Pizza Dough Balls
Anyone who has tried our Tear & Share Garlic Dough Balls is about to fall in love with this recipe! Two delicious dishes in one, we’ve packed our favourite pizza topping inspired ingredients inside of gooey-in-the-middle, crispy-on-the-outside dough balls. Who will you share them with?
Also in these categories:
NutritionPer Serving
- Calories77
- Carbs12g
- Protein3g
- Fat1.7g
- Saturates0.6g
- Sugars0.6g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
It’s probably tough to believe that Pizza Dough Balls are on the menu when you’re following a slimming-friendly diet, but we’ve used our magic to find a way! These cheesy, crispy creations are just as fluffy and golden as restaurant versions for a fraction of the calories.
Folded inside, you’ll find a combination of our favourite pizza topping inspired ingredients: rich pizza sauce, gooey mozzarella and mouthwatering pepperoni. If you’re a pizza lover, you definitely need to give this one a try!
We make our dough from scratch but don’t let the idea of that scare you – it’s actually far easier than you might think to roll your own dough. Whatever you do, don’t skip the proving; it’s a key step that makes sure your dough is the right level of puffiness.
You’ll want to plan ahead for proving time. We’d recommend placing your dough in a warm place for at least an hour to do its thing! Trust us, it’s worth the effort – the bite you take from your first dough ball will prove that.
You can whip these up in your air fryer too! Tap here to try our Air Fryer Pizza Dough Balls recipe.
What diets are these Pizza Dough Balls suitable for?
This dough ball recipe can be made suitable for vegetarians as long as you swap out the pepperoni for a meat-free alternative.
Check the label of the mozzarella cheese you’re using to make sure it is definitely vegetarian (some mozzarella brands can contain rennet).
As always, take extra care when cooking for people with allergies and be sure to use different utensils, cookware and preparation areas.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Pizza Dough Balls?
You’ll need some strong white bread flour to make these Pizza Dough Balls. This contains more gluten than other flours, which makes it suitable for bread making as the dough needs to stretch and rise during baking.
You will also need some easy blend dried yeast – this type of yeast can be mixed directly with your dry ingredients. It can also be known as ‘fast action’, ‘quick’ or ‘instant’ yeast.
Both of these ingredients can be found in the baking aisle of most supermarkets.
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‘These pizza dough balls turned out amazing—so easy to make and absolutely delicious! Perfect for lunch boxes, snacks, or even as a side with an Italian meal. They taste great both hot and cold—definitely a keeper!’
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A 20cm round cake tin is perfect for baking this recipe.
You can also pick up strong white bread flour online.
How many calories are in these Pizza Dough Balls?
There are 77 calories per portion in these Pizza Dough Balls, which means they fall into our Everyday Light category.
Pizza Dough Balls are perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast, caster sugar and salt until evenly mixed.
Step 2
Add the warm water and mix until the dough starts to come together. Press the dough together into a ball, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Step 3
Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Spray the mixing bowl with a little low-calorie cooking spray and use it to grease the bowl. Place the dough, seam-side down in the greased bowl and cover with a plate. Put it in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, until the dough has at least doubled in size and feels puffy when pressed.
Step 4
In a small bowl, combine the tomato purée, water, sweetener, mixed herbs, garlic and pepper and mix until smooth. Leave to one side. Spray the cake tin with low-calorie cooking spray and grease well.
Step 5
Turn the dough out onto the surface and lightly knead just four or five times. Form into a smooth ball placing seam-side down on the surface.
Step 6
Divide the ball of dough into 16 equal-sized pieces. Take the first piece of dough, place it on the work surface and flatten it into a round with your hands.
Step 7
Spread a little of the tomato purée mixture into the centre of the dough, add one of the cubes of mozzarella and some of the pepperoni. Fold the edges in to encase the filling inside the dough ball, pinching firmly to seal. Gently roll in your hands to make a smooth ball. Repeat this process until you have made 16 dough balls.
Step 8
Grease a 20cm round cake tin with a little reduced-fat spread. Place all the dough balls seam-side down in the prepared tin, setting them closely together. Cover with a plate and put them in a warm place to prove for a further 30 minutes, until they are puffy when pressed, have increased in size and are joining together.
Step 9
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Step 10
Remove the plate and place the tin into the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and joined together.
Step 11
In a bowl, add the spread and garlic and mix until smooth. Once cooked, brush the dough balls with the garlic ‘butter’, remove from the tin and place onto a serving plate.
What could I serve with these Pizza Dough Balls?
These Pizza Dough Balls are the perfect side dish for a Special Occasion. Enjoy them as part of a hearty dinner including these dishes:
How do you know when Pizza Dough Balls are cooked?
You should cook these Pizza Dough Balls until they have all joined together and turned golden brown. This will take around 10-12 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, they should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
To keep your family safe, the advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes.
How long can you keep Pizza Dough Balls in the fridge?
Once you’ve served this recipe, you’ll ideally need to eat it within 4 hours.
You can store any leftover Pizza Dough Balls in the fridge for 1 or 2 days. Make sure that you allow them to cool before putting them in a container with a lid and chilling in the refrigerator.
Can I freeze Pizza Dough Balls?
The dough balls CAN be frozen, but the garlic ‘butter’ is not suitable for freezing. Make this freshly each time for the best flavour.
If freezing the dough balls, please do remember to do the following:
- Make sure that you freeze them as soon as they are cold enough.
- Choose a container or a bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label telling you the name of the recipe and the date you’re stocking your freezer up.
How do I reheat Pizza Dough Balls?
From chilled: Reheat the dough balls in a moderate oven until they are piping hot. Alternatively, place in a microwavable container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for 20 seconds – 1 minute depending on the power of your microwave and the number of dough balls you’re reheating.
From frozen: Allow to defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat following the instructions above.
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Pizza Dough Balls
We’ve packed our fave Italian-inspired topping ingredients into these slimming-friendly Pizza Dough Balls – cheese, tomato and pepperoni!
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Prep Time
20 MINS
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Cook Time
12 MINS
- KCals 77
- Carbs 12G
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the yeast, caster sugar and salt until evenly mixed.
- Add the warm water and mix until the dough starts to come together. Press the dough together into a ball, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Spray the mixing bowl with a little low-calorie cooking spray and use it to grease the bowl. Place the dough, seam-side down in the greased bowl and cover with a plate. Put it in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, until the dough has at least doubled in size and feels puffy when pressed.
- In a small bowl, combine the tomato purée, water, sweetener, mixed herbs, garlic and pepper and mix until smooth. Leave to one side. Spray the cake tin with low-calorie cooking spray and grease well.
- Turn the dough out onto the surface and lightly knead just four or five times. Form into a smooth ball placing seam-side down on the surface.
- Divide the ball of dough into 16 equal-sized pieces. Take the first piece of dough, place it on the work surface and flatten it into a round with your hands.
- Spread a little of the tomato purée mixture into the centre of the dough, add one of the cubes of mozzarella and some of the pepperoni. Fold the edges in to encase the filling inside the dough ball, pinching firmly to seal. Gently roll in your hands to make a smooth ball. Repeat this process until you have made 16 dough balls.
- Grease a 20cm round cake tin with a little reduced-fat spread. Place all the dough balls seam-side down in the prepared tin, setting them closely together. Cover with a plate and put them in a warm place to prove for a further 30 minutes, until they are puffy when pressed, have increased in size and are joining together.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Remove the plate and place the tin into the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and joined together.
- In a bowl, add the spread and garlic and mix until smooth. Once cooked, brush the dough balls with the garlic ‘butter’, remove from the tin and place onto a serving plate.
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Recipe notes
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