Pepperoni Rolls

I have been known to drive more than 3 hours to get pepperoni rolls from a small bakery in Clarksburg, West Virginia, but these will do just nicely and take less time.

Legend has it the pepperoni roll was a lunch option for coal miners in West Virginia since they didn’t need to be refrigerated and were easily packed for the midday meal. Since then, variations have sprung up to put cheese, peppers, or even different meats, but the classic remains sticks of pepperoni enclosed by a soft roll. Sliced pepperoni is not recommended.

SOFTWARE

·         2 c. flour (plus more for manipulating the dough)

·         2 t. instant dry yeast

·         1 T. sugar

·         1 1/2 t. Kosher salt

·         1/3 c. milk

·         1/2 c. water

·         2 T. olive oil

·         1/2 lb. pepperoni sticks (fresh if you can get it)

·         1 egg

·         1 T. water

METHOD

1.      In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.

2.      Add the milk, water, and oil. Stir to combine until you have a sticky ball of dough.

3.      Using a little more flour on a countertop, turn out the dough and knead about 20 times. Form into a ball.

4.      Coat the inside of another large bowl with additional oil.

5.      Move the dough ball to the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set away from any heat or cold sources and let it rise for 90 minutes or until double in size.

6.      After the initial proof, move the dough to a floured countertop and knead for 3 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as you go to prevent sticking.

7.      Form the dough into a ball and cut in half with a bench scraper.

8.      Form each half into a cylinder about 6-8 inches long.

9.      Cut the log in half, then cut each half into thirds. You should end up with 12 pieces of dough.

10.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large baking sheet and arrange the dough balls on top of the sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel and rest for 20 minutes.

11.  Cut the pepperoni sticks into 3 to 4-inch segments. Quarter each segment. Set aside.

12.  When the second proof is done, slide the entire parchment paper, with the dough still on, off the baking sheet. Lightly oil the baking sheet.

13.  Take a dough ball and roll or shape with your hands into a rectangle that is slightly larger than your pepperoni segments. Add 4 of the segments to the middle of the rectangle and seal the dough. Fold the ends under and place on the baking sheet with the seal side down.

14.  Repeat 11 times.

15.  Cover again with the kitchen towel and rest for an additional 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

16.  Combine the egg and 1 T. of water for an egg wash.

17.  Remove the towel and brush each roll with the egg wash.

18.  Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the time.

19.  Remove from the oven and rest 5 minutes.

20.  Enjoy!

VARIANTS

Purists, like me, will tell you this is all you need. However, there are those heathens out there that will add things to the inside. Fine. A stick of mozzarella or provolone can replace one of the segments of pepperoni. There are those who use sliced pepperoni. I’m not sure why you would deprive yourself of pure pepperoni bliss but go ahead if you must.