Christmas Dough Balls
Soft and gooey mozzarella packed inside fluffy dough and topped off with a rosemary-garlic glaze, these Christmas Dough Balls are a moreish addition to any festive spread.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories76
- Fat1.8g
- Saturates0.6g
- Carbs12g
- Sugars0.5g
- Protein2.8g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
If you’re the type of host who fancies their festive buffet being the talk of the entire season, then you need to add these Christmas Dough Balls to your menu. Soft and fluffy, we’ve filled each one with oozy, melted mozzarella and the festive flavour of cranberry. Each ball is brushed with an aromatic rosemary and garlic “butter”, giving every bite a rich, herby punch that’ll have your guests coming back for more… and more!
Or if you prefer a December evening settled in front of your favourite Christmas film, they’re fun to pull apart for a fakeaway-style tear and share.
What diets are these Christmas Dough Balls suitable for?
These Christmas Dough Balls are suitable for anyone following a vegetarian diets.
If you’re cooking for people with allergies or intolerances, remember to take extra care. Use separate utensils, cookware, and preparation surfaces.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Christmas Dough Balls?
No, this recipe doesn’t call for any special ingredients. You’ll find everything on your local supermarket shelves.
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How many calories are in these Christmas Dough Balls?
There are only 76 calories per dough ball in this recipe, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category. These are all dishes under 400 calories, ideal for when you’re after a lighter bite (just like the category name suggests!), and they fit with diet plans like Weight Watchers if you’re calorie counting.
Step 1
Add the flour to a large mixing bowl. Then add the yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
Step 2
Pour in the warm water, and mix until the dough starts to come together. It should appear quite shaggy and loose.
Step 3
Press the dough together into a rough ball, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Step 4
Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Spray the mixing bowl with a little low-calorie cooking spray, then place the dough in the bowl. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour. When you return, the dough should have at least doubled in size, and feel puffy when pressed.
Step 5
Turn the dough out onto the surface and lightly knead for a couple of minutes. Form into a smooth ball and divide into 16.
Step 6
Take the first piece of dough and flatten it into a round with your hands. Then place a cube of mozzarella in the centre, and form the dough around to seal into a ball shape. Repeat this process until you have made 16 dough balls.
Step 7
Leaving a few millimetres between each dough ball, place the balls, seam-side down, onto a baking tray in the following formation: 1 ball on row one, 2 balls on row two, 3 on row three, 4 on row four, 5 on row five, and 1 on row six. Cover the tray with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for a further 30 minutes — until they are puffy when pressed, have increased in size, and are joining together.
Step 8
When the dough balls are nearly done proving, preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Step 9
Once the dough balls have proved, add the dried cranberries and half of the rosemary sprigs randomly between the dough balls. Place the tray into the oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden and joined together. The dough balls should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Step 10
While the dough balls are cooking, prep the “butter”. Finely chop the remaining rosemary and place into a bowl with the reduced fat spread and garlic. Stir well.
Step 11
When the dough balls are cooked, microwave the “butter” for about 20 seconds, until just melted. Brush over the surface of the dough balls. We added a star shape made from Cheddar cheese to the top of our tree, but this is optional (and will add 2 calories per portion).
What could I serve with these Christmas Dough Balls?
These Christmas Dough Balls are delicious on their own, or you could serve them with any one of the following:
How do you know when these Christmas Dough Balls are cooked?
You can tell these Christmas Dough Balls are cooked when they’ve all joined together and turned golden brown. This will take around 10-12 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, they should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
As per UK food safety guidelines, always cook food until it reaches 75ºC and stays at that temperature for at least two minutes.
How long can you keep Christmas Dough Balls in the fridge?
Once you’ve served up your Christmas Dough Balls, ideally you should serve them within four hours.
If you do hang onto any leftovers, be sure to refrigerate them in an air-tight container with a lid. You can store Christmas Dough Balls in the fridge for approximately 1-2 days,
Can I freeze Christmas Dough Balls?
The dough balls can be frozen, but the garlic “butter” isn’t suitable for freezing. Make this part fresh each time to guarantee the best flavour and texture. If you do freeze the Christmas Dough Balls, please remember to do the following:
- Freeze it as soon as it’s cold enough.
- Use a container suitable for freezing.
- Don’t forget to add a label reminding you what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Christmas Dough Balls?
From chilled: Reheat the dough balls in a moderate oven, until they’re piping hot. You can also place them in a microwavable container with a loosely fitting lid and heat for between 20 seconds-1 minute — depending on the power of your microwave, and the number of dough balls you’re reheating.
From frozen: Allow to defrost fully overnight in the fridge, then reheat following the instructions above.
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Christmas Dough Balls
Soft and gooey mozzarella packed inside fluffy dough and topped off with a rosemary-garlic glaze, these Christmas Dough Balls are a moreish addition to any festive spread.
-
Prep Time
20 MINS
-
Cook Time
12 MINS
- KCals 76
- Carbs 12G
Instructions
- Add the flour to a large mixing bowl. Then add the yeast, sugar, and salt, and mix.
- Pour in the warm water and mix until the dough starts to come together. The dough should appear quite shaggy and loose.
- Press the dough together into a rough ball, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Spray the mixing bowl with a little low-calorie cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should have at least doubled in size, and feel puffy when pressed.
- Turn the dough out onto the surface and lightly knead for a couple of minutes. Then form into a smooth ball, and divide into 16.
- Take the first piece of dough and flatten it into a round with your hands. Place a cube of mozzarella in the centre, and form the dough around to seal into a ball shape. Repeat this process until you have made 16 dough balls.
- Leaving a few millimetres between each ball, place the dough balls seam-side down onto a lined baking tray in the following formation: 1 ball on row one, 2 balls on row two, 3 on row three, 4 on row four, 5 on row five, and 1 on row six. Cover the tray with cling film, and leave in a warm place to prove for a further 30 minutes — until they are puffy when pressed, have increased in size, and are joining together.
- When the dough balls are nearly done proving, preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Once the dough balls have proved, add the dried cranberries and half the rosemary sprigs randomly between the dough balls. Place the tray into the oven for 10-12 minutes, until golden and joined together. The dough balls should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- While the dough balls are cooking, prep the "butter". Finely chop the remaining rosemary and place into a bowl with the reduced fat spread and garlic. Stir well.
- When the dough balls are cooked, microwave the "butter" for about 20 seconds, until just melted. Brush over the surface of the dough balls. We added a star shape made from Cheddar cheese to the top of our dough ball tree, but this is optional (and will add 2 calories per portion).
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