pepperoni stromboli

Now that we’ve talked about making pizza at home, it’s time to roll it up and make a stromboli.

My first experiences with stromboli all happened at a family friend’s house when I was in high school. A typical dinner at their place – for all us youth group kids – was some of Mr. Willwerth’s stromboli and Mrs. Willwerth’s homemade ice cream. Her cinnamon was my all time favorite, but really – stromboli and homemade ice cream? It’s the perfect meal.

Mr. Willwerth let us help out with the stromboli if we were there in time, so I had a few chances to layer everything and roll up the dough before popping it in the oven.

But it was years before I ever tried making one on my own, as an adult. It took me a while to feel like I had the dough-making down before I wanted to try anything other than just a regular pizza. But I am so glad I finally started making these.

If you love pizza, you’ll love stromboli. And vice versa. It’s the same concept, just folder together and baked instead of having everything on TOP of the dough. Stromboli is also a little easier to eat (smaller pieces) and makes for great party food! It’s easy to prep and doesn’t take long to bake, either, making it perfect for busy weeknights.

I use the same dough recipe that I use for my pizza, which makes it even easier! I don’t have to keep track of fourteen different pizza dough-ish recipes – this one is basically all purpose. And I pretty much only use Red Star Platinum Yeast now. It has taken over my pantry – I don’t want anything else! It’s the most reliable yeast I’ve tried in years, so it’s all I use.

I’m pretty sure my stromboli isn’t totally traditional because I usually put a little bit of sauce IN the stromboli, but you can make it however you want!

We like ours with a smear of sauce on the entire piece of dough, topped with shredded mozzarella and pepperoni, rolled up, and topped with some egg wash and Italian herbs. Plus more sauce for dipping when it’s done.

Again – same with the homemade pizza tips – the most important things for an awesome stromboli?

• Homemade dough
• Freshly shredded cheese (no pre-shredded!)
• Higher baking temperature for the first part of baking, to help get the golden crust
• Patience before slicing it up. It stays hot for a long time – no need to ruin it by slicing it too quickly OR burning your mouth!

Happy baking!

This post is sponsored by Red Star Yeast – all opinions and recipes are my own, as always. Thank you for supporting brands that support us! Follow them on Facebook or Instagram for more great recipes!

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