Pepperoni Rolls – Two Ways
I had originally intended to write this post about just one type of pepperoni rolls – the ones you see in the picture above. Then I went to my parents’ house to cook the rolls in our new brick oven and when I mentioned pepperoni rolls to my dad, he had a totally different idea about what that meant. To make a long story short, apparently when my parents were going to school at the University of Wyoming back in the 80s, there was a pizza joint there called The Upper Crust that was a hangout for all the college students. And apparently the snack of choice was a plate of 10 pepperoni rolls. My parents ate them throughout their time at school so when I mentioned making pizza rolls to my dad, he immediately thought of those. We made some just to appease his nostalgia while we were making the original recipe I’d planned for this post. And you guys, they were delicious. Totally different method of cooking than my dutch oven rolls but good enough that I had to include them in this post for anyone who wants to try them. They’re technically pizza rolls but for the sake of differentiating in this post, I’m going to call them pepperoni logs.
Ingredients
The ingredients for both of the types of rolls are the exact same, the prep and cooking methods are just different. One other thing to note – I’ve included the ingredients but not measurements in this post. How much you actually need will be dependent on how full you want the pepperoni rolls, what size pan you decide to use, etc. This is more about the method of cooking than the measurements!
Pizza sauce – use your favorite pizza sauce, doesn’t matter if it’s homemade or store-bought, but I recommend one that’s smooth (not chunky). You also want to have enough to make the rolls AND to dip them in the sauce. Pizza dough – use your favorite homemade dough recipe or store-bought dough (not pre-made crust). Whatever dough you use, make sure it can be rolled out very thin. That’s essential for both types of pepperoni rolls in this post.Butter – salted butter is best and since the butter actually adds a bit of flavor, I always recommend Irish grass-fed butter like Kerrygold. It just tastes better. Pepperoni – go for the regular size pepperoni rather than the big ones so that it’s easy to roll them upMozzarella cheese – Finely shredded mozzarella cheese (compared to the larger pieces) is going to be your best bet, again to make it easier to roll up
Pepperoni Rolls Instructions
Before you get started making the actual rolls, butter the bottom of whatever baking dish you’ll be cooking these in. Then you’re ready to get started! Roll out your dough into a large rectangle. Like we’re talking really big so it can make pizza rolls to fill your dutch oven or cake pan. Top your dough with a thin layer of sauce. Then cover that with a not so thin layer of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Roll the topped dough up just like you would cinnamon rolls, rolling as tightly as possible with all the toppings inside. Cut the rolled up dough into 1-inch rolls using a large knife. You might think a serrated knife would work best here, but it doesn’t. A large chef’s knife cut through the dough slowly is your best bet for cutting without destroying your rolls. Place the rolls tightly into your chosen baking dish. We cooked ours in a dutch oven because we were using the brick oven, but you could definitely make these in a regular oven in a round cake pan as well. The key is to make sure that the pepperoni rolls are packed in tightly so the rolls get crispy on the outside while staying soft on the inside. Bake using your preferred method. We baked them in our brick oven for about 20-25 minutes at around 400 degrees and they were perfectly crisp and delicious. Just one of the reasons that we love our new Round Grove brick oven! If you’re baking in the oven, I recommend 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Check and make sure the dough inside is all cooked then enjoy with your favorite pizza sauce for dipping!
Pepperoni Log Instructions
Okay so these are really pepperoni rolls as well but my family had to come up with some way to differentiate them other than just calling them Upper Crust rolls and dutch oven rolls. So pepperoni logs it is. You’ll start these the same way as the other rolls – rolling out your pizza dough. Except in this case, you just want to roll out a very very thin regular size pizza. If it’s too thick, you’ll end up with something more like a calzone or pizza loaf than the pepperoni rolls you’re looking for. Once it’s rolled out, cut it with a pizza cutter into eight even slices. Top each individual slice of pizza with a little mozzarella cheese (don’t go overboard or you won’t be able to roll) and like 5-8 slices of pepperoni depending on how big you made it. Unlike the first version, these don’t need to be jam packed with toppings; it’s more important that you can roll them tightly. Starting at the point of each triangle slice, roll them up as tight as possible to create your individual rolls. Pinch the ends tightly. They’ll look more like pepperoni logs than rolls. To cook the rolls in a brick oven, place them on a metal pizza peel covered in corn meal (so they can get off easily). Cook in a 650 degree brick oven for just about 90 seconds. If your oven isn’t that hot, they make take a bit longer. Your goal is for the dough to cook and begin to brown without totally charring. The brick oven will be hot enough that the cheese melts quickly, so just focus on getting the dough cooked. When they come out, brush them with butter then serve warm with your favorite pizza sauce for dipping. They may not look as pretty as the other rolls, but they were a huge hits with the kids. And I might’ve eaten this entire plate full for lunch after I was done taking pictures. I can totally see why they were a hit back in the day in Wyoming.
Expert Tips
Toss your pizza dough (like they do in restaurants) before you roll it out to help get more stretch out of it. It’ll also help you get the dough to roll out super thin. Preheat your dutch oven for more even cooking. Here are some great tips for handling a dutch oven including how to preheat. Make sure to roll either type as tight as possible. It’s all of those tight rolls inside that makes these so good! Warm up your sauce for dipping on the stove on low while the rolls are cooking. Make more pepperoni logs than you think you’ll need. We scarfed down three plates full and could’ve eaten more easily. The dutch oven rolls on the other hand are a bit more filling.
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