French Bread and Pizza Rolls

Once again I have lost my camera... I'm so frustrated with myself! I'm just praying it shows up sooner than later...it's killing me not to take pictures of the kids on a daily basis! :) So since I don't have any recent pics of the babes I'll post a little recipe that I've been meaning to share. I had taken the pictures a couple weeks ago and I suppose now is a great time to post!
This recipe is a FAVORITE at our house! Pizza Rolls take a little time to make but they are SO worth it! This recipe makes 2 dozen large pizza rolls...sometimes I double the recipe because these are perfect to keep in the freezer. I keep them in giant freezer bags and whenever somebody wants a quick snack I can put them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and you instantly have a delicious homemade treat! You can put any filling in them you choose... here are some of my favorites that I do....
-Canadian Bacon and Pineapple (SO delicious!!!!)
-Pepperoni, sausage, green peppers and mushrooms

Also, the french bread recipe that I use for these makes delicious french bread (duh :) ). Instead of making the pizza rolls you simply roll it into a loaf and bake for the same amount of time. I love to make homemade french bread to go with our winter soups and stews!

Alrighty...here's the recipe!

FRENCH BREAD
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 1/2 C. water
2 Tablespoons sugar (I always add a little more than this...I like our bread sweet!)
2 teaspooons salt
2 Tablespoons oil
7 1/2-8 Cups flour

Don't be intimidated if you haven't ever used yeast before. It's very easy!
Your water will need to be roughly between 95 and 105 degrees. Basically pretty warm. If it's too cold the yeast will not "awaken" and if it's too hot (above 110 degrees) the heat of the water will kill your active yeast. Pour your water into your bowl. Next you will mix in your yeast and sugar. The sugar acts as food for the yeast as it "awakens" in the water. An easy way to know if you've activated your yeast is to just set your bowl aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes. If you see foam or bubbles at the surface of the liquid you will know that the yeast is alive and ready for baking. If however you see none of that then I would suggest you dump that out and start over. Once you have your activated yeast go ahead and add your salt, oil and flour.
Knead your dough for 10 minutes.
Then let it rise in a warm area (I find that letting it rise on my oven that is pre-heating works wonderfully!). I usually let mine rise for about 20 minutes.
Once risen you can either shape it into loaves for french bread or keep going to make your pizza rolls!
For french bread bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

PIZZA ROLLS
1 Recipe of French Bread
2 pint jars of pizza sauce
2-16 oz. packages of finely shredded mozzarella cheese (I like lots of cheese...one package per pizza roll)
Desired toppings! Pepperoni, italian sausage, pineapple, canadian bacon, onion, mushrooms, peppers, etc.

Roll out your french bread dough into 2, 14x24" rectangles. Spread each rectangle with sauce, cheese and toppings. Roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll or cinnamon rolls. Slice each roll into 12 individual pizza rolls. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake 20 minutes @ 400 degrees.

And there you have it! I promise they are not hard to make at all! If you have any questions please ask! Another great thing that I love about these is that they are SO inexpensive! A great way to cut down on your grocery bill!



Roll your dough into a ball to let it rise
I place my dough back in my bowl, cover with a clean towel and set on top of my pre-heated oven to rise.
Assemble like you would a pizza
Roll it up!
Cut into slices and place in your pan
The finished product.... they are SO wonderful! Pizza Rolls are also the perfect meal to bring to a family in need... easy to transport and they satisfy even the pickiest eaters!

Wish my luck in finding my camera... I'm hoping it turns up sooner than later!
Have a great Sunday tomorrow!