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Pepperoni Rolls

Pepperoni rolls are a favored high density portable lunch food, with roots in West Virginian Italian-American mining communities in the 1920s. Pepperoni rolls were invented by the Italian immigrant Guiseppe Argiro, who settled with his family in Clarksburg, West Virginia. At some point between 1927 and 1938, Argiro began selling pepperoni rolls at his shop, People's Bakery. The rolls, which do not need to be kept refrigerated and are easy to eat by hand, were a hit with the area miners, the majority of whom came at the time from Italian and Italian-American backgrounds. Originally sold for 45 cents a dozen, the rolls took an existing practice of eating bread and meat sandwiches and streamlined it, while baking the flavor and grease of the pepperoni into the bread for a more savory flavor. In the early 21st century, pepperoni rolls were added to the list of US military rations, recommended for use on patrols due to their compact size and high caloric value.

Recipe Servings: 4

Prep Time
25 minutes
+ 1 hour 30 minutes resting
Cook Time
15 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 10 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • ½ tsp white sugar
  • 1 packet (¼ oz) active dry yeast
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • 8 oz sliced pepperoni

Directions

  1. 1. In a small bowl, dissolve ½ teaspoon sugar in the warm water; then sprinkle the yeast over it. Let stand for 5 minutes.
  2. 2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, ¾ cup sugar, and salt. Then stir in the yeast mixture, the beaten eggs, and the melted butter, until the mixture forms a dough.
  3. 3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8 minutes, until the consistency is smooth and elastic.
  4. 4. Prepare a large bowl, lightly lining it with oil. Place the dough and turn to coat thoroughly with the oil. Cover with a light cloth and allow to rise in a warm location for about 1 hour 30 minutes; the dough should about double in volume.
  5. 5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a cookie sheet by greasing it lightly. Punch down into the dough, and divide into 20 golf-ball sized pieces, flattening each into a small rectangle about 4 inches square. On each, place 3 slices of pepperoni in a strip down the center, overlapping. Layer an additional 3 slices on top of the first three. Roll the dough up around the pepperoni and pinch each roll to seal. Bake on the cookie sheet for 14–16 minutes, until the tops of the rolls are lightly golden.

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