Get ready to add a new favorite dinner to your weekly rotation…whole-wheat pizza pockets! These are sure to please eaters of all ages and the best part is you can use up food or leftovers from your fridge for the fillings. Little ones might especially enjoy making
their own pizza pocket so don’t be afraid to get them involved. Their friends might like to help as well so for the next sleepover or birthday gathering consider hosting a “make your own pizza pocket” party. And if you have time to double the recipe these are great leftover the next day or even weeks later if stored in the freezer.
Whole-Wheat Pizza Pockets
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour
Filling
- 1 ¼ cups ricotta cheese
- 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- pizza sauce
- sesame seeds, raw (optional)
Other Filling Options (you could sauté together and combo of these)
- sausage
- 4 oz mushrooms
- ½ green bell pepper
- onion
- garlic
- figs
- zucchini
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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In a glass measuring cup heat 1-cup water until warm. Drop in 2 teaspoons yeast and let rest for a minute.
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After the yeast foams up a bit add the salt and olive oil to the water mixture and gently stir if necessary.
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In a food processor or mixer with a dough blade/hook add 3 cups flour. Pour in the water mixture and process until a dough ball forms.
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Coat a large bowl with olive oil, add the pizza dough ball, and cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the other fillings.
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In another bowl mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Chop and/or cook other desired fillings while dough rises on the counter (20 – 30 minutes). Alternatively you can make the dough earlier in the day and let it rise in the fridge or if you are short on time it will still work if you don't let it rise at all!
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Divide dough into 6 equal sized pieces. Shape each one into a ball and then flatten it out with a rolling pin. Don’t roll it too thin (see picture for recommended size).
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Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce in the center of the dough. Add two heaping spoonfuls of the cheese mixture and one spoonful of filling (or 3 spoonfuls of cheese mixture if no other filling is desired).
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Seal edges of the dough together as best you can with your fingers (see photo for two examples) and flip it over so seam side is down on a greased baking sheet. Make a couple of holes with a fork in the top (to prevent the cheese from leaking out the bottoms/sides) and top with raw sesame seeds if desired.
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Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes and once done let cool for a few minutes.
Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping and enjoy!
Super Easy Alfredo Sauce
This looks so good!!!! We don’t live in NC, though. Any chance ur working on a pizza sauce recipie?
Great idea, would be fun for lunches too! I find if you replace about 1/4 cup of the whole wheat flour with wheat gluten you get a much better texture, you might want to try…
Leyla- Our favorite sauce recipe is so easy! Drain a can of diced tomatoes, add salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh (or frozen in the winter) basil then mush it all up with your fingers (our son’s favorite part!), yummmm….
These look great! How do you think they would freeze? I could see these as a perfect grab-and-go meal too.
I think they would be great defrosted out of the freezer and heated in the oven or toaster oven. You are right…great on the go!
I wondered what lunchbox your children use that fits the divided ziploc container?
I bought a rectangular fabric type lunch box from Old Navy last year that worked. I also saw some the same shape at Target this year.
That looks great! The hubby and I could really do some damage to those. :)
Maybe this is a silly question, but if you wanted to make a double or triple batch and freeze some… should you bake and then freeze? Or freeze them raw?
These look great! Can’t wait to try!
Portable and real – it doesn’t get much better.
Can I make the dough if I do not have a mixer with a dough blade/hook?
I just did it by hand! So easy, and less clean up!
How do you freeze them? I have them in the oven now!
Sorry this may be getting to you a little late…just wrap in freezer-safe container/bag and save till next time! Let defrost overnight if possible and reheat in oven.
Your recipes look good but you are using too much sodium and you mustn’t forget that Americans are eating too much salt in their diets. Use salt free or low sodium products and don’t add additional salt in your recipes but find herbs or salt free substitutes instead. They are delicious and once you acclimate your palate to no salt, it is easy. I regulated my bp with diet and went from 140/80 to 118/70 by eliminating the salt.
This is not a real concern if you are using sea salt instead of table salt. Besides, salt is important in recipes with yeast. It helps to control the rise.
Any suggestions on having them not come out so “doughy”? I followed the recipe exactly and baked for around 16 minutes. They looked done, but especially where the dough was sealed they didn’t cook all the way through and ended up just being overly doughy. Should I just bake longer?
I also got a doughy result the first time I made these. I tried again and folded them calzone-style instead, so there isn’t so much dough in one spot. They turned out perfectly this way!
my family is working very hard at getting healthy. We are doing everything from making our own hair products, toothpaste/deodorant, cleaning products, ect. The hardest area for us is the food. We know what not to eat but getting creative with what to eat is so hard! I’m grateful I found your blog! I have one question though, we have decided to go yeast and gluten free…not for health reason but because we have learned a lot on how it’s not good for you… do you think these will turn out ok with an all purpose gluten free flour and no yeast?
Abigail, perhaps consider natural yeast and heirloom varieties of wheat? Check out the book by Caleb Warnock & (I think) Melissa Richardson about baking with Natural Yeast.
Do you think this recipe would work for a school lunch if heated up in the microwave?
I would recommend heating it in the toaster (so it doesn’t get soggy) or serving it cold. If you want it to be warm you should try sending it in a thermos. Let me know how it turns out!
I made these but they turned out rock hard…yours looks so soft and golden in your pictures..any ideas where I might have went wrong?
Are you sure all your ingredients were fresh? Whole-wheat flour has to be kept in fridge or freezer or it will go bad. And one bad/old packet of yeast can ruin the whole thing.
Oh man, both of those are good to know. D: I should throw mine out then. :(
Do you have to keep it in the fridge if you use it quickly? I have kept it in the freezer before when I wasn’t baking much because I have had it go rancid before. But I used a large container in about 10 days and had it in an air tight container on my counter with no issue.
Hi Franki. I would, at minimum, keep it in the fridge. Chances are the flour was sitting on the store shelves for a while, too. ~Amy
I made these last night and they were delicious! I had been buying pre-made whole-wheat pizza dough to make pizza, but I made the dough from scratch last night and it was 100 timex better!
I realize that I’m an oddity in general :), but my fiance and I actually prefer them out of the freezer and into the microwave versus oven/toaster oven! We like the taste and texture better, plus it’s way faster for a grab and go meal than the toaster oven. We are almost through our double batch and already thinking of what new things to put in our next batch!!!
These look delicious! Can I substitute the ricotta for another type of cheese? Has anyone tried it with other cheeses? Recommendations? Thanks!
I’ve heard of people using cottage cheese instead of ricotta although I have not tried it yet myself.
God bless you! I have been trying to figure out a healthy alternative to hot/lean pockets, which were (unfortunately) one of my favorite grab and go breakfasts! I will definitely be making some this week. SO excited!!
Do you use regular whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour? I’m just wondering if the pastry flour would be more like all-purpose white flour which is what my hubby and kids are used to. Thanks!!!
I think white whole wheat by King Arthur would be your best choice if you want it to be closer to white flour. It is still 100% whole grain, but made from a lighter variety of wheat.
I tried Bob’s Red Mill pastry flour for a while and my recipes all came out very dry. BRM organic whole wheat flour works well, but is expensive! As Lisa has suggested Kig Arthur’s works really well and is much cheaper and you can find it at most grocery stores. Even Target has it!
I just discovered your blog and made these for dinner last night! They were a big hit and I was so happy to have one leftover for my lunch today. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
My husband loves chicken Alfredo calzones. So I made these pizza pockets but made your pesto and alfredo sauces instead of red sauce. Added in ground pork, leftover chicken (from your chicken in a crockpot recipe), broccoli, spinach and cheese. And everyone made their own. So they decided what they wanted and didn’t want! And we have leftovers for lunches.
I tried this recipe and it was a big hit! My husband said this one is a keeper! I added a tablespoon of honey to my dough and used the white wheat flour. It was light and fluffy and tasted great. Thank you for sharing it!
My daughter has been craving pizza since we started eating nonprocessed foods two months ago! I was so happy to find this recipe, which I found thanks to one of your meal plans, which I love by the way! She loved them!!! I’m looking forward to sending these to school with her on pizza days! Thank you so much!
I made these for the kids tonight because they looked pretty quick and easy to make. Okay, so they took a tad longer than I planned but the kids LOVED them! And I finally found something to do with the whole wheat flour! WOOHOO!
We made these last night! We did one batch with sauce, ground turkey, bell peppers (fresh picked from our garden!) and mozzarella cheese. And we did another batch with ground beef and cheese, no sauce- sausage bread style. My husband loves my homemade sausage bread but I stoppped making them when we started our real food mission. My daughter made hers with just cheese. She even tasted a few different cheeses to see which one she wanted! She loved helping make the dough and I gave her her own rolling pin to roll out hers. Thanks for all your amazing recipes and ideas! I’m slowly working my way through them all.
SCORE! This was a hit with my two picky eaters, I cannot believe it! So excited that we can make “Ceezaa” a real food in our house. Thank you!
My boys and I made these for lunch today. They are delicious! I used canned Trader Joe’s tomato sauce instead of pizza sauce, and filled with Beeler’s breakfast sausage, pineapple, zucchini, carrots, and kale and collards from my garden. Delish!!
Tried this tonight, and hit was a huge hit! I let my 4 year old daughter help me make them and she had so much fun. I was finally able to get her to eat bell peppers! Your blog has totally inspired me. Thank you!!
I’m having a difficult time with dough recipes such as whole wheat pizza, cheese biscuits, etc. the dough doesn’t rise at all and everything is hard as a rock. I’m at 7500′ altitude and not accustomed to baking at this altitude. When I mixed the yeast in the warm water it didn’t expand at all. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?
Since there is no sugar in the recipe, the yeast will not foam. The salt will “feed” the yeast, though. The water should look milky when the yeast and salt have dissolved. You could also try instant yeast (unless that is against “the rules”?). Also use the amount of flour as a guideline not a hard fast rule. When the dough pulls from the sides of mixer you have probably added enough flour.
Hi Brenda. I am sorry I don’t. Have you tried to research anything related to the altitude? I’m guessing that might be your problem. Jill
If I freeze a batch how should I heat them up when frozen? (Microwave, oven-degree?)
I would heat them up in the toaster oven on 350 degrees. Jill
Made these last night for my family and they were a hit. My 3.5 year old twin boys loved rolling out the dough, putting the sauce and cheese on and all the toppings! So much fun to have them help me cook. They also both ate raw peppers for the first time while cooking!!!
I was wondering have you tried freezing the dough? If so how do you thaw the dough? I was hoping I might be able to make a double batch of the dough (and freeze one set) so that it would be a little less work/clean up next time we make them. Thanks
Hi Amy. My suggestion would be to cook them, wrap them, and put them in an airtight container to freeze. You can pull them out as you need them. When possible, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the oven. ~Amy
Made a batch of these for dinner last night and they was such a hit I had to make another batch for everyone to have for lunch today. They were great.
Is this the same dough recipe as the pizza dough? It looks like it is. Anyway, do you ever put these in your girls’ lunches? My oldest isn’t fond of sandwiches so I have a hard time finding things to pack for him. How would you prepare and pack it if you were sending it with lunch?
Hi Caroline. I am packing these in my sons lunches tomorrow. I’ll baked them tonight and will refrigerate them until I pack lunches in the morning. I don’t make mine with meat both because my kids don’t eat much meat but also so I don’t have to worry about keeping the meat cold. My kids are perfectly happy with room temp pizza pockets. Hope that helps. ~Amy
This recipe looks delicious I just have one question… my husband and I are both allergic to tomatoes, could this be made without the pizza sauce?
Hi Jessica. Of course, you could fill the pocket however you like. You could do pesto pockets, or black beans and nacho cheese, etc. Enjoy. ~Amy
Hi – Do you think I could substitute a gluten free flour instead of the whole wheat? I was thinking brown rice flour, but not sure if it would work out the same way.
Hi – Do you think I could substitute a gluten free flour instead of the whole wheat? I was thinking brown rice, but not sure how it would hold up?
Hello Dea. We haven’t tried gluten free for this recipe. Please let us know your results! Good luck. ~Amy
I’ve never made dough before. All I have is a handheld blender. Can I use this to make the dough?
Hi Ginger. It is too much for a handheld blender but you can totally do it by hand without any gadget. :) ~Amy
Hi, i made this yesterday, althoug i tweaked the recipe a little, i made mine in 3 flavors, mozzarela and peperoni, mozzarella and ham and some with goatcheese and spinach, they all came out delicious, i made them extra small, and there wew only 2 leftovers, which were sent in todays lunch for my kid; thanks for an excelent recipe, next time ill try doubling and freezing.
I LOVE this recipe, and it would be perfect for my new link party. This link party is called ‘Required Ingredient Recipe Link Party’ and I’ll be holding it every Sunday, starting right now.
The idea is to focus on a single ingredient each week and I’m starting off with cheese because everyone loves cheese!
I’m planning to do a ton of promotion to get this link party off the ground, so any recipes you post should get lots of attention.
Regardless of if you link up or not, I’m pinning this recipe! Yum!
Hope to see you at the link party…
http://futureexpat.com/2013/10/required-ingredient-cheese/
Made these for the 1st time today. Hubby and I loved them! Waiting for our kiddos stamp of approval. :) (This was my 1st time to make pizza dough, or really use flour, and it turned out great!:) )
These were easy and delicious. I had no ricotta in the house so I just used sauce, mozzarella and veggies. I made one with no sauce for my picky eater. I love that you can customize each one differently! This was the first meal that everyone ate happily in a while. I like the idea of making one “family meal” but having some choice available for the kids (and my equally picky husband). The whole recipe took me about an hour including baking and waiting for the dough to rise.
can this dough be made ahead and frozen?
Hi Franki. It can. Just thaw in the fridge over night and then allow it to sit at room temp before trying to work with the dough. ~Amy
Is it okay to make the dough the night before and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours?
I have no experience with dough “rising” or spoilage.
Hi Krissy. The dough should be fine to use even after a day in the fridge. :) ~Amy
Not sure what happened, but my dough did not turn out, I used my kitchen aide mixer with the dough hook and it never formed. So I improvised and used rice cakes for our pizzas!
Hi Jennifer. Were both your yeast and flour fresh? Also, be sure water is warm and not hot. Hot water will kill yeast. ~Amy
Is it normal for the dough to be dry? I’ve never worked with dough before so I’m not sure!
I put all ingredients in my kitchen aid and it formed together for the most part, it’s just dry!
Hi Debra. It should be relatively moist and pliable. It should not be dry enough to crack or not adhere. ~Amy
How would you reheat these from the freezer? Thanks for another quick, real meal for work nights!!
Hi Megan. I usually defrost overnight and reheat them in the oven until heated through. ~Amy
These were delicious!!! My son had fun forming the dough and picking out the ingredients. Thanks for the awesome and easy recipe.
Love these, this is one of my “go to” recipes! Tonight for fun I added some honey to the dough! This was amazing. We were all ooing and awing:)
These look amazing, pinning for later!
Do you have a recipe that would make this gluten free, because these look really yummy
I would also be interested in a gluten free version, thanks!
Hi there. We do not but we welcome readers to experiment and share your results with us! ~Amy
I’m not sure where I went wrong but my dough came out very dry :(
Would I sauté my greens before adding them?
Hello Anna. You certainly could. :)
What else would you put in with the Pesto as a filling?? I made some fresh Pesto yesterday for St Patty’s Day and I think this would be a great idea for dinner tonight…
Hi there. How about roasted tomatoes and red peppers with fresh mozzerella? :) ~Amy
Has anyone tried freezing these for later? Cook first then freeze or freeze, defrost then cook?
Hi Amanda. I cook and then freeze. I defrost overnight and reheat in the oven. ~Amy
I make a very similar recipe to these and fill and freeze them before baking. They take a bit longer to cook when frozen, but cook beautifully. I try to keep a dozen or so in the freezer for a quick dinner or when the kids have friends over.
Can you make dough and pre-stuff these and leave in the fridge over night for cooking the following night? I saw a lot of freezing comments, but didn’t know that it would be necessary for just one day.
Thanks!
I was wondering the same thing, Chrystal!
Hi there. Honestly, I’ve not done it that way. My only concern would be that the dough might get a bit soggy from the sauce. ~Amy
I would think that you could make the dough ahead and leave it in the fridge, then assemble the next day and bake. That would still save time if you knew you would be rushed the day you planned to serve them.
These are great. I did have to use 1/2 less flour to make the dough “doughy”. Smeared pesto sauce before adding the pizza sauce. Super yum!
These are delicious and a fun treat for the kids to make! I’m thinking I’d like to try a sweet filling (apples, peaches, or blueberries) as a sweet treat.
I am perusing your website and hoping to start my family on your 100 days of real foods, as we get ready to launch into the new school year. How much time does it take to make these homemade dough pockets? Time is usually the thing that throws me–do you ever make your dinners earlier in the day while the children are in school and just reheat for dinner? And can this recipe be make early in the day?
Hi Carol Ann. Including cook time, this meal can be completed in about 45 minutes. The more you make it, obviously, the easier it becomes. I make variations of these in mass ALL the time. They are easy to reheat from the fridge or freeze for school lunches or an easy dinner at a later date. ~Amy
I’m considering ordering the cookbook and wanted to know If you include nutritional information on any of your recipes?
Hi Anna. No, we do not. Our focus is on real food and helping people look past the numbers. All calories are not equal and we want first and foremost to get folks off the processed stuff. :) ~Amy
Two questions:
1. The recipe says ‘see picture for size’, but there is no gauge to judge by in the picture. Can you estimate the thickness and/or diameter?
2. On the cookbook… I don’t suppose it’s available on Kindle?
I see that it is… Purchased cookbook for Kindle.
Hi Christa. The squares are probably 5×5. And yes, you can get the Kindle version. ;)
hey Christa, above, it totally is available on Kindle because I accidentally ordered that instead of the hard cover. That’s the only reason I know the answer to your question.
Sorry if this has been asked before, but how would you recommend making dough without a processor? I don’t have one and there are several recipes that I’d love to try–but I’m not sure how to translate the food processor step. I’m sure if I had one it’s be easier, but what did we do before these gadgets?
Thanks!
Hi Megan. You are right, it can totally be done by hand. It just takes a bit of heavy duty mixing/kneading by hand. You can also use a mixer with a dough hook. ~Amy
My family and I love this recipe! My son helps me with every step and he enjoys picking what good veggies go in. So thank you! I do use an organic pizza sauce, but it has agave nectar in it. I don’t want to use it anymore and wondering if you have a pizza sauce recipe or suggestions on what brand to buy. I have been searching for a recipe that doesn’t contain sugar. Or should I just use spaghetti sauce? THANKS!
Hi Melissa. You can use whatever sauce you like best. I often use marinara on pizza but I drain some of the liquid first. Muir Glenn and Earth Fare Organic are brands of tomato sauce that Lisa uses. ~Amy
I took the plunge and opened a yeast package for the first time in my life last night to make this recipe with my own fillings. Other than the food processor explosion (small food processor didn’t like when I poured in the liquid all at once!) this was a home run.
I used sprouted wheat flour (for extra protein) and since it’s an end of the week / pre-groceries kind of day whatever I had on hand for fillings, which was:
-Two meatballs (defrosted from freezer and crumbled)
-Kale (sauteed with garlic first & finely chopped)
-Shredded raw milk cheddar (a staple of mine from TJ’s) & ricotta salata (a harder ricotta)
-An insignificant amount of POMI strained tomatoes – which I made a killer marinara out of by adding to a pot w/olive oil, sauteed onion scraps & a clove of crushed garlic, basil, oregano + some red wine vinegar & mashed sweet potato which really stretched the small amount of sauce into a usable quantity plus provided sweetness.
-Sprinkled flax seeds on top in lieu of sesame seeds
My picky 4-year old adored her pocket and even asked if I would pack the leftover for her lunch today! My pizza-loving husband easily devoured two at one sitting, and I’m enjoying my second for lunch today. Thanks for the recipe it’s definitely going into rotation.
What kind of meat do you use? Are there any brands that are nitrate free?
Hi Angi. This will answer your question: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/08/15/lunchmeat-serve-family/. ~Amy
can these be frozen for later use, if I make a batch to put in lunches?
Yes Molly, they can. ;)
Would you freeze prior to baking? Or after?
I freeze baked pockets.
Do you have a pizza sauce recipe? I can’t use commercial brands because I’m allergic to garlic, and they are usually filled with a bunch of garbage too! :)
Hi there. This is a super simple one, just leave out the garlic: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-diy-pizz-13507.
Hi, did you lightly coat the top of the pizza bread with olive oil before putting sesame seeds on or no?
Hi. You could do it either way.
So I haven’t made these since going gluten free, but I was craving them! So I subbed krustaez gluten free all purpose flour, added a little more water and an egg. I also added a big squeeze of honey which I always had in the past to make the crust a bit sweet. They needed to be cooked about double time. They came out fantastic!
Can i use white wheat flour instead? If so, do i sub 1:1?
You can and it is 1:1.
So I made these last night. My kids don’t like mushrooms so I used the sauce recipe from super healthy kids and puréed mushrooms and spinach in pizza sauce! They never knew! My problem was with the dough. I just bought the yeast and always keep my sprouted flour in the freezer. But it was SO dry I could barely roll it out. Any other reason or possible suggestion so this won’t happen again? Love this recipe and want to make it again. Thank you!
Hi. I find I always need to increase the wet ingredients when using sprouted flour.
Could you freeze these before being baked?
Hi. We have not frozen these before cooking.
Hi, so would you recommend freezing after cooking? Then leave out to defrost and heat up in the oven? Would you cook them through as I’d still like to get a gooey cheesy inside? thanks!
Hi there. I have undercooked these slightly and then frozen them. I do defrost them overnight and reheat them in the oven where they finish cooking. No problem with the gooey-ness. :)
If freezing this, would you freeze it after cooking?
Having a baby soon and looking for foods to freeze.
Yes, I’ve only frozen these after cooking. If I know I am freezing, I slightly unercook them.
These were okay, but needed tweaking. First the recipe ingredients state a total of 3 cups of cheese yet you are told to put only 2 heaping spoonfuls on each of 6 pockets. There was way too much dough – could have made 8 – 10 pockets (or added more filling or cut dough recipe 1/2). I added garlic powder and Italian seasoning to dough as well to pump up the flavor.
I am looking for a yeast free dough recipe for something like this, wondering if anyone has something? Right now I use Pillsbury roll out pizza dough or cresent rolls and I want to get away from all the processed stuff. My family loves the taste of whole wheat flour. These look great, but I can’t put yeast in them as my kid and husband have yeast allergies.
Let us know if you experiment.
Hi,
If you’re popping these in the freezer, at which step would you do it? Pre-cooked, post-cooked, or even risk a part-cooked? Sorry if this has already been asked!
Thanks.
Hi there. I always cook them and freeze. I defrost overnight before reheating. :)