Puff Pastry Pizza Rolls with homemade tomato paste – Vegan version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 8
   Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge overnight, until pliable but still cold.

   Refrigerator

   💡Work with store-bought dough while it's cold: warm puff pastry gets sticky and won't puff in the oven, and phyllo sheets dry out fast, so keep the waiting sheets covered with a damp towel.

For the Tomato sauce

1. 9
   In a bowl, mix the tomato paste and oregano with the salt. Don't cook it: the sauce cooks on the pizza in the oven.

   Bowl

To assemble

1. 10
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   OvenBaking panParchment paper
2. 11
   Cut the peppers into small cubes.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 12
   Roll out the dough into a 25 ×35 cm rectangle.

   Rolling pin

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
4. 13
   Spread the sauce all the way to the edges and sprinkle the mozzarella and peppers over it.
5. 14
   Roll up tightly along the long side, like a roulade, and chill for 15 minutes so it is easy to cut.

   Refrigerator
6. 15
   Cut into 12 slices 2.5 cm thick and arrange on the baking sheet, cut side up. Brush with the flax egg, beaten.

   KnifeCutting boardPastry brush
7. 16
   Bake 18 minutes, until the rolls are puffed and golden.

   OvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 17
   Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.