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The pepperoni roll, aka the State Food of West Virginia, is one of those simple things that makes life good. I’d never even heard of a pepperoni roll before moving here, but the testament to the pepperoni roll’s popularity in the Mountain State is found in every grocery store, bakery, and even gas station convenience store because the pepperoni roll is sold everywhere as if people might not be able to get down the road without one. They might die. As the story goes, pepperoni rolls originated with Italian immigrants who came to West Virginia to work in the coal mines. Rolls filled with pepperoni were easy meals to carry with them into the mines.
I’ve been working on perfecting my pepperoni roll recipe for awhile, determined to achieve pepperoni roll nirvana at home. When I first started baking pepperoni rolls, my kids called them “pizza rolls” because they aren’t from around here. Lest a native knock them flat for pepperoni roll blasphemy, I drilled the proper lingo into them as I continued to practice my craft.
There are, of course, good pepperoni rolls and bad pepperoni rolls. There’s a little store with a gas station near here that has some of the best pepperoni rolls I’ve ever tasted, better than some bakeries, so you never know. I try pepperoni rolls any time I get a chance. Research, you know. I’ve become a pepperoni roll connossieur. The most important thing in a pepperoni roll is enough pepperoni. (You’d think that was obvious, but some stores sell “cheap” pepperoni rolls by hardly giving you any pepperoni.) Then there is the “peppers or no peppers” question, but that’s really a matter of taste as is whether or not to add cheese (usually mozzarella or pepper jack). And, of course, the bread has to be just right, so you know I turned to Grandmother Bread.
In replicating the texture of pepperoni roll bread, I realized I’d have to add oil and egg. The absence of egg, oil, or milk is in large part the beauty of Grandmother Bread, but there is a definite textural effect. Including egg and oil here, I’ll demonstrate how to treat egg and oil as any other “add-in” to the standard Grandmother Bread recipe (such as when you add raisins or anything else) so you’ll also know how to use it in other breads when added richness makes a difference. Remember whenever experimenting with the addition of egg and/or oil in Grandmother Bread, you’ll need more flour than in the original recipe.
Since I like more of everything, I’m also all about the peppers and cheese, and most especially, the pepperoni and lots of it. And I mean lots of it. Not just in the filling, but right in the dough. Adding pepperoni to the dough itself is possibly a criminal offense as I’ve never found a pepperoni roll sold in West Virginia that did that. But at some point in my pursuit of the perfect pepperoni roll, I had to decide that perfection came first, and that if I had to go to hell for making the best pepperoni roll in the world by breaking tradition, it would be for a noble cause.
If you are all about tradition, you can follow this recipe to create real Italian immigrant-style pepperoni rolls by leaving the chopped pepperoni and cheese out of the dough. You can also leave the cheese and peppers out of the filling, and for an even more traditional result, use stick pepperoni instead of slices. You can also add Sweet Tarts. I’M JUST KIDDING!
Are you still reading? Here’s my SECRET recipe for perfect pepperoni rolls!!
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How to make Pepperoni Rolls:
Start with the one-loaf standard Grandmother Bread recipe, with a bit more flour. (Add-ins: minced garlic, egg, oil, chopped pepperoni, cheese.)
Read more about Grandmother Bread here.
Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 egg*
1/3 cup oil*
1 cup chopped pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
4 cups flour
Filling
pepperoni slices or sticks
pepper rings (approx. 1 1/2 cups)**
mozzarella or pepper jack cheese (approx. 2 cups)
*Any time you add egg or oil to Grandmother Bread, calculate the add-ins in the quantities listed here. Per one-loaf standard recipe, add 1/3 cup oil and 1 egg. Per two-loaf standard recipe, add 2/3 cup oil and 2 eggs.
**I use Oliverio Italian-style Peppers (Mild Rings) in Vinegar Olvero. Oliverio products aren’t easy to find outside West Virginia. You can get away with using regular banana pepper rings, or whatever kind of peppers you like, or you can order Oliverio peppers here.
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, salt, sugar, minced garlic, egg, oil, chopped pepperoni, and the 1/2 cup of cheese. Let sit five minutes. Stir in the first cup and a half of flour with a heavy spoon. Add the next cup of flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. The amount of flour is approximate–your mileage may vary! Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, about an hour.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before dividing in half into two balls.
Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll each ball of dough out onto a floured surface into a rectangle (approximately 8×12 inches). Sprinkle flour over the dough to keep from sticking as you roll. Make one slice lengthwise down the dough.
Slicing from the other direction, make a slice down the middle, then again, until you have eight pieces. Sprinkle with cheese.
Place pepperoni slices or sticks on each piece.
Add peppers.
Roll up, pinching seam to seal.
Let rise approximately 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Bake for 20-30 minutes. (Watch carefully–the size of your rolls will vary the baking time–they’re done when they’ve browned.)
Enjoy the fabulously scrumptious pepperoni-a-licious perfection!
Makes 16 rolls.
Note: If using stick pepperoni, cut sticks in approximately four-inch pieces, pencil-size. Also, if baking these with pepperoni sticks, there will be some drippings during baking. Be sure to use a pan that has some kind of edge to it to protect your oven from the drippings.
P.S. My kids love these and now I have to make them all the time, often in double batches. Just a warning. Once you get started, you can’t stop! (They make great quick snacks and on-the-go lunches.)
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
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I’m a long time reader but first time commenter – your pepperoni rolls brought me out of lurkerhood. That and the promise of a cookbook.
Suzanne, please tell me there’s a print version coming! I would buy at least 3 – one for my MIL, one for my DIL and one for myself, of course.
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And thank you and Kathy for the index!! That will make it so nice!! Usually I go looking for something, then get side tracked on something else in the forum, and forget what I was looking for!! So when I NEED something, this is going to work out great!!
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You may single handedly throw under my diet bus….
Off to print this out.
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They look so good!
I will be making some this weeend !
Thanks Suzanne
You have the makings of a good cookbook with all
your good recipes.
Anne
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pardon the drool but those look TASTEY!
Though I wonder if you could use stick pepperoni?
I’ve gotten into these rolls that have it and they are goood..wait..maybe use both!
HOMG!
Brilliant!
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I can change.
Cheers,
sc
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Our local Krogers started selling these a while ago and hubby and our son have been taking them for lunches. I’ve been thinking about experimenting with a recipe to make them at home… now I can just try yours.
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I’m new to your blog and really enjoy it.
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Othewise, they look soooo yummy!
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When I had my own family, I realized the convenience of them and started cranking them out for lunches or road trips. If someone had a baby…they got pepperoni rolls. New neighbor…pepperoni rolls.
Then a few years ago I saw Al Roker’s show on HG or Food (can’t remember) where he went to Fairmont, WV to a place that sells them. And I put it all together…my dad was from Fairmont and I’m sure my grandma taught him how to make pepperoni rolls. Anyway, just a full circle of family history for me and connecting the dots. Way cool.
I make mine with cheap pepperoni from Aldi (since I do them all the time). At Christmas, I’ll do the sticks. Mine are more the shape of dollar rolls and I’m a purist…only pepperoni.
Donna, the think about the pepperoni is the grease. Oh the grease!!!
Kris7
Working hard at http://www.sccworlds.com
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Can you ship some to Oklahoma?
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I am just trying to imagine how wonderful your house must smell when you are baking these rolls and the other baked goods that you do.
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~Suzanne @
http://www.sugarloafcottage.blogspot.com
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Not sure how you feel about little Blog Awards, but I chose you for one that I was given. If you are interested it is located on my blog.
Thanks for giving me such a wonderful place to visit daily.
Cece
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They already smell good and they are not even in the oven yet!
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:: bookmarking ::
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~Jenny~
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Those look SOOOO good!
Please box some up and mail them to Kansas. Thank you.
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http://www.pennmac.com/page/386
We just need Suzanne to tell us exactly which kind to use.
-Lola
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Thanks so much for sharing.
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I’ve always measured my flour by scooping the flour with a spoon or scooper into the cup, then sweeping off the excess, and I think that’s causing me problems with some recipes. I’ve already added over 5 cups of flour to the recipe above, and it still seems a little sticky. I don’t know if I’m measuring “wrong”, or if my idea of what dough should look like is wrong (everything I know about baking bread, I learned from print sources), or what.
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The texture of these was good after I baked them, though, so I’m not gonna sweat it.
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I have a question though. Have you noticed the bread you buy in the stores are soooo soft. It’s like there’s no substance to it. Does anyone know what they are doing or leaving out to make it so soft and doughy? I don’t like it.
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I always make mine the easy way-grab a container of Pillsbury crescents and Hormel two stick peperoni. Cut each stick in half then in quarter spears totaling eight-bake-15 minutes later-heaven!!
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I am going to try these TOMORROW.
Thanks so much.
Dana
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And PS … your writing is terrific. That’s what I do for a living; it’s always great to see someone who does it well.
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I cannot wait to try these! I’ll let you know how they turn out.
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Suzanne – is this dough supposed to be really sticky?
I will definitely make them again – with a lot less flour – I’m thinking use the mixer with dough hook.
Thanks for this great recipe – definitely a great thing to take on a camping trip!
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Thank you for sharing!
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also, i want to make these ahead of time for a potluck this saturday. how much can i do ahead on friday? thanks very much.
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http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/grandmother-bread/
In the pepperoni rolls, the base is the one-loaf size recipe, so that’s why it calls for a teaspoon. (Half the size, and half of a tablespoon is actually a teaspoon and a half, but I’ve always found a teaspoon is plenty.) If the rolls didn’t rise enough, it could be for a variety of reasons. Especially at this time of year, rising is often complicated by cooler weather. You may need to let your dough rise longer, or you could do a rising helper, like set the bowl of dough or rolls on the upper rack in a turned-off oven with a bowl of steaming water on the lower rack.
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I have to ask, those better be Oliverio’s peppers you’re using?? ;o) The banana peppers and the medium hot peppers in sauce are my favorites.
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