Warm milk with sugar and instant yeast, left five minutes until foamy, then stirred into gluten-free flour with baking powder and salt along with an egg, olive oil and cider vinegar.
The dough rests ten minutes, is rolled to a 10×14-inch rectangle between parchment, filled with sauce, seasoning, mozzarella and pepperoni, rolled into a log, firmed in the freezer and sliced into sixteen before baking at 400°F.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ten minutes in the freezer before slicing. A soft gluten-free log squashes flat under a knife; ten minutes firm is the difference between sixteen spirals and sixteen ovals.
- Yeast and baking powder together. The yeast gives flavour and some lift in a dough that never gets a long prove; the baking powder guarantees the rise in the oven.
- Cider vinegar in a yeasted dough. A teaspoon of acid strengthens gluten-free dough structure, and it is doing that job here rather than adding taste.
- The sauce is spread thinly with a half-inch border. Three-quarters of a cup across a 10×14 rectangle is deliberately restrained — more, or right to the edge, and the log will not seal.
- Rolled between parchment rather than on a floured board. Gluten-free dough has nothing holding it together mechanically and takes up added flour badly.
- The muffin tin option at step 1. The recipe offers it for tidier rolls, and it is the answer to the one problem with baking spirals on a flat sheet — they relax outward as they bake.
The Rectangle, Filled In Order
Everything between rolling the dough out and rolling it up happens on a 10×14-inch rectangle, and the order the recipe uses is not arbitrary — each layer sits on the one that will hold it.
The dough
Rolled between two sheets of parchment to 10×14 inches, about a quarter inch thick. The parchment does the work a floured surface would do with wheat dough.
The sauce
Three-quarters of a cup spread thinly, leaving a half-inch border. Thin and bordered, because sauce at the edge is what stops the log sealing.
The dry seasoning
Italian seasoning and garlic powder sprinkled over the sauce, before any cheese. On the sauce they disperse; on the cheese they would sit on top and scorch.
The cheese and pepperoni
A cup and a half of shredded mozzarella, then the mini or chopped pepperoni if using. The cheese is the layer that binds the spiral as it melts.
The roll
Rolled up tightly from the long side using the parchment to help, then placed seam-side down and firmed in the freezer for ten minutes.
Sliced into 1-inch pieces, arranged on the sheet or tucked into muffin cups, brushed with egg wash and given Parmesan if using.
How to Make It
Heat the oven, prepare the pan
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin for extra tidy rolls.
Wake the yeast
In a small bowl, mix the warm milk or water with the sugar and yeast. Let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, baking powder and salt.
Make the dough
Add the foamy yeast mixture, egg, olive oil and apple cider vinegar to the dry ingredients. Mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
Rest to hydrate
Rest the dough 10 minutes to fully hydrate — key for gluten-free tenderness.
Roll the rectangle
Place the dough between two sheets of parchment and roll into a 10×14-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.
Fill it
Spread the pizza sauce thinly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and garlic powder, then add the mozzarella and pepperoni.
Roll and firm
Using the parchment to help, roll up tightly from the long side into a log. Place seam-side down and chill in the freezer 10 minutes to firm.
Slice and wash
Slice into 1-inch pieces with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Arrange on the prepared sheet or tuck each slice into a muffin cup. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle Parmesan if using.
Bake
Bake 18–22 minutes until golden at the edges and the cheese bubbles. Cool 5 minutes and serve warm with extra sauce for dipping.
Ingredient Notes
- Warm milk or water (105–110°F)
- One cup, and the temperature range is specified because it is what wakes the yeast without killing it.
- Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour (with xanthan gum)
- Two and a half cups. The 1:1 blend and the xanthan gum are both part of the specification; the recipe adds no binder of its own.
- Instant yeast (rapid-rise)
- Two and a quarter teaspoons — a standard packet. Rapid-rise, because the dough gets a ten-minute rest rather than a prove.
- Pizza sauce (plus more for dipping)
- Three-quarters of a cup inside, more on the table. Spread thin with a half-inch border, which is what lets the log seal.
- Mini pepperoni or chopped pepperoni (optional)
- Half a cup, marked optional. Mini or chopped rather than whole slices, so the spiral still rolls tightly.
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash (or brush with olive oil)
- The second egg in the list, and it never goes into the dough. Olive oil is the recipe's own alternative.
Success Tips
- Check the milk is warm rather than hot before the yeast meets it.
- Leave the half-inch border bare or the log will not seal.
- Give the log its full ten minutes in the freezer before slicing.
- Use a sharp knife in one stroke rather than sawing at the spiral.
- Use the muffin tin if you want them to hold their round shape.
Serving Ideas
Extra pizza sauce for dipping, as the recipe says — it lists more sauce for exactly this. They cool quickly, so the five-minute rest at the end is about the cheese setting rather than about getting them cooler.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days once fully cooled.
Freeze
Freeze baked and cooled rolls for up to 2 months. They reheat better from frozen than raw sliced dough does.
Reheat
Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer until the edges crisp again. A microwave makes gluten-free dough gummy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these without egg?
The ingredient line points to notes for a vegan swap for the dough egg, and the wash has its own alternative in the same list — brush with olive oil instead.
Do I have to freeze the log before slicing?
Ten minutes, and it is the step that makes the difference. A soft gluten-free log flattens under the knife and the spirals lose their shape.
Can these be dairy-free?
The recipe notes that dairy-free shredded mozzarella works, and the milk in the dough can be water. The Parmesan is already optional.
Can I leave the pepperoni out?
Yes — it is marked optional. Sauce, mozzarella and the seasoning are the filling the recipe is built on.
