Stromboli with Salami, Pepperoni, Ham and Cheese

by Kirsten on April 25, 2011 · 11 comments

in Main Dishes, Misc. Savory Dishes, Sides, Starters, Starters & Sides

Stromboli is an American-Italian inspired invention I had never heard of until my Front Range blogger friend, Karen, brought it to one of our blogger meetings for brunch. Karen is the face behind the blog “Savoury Table“. Don’t miss out and visit her, she always has the most wonderful recipes and stories to share. But back to the stromboli. Karen and I were driving together and the warm stromboli filled the car with the delicious smell of pepperoni, bread, and cheese. I was so hungry by the time we finally arrived at the blogger meet up that I promptly devoured a piece of this unbelievably delicious Italian inspired baked goody. I loved it!

Therefore, I couldn’t wait to serve it to my family. I used a mixture of ham, salami, pepperoni, and Gruyere to fill the yeast bread. Once rolled up it gets brushed with egg yolk and sprinkled with Parmesan. Serve it still warm and fresh out of the oven. This stromboli will make a great appetizer or light dinner.

I can’t wait to bake it again. The filling options are endless. How about some sautéed mushrooms with onions or a roasted veggie filling? Create your own variation or try Karen’s stromboli version, you will like it a lot!

Oh, by the way, before we get to the actual recipe, I have to tell you a little pepperoni story.
My husband used to travel for business to Italy quite frequently and once, out for dinner with one of his American customers, the waiter brought  out the ordered dishes. My husband’s customer had ordered a pepperoni pizza. Right away, he started the biggest argument with the waiter about the green pepper on his pizza. My husband told me later, that he was so ashamed and wishes he could have left the restaurant right on the spot. He felt so bad for the poor waiter. It went so far that the desperate waiter went back into the kitchen and brought out a pepperoni to show to his foreign guest. Finally, my husband’s customer understood that a pepperoni in Italy is a green pepper and what Americans understand as pepperoni is a spicy Salami in Italy. This happened several years ago, but still to this day I have to think about it every time I order pepperoni pizza or use pepperoni in a dish.

Makes two loaves.

Ingredients:

*  1 cup warm (110 degrees F) water
*  1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast
*  1 teaspoon sugar
*  1 tablespoon oil
*  3 cups all-purpose flour
*  1 teaspoon salt
*  8 ounces Gruyere, shredded
*  1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
*  1/2 – 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, depending on taste
*  6 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
*  6 ounces thinly sliced salami
*  6 ounces thinly sliced ham

*  2 eggs, beaten
*  2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.
Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

Roll dough out on to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and roll each half our to a large rectangle that is about 1/4″ thick. Sprinkle with half of the cheeses (leaving a 1″ border on one long edge), followed by the Italian seasoning, pepperoni and/or ham or any other desired topping. Karen mentions that she has seen some recipes that call to have the ingredients overlap but she likes leaving some gaps so that the layers will stick together when it is sliced. Brush the clean long edge and short edges with beaten egg.

Starting with one of the long sides, roll dough and fillings up jellyroll fashion. Pinch edges to seal. Transfer roll to a non-stick baking sheet seam side down. Let rise for 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and ingredients;

Brush the top of each Stromboli with egg wash. Bake until nearly completely golden brown and starting to crisp, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle each Stromboli with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dough is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes. Slice thickly and serve.

Adapted from Karen Harris, my blogger friend at “Eat Drink Was Up“.

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{ 11 comments }

My Kitchen in the Rockies May 12, 2011 at 12:39 pm

@Megly: Yes. Just store the rolled unbaked stromboli in the fridge. In the morning, let it come back to room temperature and let it rise for about an hour. Bake like directed. Good luck! Kirsten

Megly May 11, 2011 at 5:55 pm

I don't make bread/dough very often – can I make it a day ahead of time??

Nuts about food April 27, 2011 at 1:48 pm

I had never heard of Stromboli before this post either, but it looks delicious and as you rightly say, the possibilities are endless. Your story reminded me of a story too. When we had just moved to Italy, my sister also ordered a pepperoni pizza and she was very disappointed when she saw a pizza being set down in front of her filled with green and red peppers!

Kirsten April 26, 2011 at 5:37 pm

Hmmm sieht das lecker aus – genau die richtige Einstimmung auf meinen Italien-Urlaub in ein paar Wochen 🙂 Von Stromboli hab ich auch erst vor Kurzem das erste Mal in einem französischen Kochbuch gelesen – und immer, wenn man von einer Sache zum ersten Mal hört, begegnet sie einem ja kurz darauf zum zweiten Mal ;o) Liebe Grüße!

The Food Hound April 26, 2011 at 1:25 pm

Ah yes, getting lost in translation 🙂 When in foreign restaurants, I just take what I get! I've only sent one thing back b/c it was burned to a crisp. LOVE stromboli and I haven't had it in ages! Thanks for reminding me!

Foodness Gracious April 26, 2011 at 3:44 am

Very nice blog and love the story about the pepperoni..stromboli looks awesome!

Lea Ann April 25, 2011 at 10:50 pm

Fabulous photos Kirsten. I've been wanting to try this and haven't had a chance…it was DEElicious.

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes April 25, 2011 at 9:08 pm

I love stromboli and this look delicious, thank you for sharing this recipe.

Memória April 25, 2011 at 8:59 pm

This strombolo looks absolutely perfect. I love the added cheese on top.

manu April 25, 2011 at 6:59 pm

Wow never heard this Stromboli recipe before!! Sounds good! LOL

kitchen roach/galley roach April 25, 2011 at 5:53 pm

Geht mir immer noch so mit den Pepperoni. 😉 Ich bestelle sie und bekomme dann Wurstscheiben auf meiner Pizza, werde mich wohl nie daran gewoehnen.

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