Pizza Pinwheels, plus Prosciutto and Gorgonzola

Fun and good Pizza Pinwheels made with buttery and flakey puff pastry, salty prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese. These little pizza bites are suited to an Italian-inspired aperitivo with drinks and make great party food.

These pizza pinwheels are such a fun and easy little recipe suited to so many occasions be it finger food for parties, picnics or as an aperitivo with an Aperol Spritz in hand.

You can adapt them with various toppings, the list is endless really (see our suggestions below) but we've gone with one of our favourite flavour combinations; salty prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese.

The base is made with buttery and flakey puff pastry, we use ready-rolled making these pinwheels easy, quick and convenient to make.

If you're looking for another good and quick pizza snack without pastry, then try our Lingue di Pizza recipe (a good Italian street food).

See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make the pizza pinwheels plus some tips and notes on ingredients.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Puff pastry – we use ready-rolled puff pastry to make things easy. If you use a block of pastry that needs to be rolled out roll it to around 1/2cm (1/4 inch) thick.
• Passata (tomato puree in the US) – passata is suited to a pizza base, especially for these pizza pinwheels as it's thick and flavourful. If you make your own tomato sauce make sure it's cooked down enough and not too watery.
• Dried oregano – a little dried oregano added to the passata gives it a wonderful flavour.
• Prosciutto crudo – you can use any cured prosciutto you like you could even use speck for a more smoky flavour.
• Gorgonzola – we used Gorgonzola Piccante because it has a crumbly texture but you can also use Dolce you'll need to dollop small amounts rather than crumble it.
• Mozzarella – avoid wet fresh mozzarella for this recipe as it'll have too much moisture and make the pastry soggy. Use either a block of mozzarella that's usually used for pizzas or pre-grated (this is probably the only time we'll recommend using pre-grated mozzarella).

Step by step photos and instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 200C (390F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the passata with a pinch of dried oregano and mix to combine.

Spread the tomato passata over the sheet of pastry and lay over slices of prosciutto. Add crumbled pieces of Gorgonzola cheese on top followed by the mozzarella (photos 1-4).

Roll the pastry up into a log and cut the pastry into 1 inch thick slices (removing the ends with not much filling). Use a sharp knife for this so it's easier (photos 5 & 6).

Place the pinwheels on the baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes (photos 7 & 8).

Swaps

The variations and topping combinations for these pizza pinwheels are endless but two important tips to note when it comes to fillings are

1. Less is more – don't overfill them or they'll be too difficult to roll and cut.
2. No soggy toppings – don't add too much moisture or the pastry will turn soggy – that's why we recommend using pre-grated (shredded) mozzarella and not fresh mozzarella.

Instead of tomato passata, you could spread basil pesto on the base which would be good.

Cheese – You can also choose different cheeses such as Scamorza, Fontina, Provolone and Taleggio.

Meats – you could opt for salami, ham or other cured meats such as speck which is a smoked cured prosciutto.

Veggies and more – olives, capers, anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, grated zucchini (we use zucchini for our daughter squeeze out as much liquid as possible before using).

Recipe tips

Use ready-rolled pastry – this is by far the easiest way to make this recipe. Rolling out the pastry adds an extra and unnecessary step and these are meant to be quick and easy.

Don't take too long – you need to assemble the pizza pinwheels relatively quickly or the pastry will soften too much and be difficult to cut.

Soft pastry – if you find your pastry has got too soft put it back into the fridge or even the freezer to chill and firm up a bit again.

Prosciutto – to make the pinwheels easy to cut tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces instead of whole slices.

Cutting the pinwheels – use a sharp knife and cut the pinwheels in one swift motion to avoid squashing them.

Recipe FAQs

What's the best dough to use?

We recommend using ready-rolled puff pastry but you can also use pizza dough (either homemade or ready-rolled pizza dough for ease).

Can we prepare these in advance?

Yes, you can prepare the pinwheels in advance but they must be stored in the fridge if they are not cooked. Cooked pinwheels can be stored at room temperature for a few hours or kept in the fridge.

Can we freeze pizza pinwheels?

Yes, you can freeze the pinwheels before or after cooking. Freeze them flat on a tray without touching each other then once frozen you can transfer them to a freezer bag. Cook straight from frozen

More Italian appetisers to try

Antipasti

Rustici Leccesi (Tomato and Mozzarella Pastries)

Antipasti

Gnocco Fritto (Italian Fried Dough)

Pizza

Focaccia Pizza

Antipasti

Burrata with Crispy 'Nduja & Gremolata

Ingredients

Makes 8 pinwheels

• 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry ((320g/11.2oz))
• 2-3 tablespoons passata (tomato puree US)
• 1 small pinch dried oregano
• 5-6 slices Prosciutto di Parma
• ½ cup cubed Gorgonzola piccante ((50g))
• ½ cup pre-grated Mozzarella ((60g))
• 1 beaten egg

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (390F). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2. Mix the passata with a pinch of dried oregano and mix to combine.

3. Spread the tomato passata over the sheet of pastry and lay over slices of prosciutto. Add crumbled pieces of Gorgonzola cheese on top followed by the mozzarella.

4. Roll the pastry up into a log and cut the pastry into 1 inch thick slices (removing the ends with not much filling). Use a sharp knife for this so it's easier.

5. Tip: if you find your pastry has got too soft put it back into the fridge or even the freezer to chill and firm up a bit again before slicing.

6. Place the pinwheels on the baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Kitchen notes

• Soft pastry if you find your pastry has got too soft put it back into the fridge or even the freezer to chill and firm up a bit again.
• Prosciutto to make the pinwheels easy to cut tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces instead of whole slices.
• Cutting the pinwheels use a sharp knife and cut the pinwheels in one swift motion to avoid squashing them.
• Storage Cooked pinwheels can be stored at room temperature for a few hours or stored in the fridge for around 2 days.
• Freezing you can freeze raw or cooked pinwheels freeze them flat on a tray without them touching each other. Once frozen they can be transferred to freezer bags. Cook straight from frozen.