MY HUSBAND ERIC’S PEPPERONI ROLL

Pepperoni Rolls was one of my husband’s favorites when he was growing up – then again who doesn’t like Pepperoni, Cheese and Bread Dough.  This is the neat thing about recipes they get carried on family to family right down the generation!  Anyway, I am so glad he learned to make this recipe at a young age and share it with our children and me! 

I am always interested in food and food facts, so I actually researched pepperoni rolls and found out they originated in 1927 by a man named  Giuseppe “Joseph” Argiro, he  made them and sold them to a Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia. Argiro originally invented the pepperoni roll as a lunch for the local coal miners. They made an excellent meal for coal miners because they had protein and fat for energy and they helped curb their hunger.  Pepperoni Rolls did not require refrigeration, which made them easy to pack in a lunch pail and take into the mines, plus no other was preparation needed for them.  Pepperoni Rolls are sold everywhere in West Virginia – very popular in gas stations and carry-outs…Some very Interesting facts – who knew! 

Well Eric’s pepperoni roll made in OHIO consists of several slices of sandwich pepperoni, provolone cheese and mozzarella cheese baked in a slightly sweet soft dough.  The combination of the sweet dough,   spicy pepperoni and ooey gooey cheese is deliciously satisfying to the palate. 

In our home pizza rolls are fair game for any meal – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner or as a Snack!  Very seldom do I have to worry about leftovers BUT on rare occasions that I do – I freeze them in a Ziploc bag and reheat them in the oven!

As to the recipe Eric learned to make these rolls using a hot roll mix from a box as the crust – I will say it was very good BUT we had a hard time finding the hot roll mix at our local grocery store – sometimes they had it other times they didn’t!  One day we had the cheese and pepperoni sliced at the deli and went to get the hot roll mix only to find they didn’t have any 🙄.  We paid for our groceries – left that store and went to a different grocery store in town and that store didn’t have any either – UGH….Totally frustrated I decided to make my own dough in my bread machine – OH MY GOODNESS – Not to TOOT my own Horn BUT it is OH so DELICIOUS!!!!

DOUGH
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup butter , softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp . salt
4 cups bread flour
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast

INGREDIENTS FOR THE PEPPERONI ROLL
1lb. Sandwich Pepperoni
1lb. Provolone Cheese, sliced
8oz. Italian Cheese/Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Add ingredients to bread machine according to manufacturer directions.

Set on dough cycle – Once cycle is complete – (approximately 2 hours), roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Once the dough is rolled out place provolone cheese from edge to edge, top with a thick layer of pepperoni – then cover the pepperoni with shredded cheese.
Starting with the long side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the seams at the ends to seal. Place on a prepared baking sheet (I like to cover my baking sheet in parchment paper – makes for easier clean up).  Bake 375º  20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and slice.

NOTE:  If you are lucky enough to find a box of Hot Roll mix at your local store – feel free to give that a try!  It’s good BUT the homemade dough is even BETTER!!!! 

Recipe By:  Eric Wallace  🤎 Relayed By:  Kim Wallace 🤎 Smile & Enjoy 🤎