*HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!*
She is incredible – love you Mom!
Are pepperoni rolls a Pittsburgh thing?
I’ve lived in a small bubble my whole life, so I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that pepperoni rolls are a classic at sporting events. Paired with an ice-cold beer, they’re hard to beat.
I don’t even like pepperoni. Still, I wanted to make Mr. How Sweet a slightly healthier version. He requested them last week, so after a seven-day wait, I finally gave it a try.
I used a whole wheat pizza dough and allowed it to rise. Does the whole wheat balance out the grease from meat and cheese? To me, yes—it makes them feel a little lighter and more wholesome.
I wasn’t planning to taste one—anything with pepperoni usually puts me off. Then Mr. How Sweet sliced one open and it looked too good to resist.
It was to die for.
After trying half of one, I ran errands thinking only about another bite. I couldn’t stop craving them; they haunted me in the best possible way.
The standout feature was the crunchy crust. Traditional pepperoni rolls can be thick and doughy, which isn’t my favorite. Because I made the dough entirely from whole wheat and rolled it thin, the crust baked up crispy and light—perfect, really.
Whole Wheat Pepperoni Rolls
Homemade whole wheat pizza dough (suggested: 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon yeast, sea salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 cup warm water — let rise 2–3 hours)
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 slices provolone cheese
1 package pepperoni
2 tablespoons olive oil
1–2 teaspoons garlic powder
Preheat oven to 375°F.
After the dough has risen, roll it out very thin. Depending on the size and number of rolls you want, cut the dough into portions — I cut mine into four pieces.
Brush each piece with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Add a layer of pepperoni, then a combination of mozzarella and provolone. I used sliced cheese but tore the slices to fit each piece of dough.
Starting at one end, roll the dough like a jelly roll and pinch the edges to seal. Place the rolls on a baking sheet coated with non-stick spray or lined with parchment.
Bake at 375°F for 25–30 minutes, turning the rolls halfway through baking so they brown evenly.
Please make these soon — they’re truly incredible, and that’s saying something coming from a self-proclaimed pepperoni-hater.
I’ll be at the beach this week, but I have posts lined up and will be sharing a bit of beach life over on my blog. Enjoy making these, and tweak the recipe to suit your tastes.