Wild and Wonderful West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

Spicy pepperoni baked inside soft rolls is something that is said to be West Virginian invention. The oils from the pepperoni seeps into the bread as it bakes and gives the dough an amazing texture and flavor. Made correctly, there are no or minimal pockets of air and you have a tender roll with a spicy center.

In addition, you can use sticks or sliced pepperoni. The eastern part of the state seems to go more for slices and thinner cuts. The birthplace of the pepperoni roll uses sticks and a harder bread. The option is yours. This recipe will give you a softer roll and thin slices of pepperoni. You can pile on as much as you like. However, I’ve found more than an ounce you’ll have oily bread and grease dripping out of the edges. But you might like that.

West Virginia pepperoni rolls are tied to the coal mining boom. There is also a lot of folklore on how they were invented and a bakery likes to take claim for them. Italian immigrants would take a slice of pepperoni and place it inside a roll and eat it. Some say a local bakery noticed. Others say the immigrants brought the pepperoni and bought the bread from the bakery. The bakery is said to have started baking the pepperoni inside the roll.

What is my thought? I find it hard to believe that Italians never thought to bake pepperoni inside bread before. Ever hear of a calzone? Seriously, the Italian immigrants of West Virginia has brought some of the best Italian food to our country. You can surprisingly find some of amazing pizza, fettuccine, Bolognese and other Italian dishes in this state. If you are super curious, you can look up more information as to how they were first made and who claims to invent them in your spare time. But aren’t we here really just to learn how to make them?

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West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

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Soft and fluffy bread surrounding pepperoni makes this a portable lunch. WV pepperoni rolls are an easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Prepare: 10 minutes mins

Bake: 15 minutes mins

Additional TimeRest Time: 3 hours hrs

Total: 3 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 5 rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cups (300g) flour
• 5 oz (140g) pepperoni, sliced or sticks
• ½ cup (120mL) water
• 1 large (50g) egg
• 2 tbs (30mL) oil
• 2 tbs (25g) sugar
• 1 tsp (3.5g) yeast
• ½ tsp (2.5) salt

Instructions

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• Dissolve yeast into warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Mix in oil and egg.
• In a large bowl, add remaining ingredients except the pepperoni and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
• Knead about 10 minutes or until the dough is easily stretched without tearing and no longer sticks to your hands.
• Place in a bowl and cover. Let rise until at least double in size, about 90 minutes to 2 hours.
• Remove from container, knock down the dough and separate into 5 pieces.
• Press each piece into circles, about 4 1/2" (11.5cm) in diameter.
• In the middle of each piece, place 1/2 to 1 oz of pepperoni. Fold the top down about 1/3 way toward center and bring bottom of dough up to overlap. Pinch and fold over sides.
• Place seam side down on a parchment-lined or non-stick baking sheet 1/2" (1.25cm) apart and cover with a clean dry cloth or cling wrap. Let sit 60 minutes.
• When there is 15 minutes left on the timer, preheat the oven to 375F (190C.) Remove cover.
• Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Center should reach 190F (90C.)
• Cool on a wire rack before serving

Notes

If you are having difficulty learning how to knead sticky dough, feel free add up to 1/3 cup flour.  

An important note on dry yeast: Instant dry yeast is used in this recipe, which can be mixed directly into the dry ingredients or dissolved in water before mixing. If you’re using active dry yeast, modern varieties generally don’t need to be dissolved in warm water first, although some manufacturers still recommend it. Rapid-rise yeast may affect rising times.

Always check the manufacturer’s instructions on your yeast package for the best results.