the dough rise for about 1 hour. Next, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, top with cheese and pepperoni, and roll it up into a log. Slice your log into equal-sized swirls that you can then place on parchment-lined baking sheets and let rise a second time. After about 30 minutes, egg wash them and bake! They will come out golden brown with melty and crispy cheese. They are so yummy eaten warm but also delicious eaten once they have cooled down! Try them out and let us know down in the comments how it goes.

Pizzasnegle (Savory Pizza Swirls with Pepperoni)

4.50 from 2 votes

These pizza snails are the perfect combination of an American-style pepperoni pizza and Danish snail-shaped pastries! They are cheesy, savory, and fluffy – the perfect snack, appetizer, or side dish!

Servings

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Resting Time 1 30

Total Time 2 5

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

Dough

2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active-dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
120 ml (1/2 cup) water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp italian seasoning
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp melted butter
350 grams (about 2 3/4 cups) flour

Filling

226 grams shredded mozzarella (8 oz)
6 oz pepperoni (corresponds to 1 packet of pepperoni; you may be left with extra!)

Topping

1 egg (for egg wash)

Instructions

Heat up the milk and water, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is "fingervarm" (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. You don't want to kill the yeast! Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. (If your yeast doesn't do anything, it may be expired. Check the expiration date on the package and start over with new yeast!)
Combine the sugar, salt, italian seasoning, tomato paste, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add in the milk, water, and yeast mixture. Stir to combine.
Add in the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Then begin kneading (with the stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment).
Knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky. You should be left with a soft and smooth dough.
Cover and let your dough rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a surface for rolling out.
Roll out the dough into a large rectangle, aiming for about 1/4" thickness.
Sprinkle about ⅔ of the cheese over the dough.
Arrange the pepperoni slices on top of the cheese, creating an even layer.
Sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of the cheese over the top of the pepperoni.
Begin rolling the dough up from the short edge.
Cut the log into 1-1.5 inch (3cm) thick pieces. We divide our dough into 12 pieces.
Arrange the swirls on two baking sheets prepared with parchment paper.
Cover the swirls loosely with cling film or a clean dishtowel and let them rise another 45 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Make your egg wash (1 egg whisked together with a splash of water until there are no more gloopy streaks of egg white), then brush over the swirls and bake for about 15 minutes.
Once they are done, let them cool slightly. Enjoy!