Whole Wheat Pepperoni Rolls.
*HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY MOM!*
She is incredible – love you Mom!
Are pepperoni rolls a Pittsburgh thing?
Since I have lived in a bubble my whole life, I am not sure.
However, I do know that pepperoni rolls go hand in hand with most sporting events. Wash ’em down with an ice cold beer, and there isn’t much better.
I don’t even like pepperoni.
But I was determined to make Mr. How Sweet some healthier pepperoni rolls. He asked for them last week, so after letting him suffer for 7 days, I tried my hand at them.
I made a whole wheat pizza dough and let it rise. Does the whole wheat counteract the endless grease from the processed meat and cheese? In my book, yes.
I wasn’t planning on trying one of the rolls – usually anything with pepperoni turns me off. Then Mr. How Sweet cut one in half and it just looked too good to be true.
It was to die for.
After eating half of one, I went shopping for some necessities (like bacon and Crisco) and thought about them the whole time. I was literally craving another bite. I couldn’t get my mind off them.
The best part about the rolls were the crispy dough. Usually pepperoni rolls are very thick and doughy. Since I don’t really love bread, this is another reason they aren’t my favorite.
Because the dough was 100% whole wheat, the bread was crunchy, crispy and thin. Dare I say it was perfect?
Whole Wheat Pepperoni Rolls
Homemade whole wheat pizza dough (I used 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon yeast, sea salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, 1/2 cup warm water and let rise for 2-3 hours.)
4 slices mozzarella cheese
4 slices provolone cheese
1 package pepperoni
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons garlic powder
Preheat over to 375.
After dough rises, roll it out so it is very thin. Depending on how many rolls you want (and which size you want them) cut the dough accordingly. I cut my dough into four pieces.
Brush each piece of dough with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of garlic powder. Add a layer of pepperoni, then a layer of cheese. I used cheese slices, but tore them in pieces to fit. Make sure you use a combo of mozzarella and provolone in each roll.
Starting at one end, fold the roll to the end (like a jellyroll) and pinch the sides close. Lay on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, turning the rolls halfway through.
I beg of you – you need to make these soon. In the name of all things holy, they are incredible. And this is coming from a pepperoni-hater.
I will be at the beach this week, but don’t you worry, I have posts lined up for you because I am a nutjob. I am also going to be blogging about our daily beach life under Fit Bites. Fun, huh? :)
95 Comments on “Whole Wheat Pepperoni Rolls.”
I made these for dinner tonight… I ended up having to put twice as much water in the dough, but then they turned out great. They were a tiny bit dry, so next time I’m planning to put a little tomato sauce in them and also spice the dough….
So thanks for a GREAT recipe, and a chance for me to experiment with something new!
So glad you liked them! It’s often hit or miss with the water with me too, I usually add anywhere from 1/2-1 cup.
Did your dough end up a little bit dry? I’m wondering if I did something wrong, or if the dough just tends to be a tiny bit dry…
Did you use whole wheat flour? If you did, yes, whole wheat flour usually tends to make a drier product. Next time you could do 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat and it may be a bit better!
I add so much cheese that I can rarely tell the difference…lol.
Turkey pepperoni doesn’t collect puddles of grease like regular pepperoni does, and is about the same price. Hormel makes a good version that I usually buy.
I used the Hormel and it was great. I’m not even sure someone would realize it’s turkey pepperoni.
ok, THIS is something my boyfriend can get in to! Can we add bacon to this too?
OH YUM! I’ve never heard of these things… maybe there a Pittsburgh thing. I have to be in a weird mood to like pepperoni’s… once I get into that mood, this will be the first thing I make :) It sounds delicious.
Happy Birthday MOM!
Pizza rolls yes pepperoni rolls? You are the first I have ever heard of to have a pepperoni roll- looks amazing
I gotta make that for my husband, he would love that.
My family would love these! I love bread (unfortunately for my waistline) so a thicker dough wouldn’t bother, but I like the thin and crisp feature of these rolls.
Hope you enjoy your time at the beach, and I’ll go check out your posts at Fit Bites.
Those look amazing! I’m drooling!
these must taste awesome :)
HOLY SHIT! this is just fantastic! WOW <3
Happy Birthday to How Sweet Mom!!!
I have never had a pepperoni roll, but it looks freakin’ fantastic!!!
First timer here wishing a Happy Birthday @How Sweet Mom! This looks delictastic!
my mom always made pepperoni rolls when we were growing up (of course, we are from PA…so maybe it is a PA thing!)…she also made spinach rolls…i know, i know…veggies…but if you don’t eat meat, or if you LOVE spinach, like i do, spinach rolls are AMAZING!!!
They sound delicious!
Whaaaat? you dont like pepperoni? :D unbelievable!
I do not like pepperoni either, but I think you have me sold on these. Anything can be palated if there is bread and cheese involved.
Thank you!
Oh lordy these look amazing! Just the kind of thing my boyfriend will go gaga over. I must make them for him soon!
Oh yes!! These bites are looking very wonderful. My kids would love them!
These sound great & perfect for on-the-go eating as well!
These look great! I love pepperoni rolls!!!
UM, I WANT.
These really look great. You know I’m a huge fan of all things whole wheat!
Pepperoni rolls were invented in my home town of Fairmont,WV! Two different bakeries claim the credit for creating them. It doesn’t really matter who did. They are wonderful!
okay, made these tonight. They were divine! I’m insane enough that we even ground our own hard red wheat into flour before we made the bread dough! Once baked, I realized mine were bigger than yours, thus heavy and they flattened out…but still good. I could put more cheese inside next time. My children and husband devoured them. This will become a staple for Family Movie Night (Friday nights)!!! I have a photo…but not sure how to add it ..
THANK YOU!!!!!
Great to hear! So glad they worked out!
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Is it just me or am I missing where the measurement for the salt is. I went ahead and assumed that it was to be the same as the yeast? Jessica, what is the intended measurement of the salt. Plus you have listed under ingredients “1 Package” I would be lead to believe you mean pepperoni, if we’re talking healthier, turkey pepperoni.
Please clarify the salt.
Sami,
I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon salt, but you can use any recipe you want for the dough, I rarely measure. And I specified that amount for the pepperoni because you can use as little or as much as you’d like. It’s all in your preference. I don’t like pepperoni so I don’t use much.
Understandable, but as a new reader to your blog, I 1 don’t have a dough recipe, 2 read 1 package and ask myself a package of what? Pepperoni? 3 Read Salt and have to assume how much you intended. Do you new readers a favor and give us some measurement to follow or say, use your own dough recipe. You give all the other measurements but not the salt, looks like typos to me, both the salt and pepperoni. Just constructive criticism meant on my part, not trying to be mean. I am very much enjoying your page. This is the first recipe I am making and am finding the discrepancies hard to navigate.
Thank you for your quick reply.
it is actually a wv thing
I discovered your site today via Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen, and I have to say, I am very excited!
I have a quick question about the pepperoni rolls. If wanted to make these the day before, would you recommend refregerating them after you have rolled them, and baking the next day, or baking them and simply heating them up for the next nights’ dinner?
Thanks!
Steph
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I think they are totally a Pittsburgh and WV thing! I’m from WV and we ate these all the time- but I went to college in the midwest where they were nowhere to be found. Mmmm pepperoni rolls…
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Pepperoni rolls are a West Virginia thing, not a Pennsylvania. They were usually made for coal miners because they were filling and easy to carry. Back off Pitt. We’re territorial about our food.
I’m looking forward to trying out this recipe very soon!
Pepperoni rolls are a West Virginia/Southern PA thing. Some lady baked them for coal miners a long long time ago, and they became a hit in the community and spread like wildfire.
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