Last Updated on 7 October, 2026 by Elby | The Tasteful Pantry
Soft and cheesy pizza scrolls wrap homemade dough around tomato sauce, ham, olives and melted cheddar, with golden edges and a fluffy centre. Proper pizza flavour, tucked into a savoury bake you can pick up with one hand.
The pizza scrolls recipe starts with a simple yeast dough that you can knead by hand or in a stand mixer. Most of the waiting is for the dough to rise, so allow a little time, then enjoy them warm or freeze a batch for lunches and after-school snacks. The perfect place for a few odds and ends of cheese or ham.
Benefits of Pizza Scrolls
- Kid-friendly – Perfect for little hands (and grown-up cravings).
- Customisable – Swap out the ham for salami, or skip the olives if you’re not a fan. But be careful if adding ingredients with a lot of moisture, like pineapple – pat them dry before adding.
- Easy and fun to make – Get the kids involved. Cooking is easier when you have helpers.
Pizza Scrolls Dough
The dough is what gives these scrolls their soft, bread-like texture. Bread flour provides structure, while milk and oil help keep the crumb tender. Instant yeast can be mixed straight into the dry ingredients.
After kneading, the dough should feel smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. Use a light dusting of flour on the bench and add extra only when needed to prevent sticking. Too much flour can make the finished scrolls dry and dense.
The dough rises twice: first in the bowl, until doubled in size, then again after the scrolls have been rolled and cut. That second rise helps the scrolls bake up light and fluffy.
Keep the dough covered so the surface stays soft. A comfortably warm spot helps it rise, but avoid direct heat. In a cool kitchen, give it longer and judge by how it looks rather than the clock.
The key check: the shaped scrolls should look noticeably puffier before they go into the oven. Give the dough time to get there.
How To Make Pizza Scrolls
The filling combines a quick tomato sauce made with passata, garlic, tomato paste and oregano, plus diced ham, sliced olives and grated cheddar. Drain the olives well so they do not bring extra liquid into the filling.
Step one. Combine the dough ingredients and knead by hand or with a dough hook until smooth and elastic. Keep the dough soft, using only enough extra flour to stop it sticking.
Step two. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot until doubled in size.
Step three. Blend the sauce ingredients until smooth. Prepare the ham, olives and cheese while the dough rises.
Step four. Gently press the air out of the risen dough, then roll it into a rectangle on a lightly floured bench. If it keeps springing back, cover it and let it relax briefly before continuing.
Step five. Spread the sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a small strip clear along the far long edge. Scatter over the ham, olives and cheese.
Step six. Roll up from the long edge into a snug log, taking care to keep the filling inside. Use a sharp serrated knife with a gentle sawing motion to cut even scrolls. Place the savoury scrolls cut-side up on the lined tray, just touching.
Step seven. Cover and leave the scrolls to rise again until noticeably puffy. Preheat the oven towards the end of this rise.
Step eight. Bake until the bread is golden and cooked through, with melted cheese and browned edges. Let the scrolls settle briefly in the tray, then transfer to a rack. Warm, cheesy and ready to pull apart. Excellent.
Pizza Scroll Filling Options
Ham and cheese: leave out the olives for a milder filling, or swap the ham for finely diced salami.
Ham and pineapple: drain the pineapple thoroughly, pat it dry and chop it into small pieces. A wet filling can leave the dough around it soggy.
Vegetarian: replace the ham with finely chopped roasted capsicum or sautéed mushrooms. Cool and drain cooked vegetables before adding them, and keep the overall amount of filling similar.
Use what you have: grate small leftover pieces of suitable melting cheese together or use a thin layer of cooled classic pizza sauce in place of the quick sauce.
Keep the filling evenly spread and manageable so the dough rolls neatly and cooks through. A generous pile of extra toppings makes both jobs harder.
For another savoury scroll, try my cheese and vegemite scrolls.
Storing And Freezing Pizza Scrolls
In the fridge: cool the scrolls promptly on a rack, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days. Because they contain ham, they need refrigerated storage. Freeze any you will not use within that time.
In the freezer: freeze the cooled scrolls in a single layer, then transfer to a sealed freezer bag or container. Use within two months for best quality. Freezing them separately makes it easy to take out only what you need.
To reheat: thaw in the fridge, then warm in the oven, loosely covered with foil to protect the tops, or microwave in short bursts. Heat until hot throughout.
For lunchboxes: pack chilled scrolls in an insulated lunch bag with an ice brick. A frozen scroll can go in with an ice brick too, but the scroll itself should not be relied on to keep the lunch cold.
Pizza Scrolls FAQs
Can I use plain flour for pizza scrolls dough?
Yes. Plain flour works in this recipe, although bread flour is my preferred choice for the dough’s structure and texture. Knead until smooth and elastic, and keep extra bench flour to a minimum.
Can I make this pizza scrolls recipe without yeast?
This dough needs yeast to rise and develop its soft texture. For pizza flavours without making a yeast dough, try my Italian pizza muffins.
Why are my pizza scrolls hard or dense?
Too much extra flour, insufficient kneading, cutting the rising time short or overbaking can all contribute. Keep the dough soft, knead until elastic and let the shaped scrolls become puffy before baking.
Why does my dough spring back when I roll it?
The dough may need time to relax after kneading or handling. Cover it, leave it to rest briefly, then try rolling again. Use gentle pressure so the dough stretches evenly.
Why is my pizza scrolls dough not rising?
A cool room can slow the rise considerably. Move the covered dough to a comfortably warm spot and give it more time. Yeast that has lost its activity, or milk that was too hot, can also prevent the dough from rising.
Can pizza scrolls be eaten cold?
Yes, once baked and properly chilled. Keep them refrigerated until packing, then use an insulated lunch bag with an ice brick to keep them cold.
Feedback and More: Did you try the pizza scrolls recipe? I would love to hear from you. Why not leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ or a comment below to let me know. Cheers, Elby!
If you liked this recipe, check out some of my other tasty snacks. For all the latest recipes and tips, join The Tasteful Pantry on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for all the latest recipes.
Pizza Scrolls
*Note: Adjusting servings will not adjust the ‘light grey’ quantities
Ingredients
Dough
- 300 ml milk - luke warm
- 2 tsp salt
- 490 grams bread flour - see notes
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 2 ½ tsp instant yeast - see notes
- 2 tbsp oil
Sauce
- 120 ml passata
- 1 large garlic clove - peeled
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
Topping
- 100 grams ham - diced
- 50 grams kalamata olives - pitted, sliced (optional, but definitely recommend)
- 250 grams cheddar cheese - grated
Instructions
- Combine the bread flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the lukewarm milk and oil.
- Stand mixer: mix on low speed with the dough hook until the ingredients come together. Knead for approximately 4–5 minutes, using the kneading speed recommended for your mixer, until smooth and elastic. By hand: stir until a rough dough forms, then turn onto a lightly floured bench and knead until smooth and elastic. Hand kneading may take longer. The dough should feel soft and slightly tacky; add extra flour sparingly.
- Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot for approximately 90 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth. Dice the ham, drain and slice the olives, and grate the cheese.
- Line a baking tray approximately 35 × 25 cm with baking paper. Gently press the air out of the risen dough, then roll it on a lightly floured bench into a rectangle approximately 55 × 20 cm. If the dough springs back, cover and rest briefly before continuing.
- Spread the sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a small strip clear along the far long edge. Scatter over the ham, olives and cheddar.
- Starting from the long edge, roll the dough into a snug log without squashing it. Using a sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut into approximately 20 evenly sized scrolls. Place cut-side up on the prepared tray so they are just touching.
- Cover and leave in a warm spot for 30–40 minutes, or until noticeably risen and puffy. Towards the end of this rise, preheat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan-forced.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and the dough is cooked through in the centre. If the tops brown before the centre is ready, cover loosely with foil and continue baking.
- Leave on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm, or cool promptly and refrigerate or freeze for later.
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutrition and calorie figures are estimates only.
