Soft and Fluffy Pizza Pockets
Nothing beats the comfort of homemade pizza pockets. These are soft, fluffy and filled with gooey cheese. I make these soft and fluffy pizza pockets every couple of months. They’re so easy to make, and perfect for school lunchboxes, after school snacks, or for a quick in car snack while you’re on the way to extracurriculars!
Soft and Fluffy Pizza Pocket Ingredients
Creating the perfect pizza pocket starts with understanding your ingredients. Here’s why each one matters, and how you can substitute if needed:
- Bread Flour: bread flour is high in protein, which builds gluten for a chewy, airy dough that holds fillings well. Substitute with all purpose flour, or mix with vital wheat gluten for similar results. If you’re using all purpose flour, you’ll need less liquid than listen in the recipe, due to its lower protein content. Always add liquid gradually, I recommend adding the last 1/4 cup in small amounts to be sure your dough isn’t too sticky to handle.
- Milk: adds richness, moisture, and helps the crust brown. Adding milk to your doughs will give you a softer, fluffier texture that’s perfect for freezing. You can easily sub with water or a plant based alternative for a dairy free option. Here is the plant based milk I recommend.
- Oil: I always work with extra virgin olive oil. it keeps the dough tender and soft, while preventing sticking. Using butter will give you similar results.
- Salt: bread that isn’t well salted is, well, bland. Salt also strengthens gluten, so don’t forget it! I use fine sea salt, any salt works!
- Sugar: feeds the yeast for a gentle rise, and helps with browning. Honey, maple syrup or agave are great substitutions.
- Yeast: I use instant yeast, which doesn’t need to be proofed (but I proof it anyway). Yeast makes the dough rise, creating airiness and soft texture. Active dry yeast also works, just be sure to proof it.
Tips for a Soft and Fluffy Pizza Pocket Dough
Getting that perfect fluffy texture isn’t just about the ingredients, it’s also about the technique.
- Knead Well: Kneading develops gluten, giving structure to your dough. I like to spend a good ten minutes with kneading, allowing the stand mixer to do about half of that work for me. Aim for a smooth, elastic dough that stretches without tearing. If your dough is slightly tacky, do not add more flour. Grease you hands and work on stretch and folds until it’s no longer sticky.
- Proper Rise: Let your dough rise in a warm, draft free space until it doubles in size. Cooler weather means the rise may take longer, keeping your dough in a covered bowl in the oven with the light on is a great way to give it some heat to help it along. A proper rise ensures the pockets are airy and soft.
- Don’t Overfill: Overfilling your pizza pockets can make the dough tear and cook unevenly. Less is more here.
- Rest Before Baking: After shaping, let the pizza pockets rest for 10 minutes. This gives them a chance to puff up a little before baking.
- Even Heat: Preheat your oven well, keeping it at the baking temperature for at least 15 minutes, before putting the baking sheet in the oven. This helps the pockets cook evenly and retain their softness.
How to Freeze Your Pizza Pockets
Want to enjoy your pizza pockets anytime? Freezing them is simple:
- Freeze Individually: Cool the fully cooked pockets completely, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and store them in a freezer bag for up to three months. This is perfect for Ramadan prep!
- Store Properly: Be sure to wrap each pocket in plastic wrap. This helps keep them tasting fresh, and prevent freezer burn.
- Defrosting: Let the pizza pockets defrost safely in the fridge overnight, or for a few hours, before reheating.
- Reheating Tips: Set your air fryer to the warm setting on 250F, or a low bake setting for about 7-10 minutes. Each appliance is different so keep an eye on your pockets starting at the 5 minute mark.
Best Fillings for Pizza Pockets
The choice is yours, but here are some delicious options:
- Classic Margherita: Tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil
- Pepperoni and Cheese: Spicy pepperoni, mozarella and tomato sauce
- Veggie Delight: Tomato sauce, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, olives and mozarella
- Chicken and Pesto: shredded chicken, fresh pesto, and mozarella
- Ground Beef/Pepperoni and Veggie: Tomato sauce, cooked ground beef/crumbled sausage/pepperoni, your favourite veggies, mozarella
Pro Tip: Cut the veggies just before using, and avoid watery fillings, they can make pockets soggy.
Soft and Fluffy Pizza Pockets
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 – 4 cups bread flour see notes (above) to sub with all purpose flour
- 2 tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 3/4 cups warm milk or water or non dairy alternative
- dried oregano
- grated parmesan I use trestelle, it's halal
- granulated garlic salt not granulated garlic
Instructions
- Add in the warm milk, sugar and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer, or bowl if you're kneading by hand. Stir to combine, set aside for 5 minutes.
- Once the yeast is bubbly, add in the salt, olive oil and 2 cups of flour.
- Using the dough hook on a stand mixer, mix on low (speed 2), or mix by hand.
- The dough will be very wet, thats okay.
- Add in another 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until combined.
- Add in 1/4 cup of flour, let the stand mixer knead until well combined.
- If the dough looks like it's sticking to the bottom of the bowl, add the last 1/4 cup of flour. If the dough is leaving the sides of the bowl as it's being mixed, there is no need to add more flour.
- Allow the stand mixer to knead the dough on speed 2 for 5-7 minutes, or. knead with greased hand for 7-10 minutes – until the dough is no longer tacky.
- Take the dough out of the bowl, and knead with greased hands for another 3-5 minutes or until the dough is no longer tacky. Stretch the dough outward from the top and fold it back into the centre as you knead, repeat on all sides and several times.
- Once the dough is ready, place it into a greased bowl, cover and set aside for one hour or until doubled in size.
- punch the dough down and divide into equal sized balls. I like to make the pizza pockets about 5 inches long, and this recipe usually yields about 16 pockets.
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Roll each ball of dough out to about 1/2 cm thickness
- Spread about 1/2 tbsp tomato sauce (I use my favourite pasta sauce) over the centre of the dough leaving a 1/2cm border, 1 tbsp of shredded mozarella cheese and your fillings of choice over the bottom half of the dough.
- Fold the top half over the bottom half. Crimp with a fork, or fold as shown in my Instagram/Tiktok/Youtube post.
- Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp each: dried oregano, grated parmesan, and garlic salt.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the pockets have been folded. Set aside for ten minutes.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until light golden.
- Enjoy fresh, or freeze for later!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use all purpose flour instead of bread flour?
A: Yes, but your dough may be slightly less chewy. Mixing with vital wheat gluten will result in a closer texture to bread flour. The ratio is 1 cup of all purpose flour to 1 teaspoon of vital wheat gluten – bookmark this blog post so you’ll always have this ratio on hand!
Q: Can I make these vegan or dairy free?
A: Absolutely! Use water or your favourite plant based milk in place of the milk in the dough recipe, and skip the cheese, or use a non dairy alternative.
Q: How long can I freeze the pizza pockets?
A: If wrapped individually and stored in an air tight container or freezer bag (not just a zipper seal bag), 2-3 months
Q: Why is my dough not rising?
A: First check that your yeast proofed well, that is it puffed up in step one. Was the water too hot or too cold for the yeast to activate? If the yeast did not proof, and the water was not too hot/cold, the yeast may no longer be active.
Q: Why is my baked pizza pocket not fluffy or thin and crispy?
A: If the dough was left to rise for too long (over a few hours, or overnight), the yeast begins to ferment – there will be a distinct scent if it has. If this is not the case, the dough was rolled out too thin, or the oven was not properly preheated or set to the right temperature.
Why Homemade Pizza Pockets are Better than Store Bought
- Full control of ingredients: skip the preservatives, additives, and long lists of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Baking from scratch you know exactly what you’re eating.
- Customizable: Choose your favourite toppings, use halal pepperoni or beef, or make them plant based.
- Fresher & Softer: Nothing beats the flavour and texture of freshly baked pockets straight out of the oven, not to mention the aroma!
Soft and fluffy pizza pockets are a delicious, customizable, and freezer-friendly treat that your family will love. With the right ingredients, technique and storage tips, you can enjoy these warm, soft and cheesy pockets anytime!
Enjoy!