Cinnamon buns are delicious. Pizza is delicious. Put the two ideas together?… Doubly delicious!
Even better…these pizza buns are going to be the coolest addition to your child’s lunch kit whether you’re at home, daycare, preschool or big kid school! Actually – our husbands love them too. As we can recall one of them saying “I could literally eat this entire tray” so needless to say, this recipe has quickly become a family favorite.
If that isn’t enough convincing that you need this recipe in your life, you might be impressed to learn that this recipe went through 5 test rounds! That’s right – almost every recipe we develop is tested between two kitchens and we feel that’s important because we want our creations to work out for you!
Why we love these pizza buns
If your kiddos are getting tired of sandwiches in their lunchboxes, these pizza buns are a great way to switch things up! They’re tasty hot or cold.
The dough is made with Greek yogurt, which makes these a surprising source of calcium – over 100 mg in each bun. If you have a kiddo who shies away from drinking milk, these pizza buns can add a calcium boost. It’s recommended for toddlers aged 1-3 to get 700mg of calcium each day, while children aged 4-8 need somewhere in the range of 1000mg. So, no, they aren’t going to cut it for your kid’s full calcium needs but they can help contribute!
A few other things we love:
- You can change the toppings as you wish
- They are ooey, cheesy and soft
- You don’t have to wait on the dough for rising, so it’s relatively quick
- If you have a picky eater who loves their pizza, this is a great way to inch them closer to trying something similar but also…different
What if I don’t have Greek yogurt at home?
Because we knew you’d ask, we tested it. Regular plain yogurt is more runny. If you end up using it then you’ll need to add more flour to attain the pizza dough consistency we’re looking for.
When is my child old enough to eat these pizza buns?
When your toddler has developed molars and good chewing skills, you can hand them a whole bun. Prior to that, you’d want to cut the buns up into small, bite-sized pieces.
Due to the sodium content, if you use ham or other deli meat, we’d recommend waiting until your child turns one year old before offering them these pizza buns.
Suggested reading: Is Salt Bad For Babies?
What toppings can be used on these pizza buns?
If your child is not a fan of ham and pineapple – don’t sweat it! Feel free to sub in any pizza toppings you like! Anything. It’s true – whatever your heart desires! You can use 1 to 1 ½ cups of toppings in this recipe. If you choose 1 ½ cups just know that you’ll have an overflowing pizza bun which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just tricky when it comes to rolling. If you find it’s getting messy, please don’t worry about it. When you bake it, it’ll be just fine!
Here are a few topping combinations you can try – and remember, with children, change it up! Keeping up with variety is so important to building out their acceptance of a wide range of foods.
Note: be sure to finely dice any toppings you choose to use!
Suggested Pizza Roll Topping Combos
How can I bake these rolls?
When we tested the recipe, we tried baking it in a couple different ways so we’re bringing you two options:
Option 1 (preferred): In a muffin pan. These muffins will rise nicely and high. You’ll need to tightly roll your dough and squish the pieces into a standard muffin tin. This option allowed for each bun to get a nice crusty crust.
Option 2: Place the buns in a 9×9 baking pan. This option kept the inside rolls softer. They were also harder to separate after baking.
How can I serve the pizza buns to my child?
Pizza for breakfast–why not? During a lecture we once heard the saying, we can increase our child’s appreciation for variety by changing what we serve when we serve it. Confuse you? Read it again.
With a resounding YES, you can serve these buns for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We definitely think rounding it out with some more fruits, veggies and a beverage like milk would make for a balanced meal.
Again, we think these would make a great addition to your child’s lunchbox!
How do I store the buns?
Store the buns in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can reheat the buns for 15 – 20 seconds in the microwave to soften them again–be sure to check for hot spots before serving to your child.
MAKE THE CONNECTION
Since most kids love pizza, using this familiar food can be a good bridge to introducing kids to new or not-yet-accepted foods by adding different toppings.
Especially if your child is a more hesitant, reading books and using food during playtime can help familiarize them with these foods. This helps them to relax around these foods at the table and start to see them as friendly 🙂
Here are a few books and toys to get you started!
resource alert!
For more food play ideas, including a printable template for pizza play, you’re going to love Hands On Food Play. We’ve put together 18 simple activities using ingredients and items you likely already have at home!
Can I freeze these buns?
Yes, you can! To freeze, allow the buns to cool down to room temperature. We recommend individually wrapping each one in plastic wrap and then placing all of the wrapped buns into a larger ziploc bag. This makes it easier to pull out one at a time. These will last a few months this way.
Keep in mind that some toppings may release water as you thaw your buns–just know that it’s normal!
Do I have to roll it into a swirl bun?
No. Feel free to use the dough in a more traditional pizza style. You won’t need to bake it for as long so keep an eye on your za!
Mix and Match Pizza Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt +/- 2-3 tbsp
Base Toppings:
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella + ½ cup for topping
MIX and Match TOPPINGS: *see note
- ¾ cup drained crushed pineapple
- ¾ cup thinly sliced ham cut into pieces 1 cm/½ inch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the plain Greek yogurt. If the dough is too dry, then add a bit more yogurt, 1 tbsp at a time.
- Switch to kneading it all together by hand. Knead for 3-4 minutes.
- Place the ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper. Dust the dough lightly with more flour.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out into a narrow rectangle shape about 12 inches by 6 inches (30 cm by 15 cm).
- Spread the pizza sauce, avoiding 1 inch from the long edge but ensuring you get it all the way to the short edges.
- Sprinkle on 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella.
- Sprinkle on the ham and pineapple (or 1 to 1 ½ cups of toppings).
- Roll the dough from long edge to long edge and cut into 10 pieces.
- Place each piece in a greased muffin tin. If some of the toppings fall out when you transfer, it’s totally fine! Just add them to the top of the rolls. The edge pieces often don’t get as many toppings, so we like to add the dropped toppings to those guys!
- Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
- Add the remaining ½ cup of cheese then place under the broiler until lightly browned.
Video
Notes
We can’t wait for you to get right into preparing this for your family–if you’re hanging around on Instagram be sure to tag @happyhealthyeaters because nothing gives us more joy than seeing parts of us in your kitchen!
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