When I was growing up, and even now, my mom would take the time to make her own dough.  She would create delicious items, like pizza, pizza frite (fried dough) and a variety of stromboli that is frequently requested by friends and family.  I have followed in the stromboli making path as well, including one themed and pretty adorable Mummy Stromboli for a Halloween party at my office a few years ago.

Mummy Stromboli

Stromboli is a great pizza alternative, and a perfect finger food for tailgates, parties or a weeknight dinner; all you need is a salad to complete the meal.

Mmm! Just thinking about my mom’s stromboli makes my mouth water.  It is a perfect and delicate balance of cheese, meat (pepperoni or ham) and dough.  Rolled up and baked until golden brown, it’s like an Italian cinnamon roll.  Haha.

In an earlier post I wrote about pizza dough.  You can use the recipe there or do what I am not embarrassed to admit and buy it fresh.  I purchased mine from my true love, Trader Joe’s.  They sell it for 99 cents for a 1 pound bag and it is delicious.

When my mom makes stromboli she cooks it long and cuts it after it has baked.  I have experimented and came up with these rolls, a little twist on a classic.  Plus, there are more places for the dough to get crispy.

Here are the step by step directions complete with pictures to make quick and easy (and delicious) pepperoni rolls! This recipe is really just a method and as you will see you can swap out the meat, cheese, even use whole wheat or herbed dough instead of the regular white flour dough. I cooked my rolls at 400 degrees on the bottom rack for 15 minutes and moved to a middle rack for 5 minutes, a total of 20 minutes baking time. Don’t forget to preheat the oven!  Enjoy!

I took the dough out of the fridge and let it proof, covered with plastic wrap, in front of the heater for about 1 hour.

Then I punched it down to release the gases (hehe).

Stretch the dough to cover a baking sheet (This doesn't have to be perfect!)

Optional- Brush the dough with a little olive oil.

Thinly layer pepperoni on the dough. I leave a little dough exposed so it sticks to each other when rolled up. Plus, the filling won't fall out the sides.

Normally, I would use sliced Fontina or something creamy but this was the only cheese I had handy- see anything goes!

Sprinkle the pepperoni with the cheese.

Roll up lengthwise.

Cut into pieces as evenly as possible, so they bake at the same time.

...and turn on their side so the swirly part is exposed!

Baked and bubbly and crispy in all the right places!

See how golden and cheesy the bottoms come? YUM!!!