The pepperoni roll is an Italian-American stuffed bread roll. Originally conceived of as a coal miner’s lunch, it is popular in West Virginia and some nearby regions of the Appalachian Mountains such as Eastern Kentucky, Western Pennsylvania, Western Maryland, and Appalachian Ohio.[1] In West Virginia it is nearly ubiquitous, particularly in convenience stores, and is arguably the food most closely associated with the state. Pepperoni rolls are also found in Southeast Michigan where they were popular among auto workers in the factories.
The classic pepperoni roll consists of a fairly soft white yeast-leavened bread roll with pepperoni baked in the middle. During baking, the fats in the pepperoni (which are hard at room temperature) melt, resulting in a spicy oil suffusing into the bread. Pepperoni rolls are typically eaten for lunch or breakfast, either unheated or slightly warmed.
Pepperoni Roll Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water (100 degrees F/40 degrees C)
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 (8 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
Pepperoni Roll Directions
- Stir together 1 cup warm water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle yeast over water; let stand for 5 minutes.
- Mix flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture, beaten eggs, and melted butter until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
- Place dough into a greased bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
- Punch down dough; divide into 20 equal pieces about the size of a golf ball. Using your hands, flatten each piece into a small rectangle, about 4 inches square.
- Place 3 overlapping slices of pepperoni down the center of each dough square. Place another row of 3 pepperoni slices next to the first. Roll dough around pepperoni, pinch the edges closed, and place rolls on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake rolls in the preheated oven until bottoms are lightly browned and tops are barely golden, 14 to 16 minutes.