This recipe can be made with differing degrees of difficulty. I took the middle of the road approach. The most difficult would be to make your own mozzarella and dough before assembling. The moderate approach, which I used, involves store-bought mozzarella and homemade dough. The easiest (but still tasty) option would be to use store-bought mozzarella and pizza dough. The decision is yours, and no one would mind eating any of the options, I would imagine.
These rolls are full of flavor that can be adapted to your palate. I prefer lots of garlic, so I would make it with 5 cloves of garlic. For those who prefer a little less bite, such as my husband, 3 cloves seem to be the right amount. The key part of this recipe is to serve them as soon as they are done baking. You want to enjoy while they are hot, dripping with garlic butter, and filled with gooey cheese.
If your dad has an affinity for melted cheese and warm bread, this is a guaranteed winner.
- 2 Tb. olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 ball pizza dough
- 2 Tb. melted butter
- salt & pepper
- 24 ciliegine*
- parmesan cheese
- Combine olive oil, garlic, oregano, and basil in small bowl and allow flavors to meld while dough rises.
- Place dough in greased bowl, flipping to coat all sides, and cover; allow to sit in warm place for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 425.
- Add melted butter to oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roll dough into 16″x11″ rectangle on floured work surface.
- Brush half of oil mixture onto dough.
- Cut into 24 evenly sized squares.
- Place 1 ciliegine in the center of each square, fold dough, and seal edges to encase cheese.
- Please dough on a small, greased baking sheet.
- Brush tops of rolls with remaining oil.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and eat immediately.
- Ciliegine are small balls of fresh mozzarella and can be found in the cheese section of your grocery store.
If you want to make your own dough, you can find the recipe here.
