Christmas Twisted Pizza
December 19, 2022
Christmas Twisted Pizza appetizer is a puff pastry dough filled with tomato puree and cheese, twisted into an advent crown shape to make it more festive! A guaranteed hit for the whole family!
Christmas is almost here! It’s time to receive and to be invited around! It’s time for appetizers! This year try out this simple Christmas Twisted Pizza for your guests, it’s a crowd-pleaser! Simply break a piece of the roll with your hands and bite into this crunchy cheesy bite! Plus, the kids will probably attack it before you can even reach it!
Rolling Technique
Yeah, puff pastry contains a lot of butter, so it must be used in moderation throughout the year… but what better occasion to bring it out than Christmas! I’ve got the idea of rolling the pastry this way from a cake a friend showed me, a breaded cinnamon cake from Scandinavia and I thought… why not make a savoury filling with it. The technique is quite simple, simply spread your favourite filling on two or three rectangular pieces of puff pastry dough and roll it up, then cut lengthwise in the middle, twist and form a circle! So simple and pretty! To mimic the advent crown I’ve added some rosemary branches underneath and pomegranate arils.
The Filling
For this twisted pizza, I’ve chosen a simple tomato paste and sharp cheese filling. Since you cannot overfill a twisted pizza, make sure to use a tasty cheese, and tomato puree… I’ve taken my favourite; Mutti brand tomato concentrate, it’s by far the most powerful and clean tomato paste out there! As for the cheese, I’ve used my good old; aged cheddar but, of course, you could go with any aged cheese you prefer; gouda, parmesan, gruyere, etc. The rule here is to get a bolder taste of tomato and cheese since it’s used in smaller quantities than normal pizza.
Be careful about fresh mozzarella or younger cheeses, they could melt out and make a mess…
Variations
The idea of this recipe is mainly the folding technique, you could do a heart with it if it’s for your Valentine or a number if it’s for a kid’s birthday party. This recipe is suitable for many occasions by its form and also filling. You could switch the filling for a lovely pesto Genovese or Rosso with parmesan, goat cheese and figs jelly, ham and cheese or even go with Nutella for the sweet tooth ones. Whatever you fancy really!
To serve
This twisted pizza is better eaten fresh out of the oven, warm, but it will last and keep its flaky texture for up to 3 hours. After that, it’s still yummy but the fun crispiness will vanish. You could do the preparation ahead of time and leave it in the fridge until the guests are on their way and pop it in the oven last minute.
Here are other kid-friendly ideas for your Christmas table:
Ingredients
- 2 rectangular puff pastry dough 230g (each)
- 100 g tomato puree concentrate or pizza sauce
- 100 g sharp cheddar gouda, gruyere, parmesan, etc.
- 1 egg
- salt
Instructions
- On an oven proof paper, lay the 2 sheets of puff pastry.
- Cover the dough lightly with tomato purée.
- Then add the grated cheese.
- Roll lengthwise both the sheets, then cut in the middle of the cylinder. (check video underneath)
- Twist the 4 pieces and place in a circle.
- Add the egg wash on top and some salt.
- Bake in the oven at 180° (375F°) for about 18 minutes or until golden.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
4 Comments
Vanessa
What a fun and delicious Christmas idea! My kids are going to love this!- Marie Breton
Yes, this one is Christmas style but it could be in a number or heart shape for another occasion.
My family really enjoyed this cheezy flaky bread. The tomato purée filling makes it so addicting