Based on my Dad’s West Virginia pepperoni roll recipe, these pepperoni and cheese rolls bring in creamy, nutty Muenster cheese for a snack everyone will love.
A freshly baked pepperoni and cheese roll is the perfect little snack you need in your life right now.
There is (possibly) no greater joy than biting into a fresh-from-the-oven pepperoni roll but when it contains creamy, buttery melted cheese…it really takes the whole experience up a notch or ten!
Generally, I’ve been a little bit of a pepperoni roll purist. I only made my rolls the way my Dad made them growing up: pepperoni and bread. That’s it. It’s common to find pepperoni and cheese rolls in West Virginia, but when we visit, we’d only get ones from the bakeries that had no cheese in them.
I decided to try a version with cheese, and I may just be a convert now. Personally, I love the flavor of pepperoni, so I opted for a mild cheese that wouldn’t compete too much. Muenster is a great choice because it’s buttery, mild and brings just enough nuttiness to be interesting, but it won’t overpower the pepperoni. You can try this recipe with your favorite sliced cheese, like Swiss, provolone, or low-moisture mozzarella slices. It would even be great with a spicy pepper jack if you want to amp up the heat.
How to make pepperoni and cheese rolls
You don’t need many ingredients, but you will need time for this recipe! As I mentioned, this recipe begins with my Dad’s West Virginia Style Pepperoni Roll recipe, and you can read more about the dough-making process on that post.
- Dough: You’ll need water, active dry yeast, salt, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, and all-purpose flour.
- Pepperoni: Use stick pepperoni and cut it into 4-inch sticks. You can use sliced pepperoni if you prefer, but we always grew up eating the stick variety!
- Cheese: I use Andrew & Everett Muenster Cheese. You can use your favorite variety of cheese here!
- Cornmeal and egg wash: You’ll coat the baking sheets with cornmeal and use a simple egg wash on the rolls before baking them.
How to make it
- Step 1: Prepare the dough. It starts with a yeast sponge. Dissolve the yeast in warm water between 100ºF and 110ºF. Once dissolved, add sugar, salt, olive oil, and a sprinkle of flour. Let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. A thick, bubbly “sponge” will form on top.
- Step 2: Begin adding flour to the sponge in 1 cup increments, stirring 50 times with a wooden spoon between additions. Continue adding until a raggedy dough ball forms. Once you can no longer add flour to it, turn the dough ball onto a floured surface. You can work the rest of the flour in with your hands. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until a smooth, elastic ball forms.
- Step 3: Transfer the dough ball to a clean, greased bowl. Rise for 1 to 2 hours. It will double in volume.
- Step 4: Punch down the dough, and now you’re ready to make the pepperoni rolls!
- Step 5: Tear off a section of dough, about the size of a tennis ball or a little smaller. Flatten it into an oblong disc and place a folded piece of cheese on top. Add a few sticks of pepperoni on top. Depending on how thickly you sliced the sticks, you’ll add anywhere between 3 to 5 sticks per roll.
- Step 6: From there, begin folding the dough over the pepperoni roll. Pull the sides in together and then pinch down the center of the dough to create a seal. Use a splash or two of water if needed to fully seal the roll. Transfer the roll to a baking sheet lined with cornmeal.
- Step 7: Rest the rolls for 30 minutes then brush with an egg wash.
- Step 8: Bake the rolls for 30 minutes at 425ºF. The rolls are done when they are golden brown on top with a hard exterior.
- Step 9: Let cool before serving! If you can manage…sometimes the pain of a burnt tongue is worth it!
Pepperoni and Cheese Rolls
Based on my Dad's West Virginia pepperoni roll recipe, these pepperoni and cheese rolls bring in creamy, nutty Muenster cheese for a snack everyone will love.
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Servings: 20 rolls
Calories: 287kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups hot water (100–110ºF)
- 2 envelopes active dry yeast (not instant)
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1¾ tablespoons salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 7-8 cups all-purpose flour
- 16 ounces stick pepperoni (cut into 4-inch long sticks)
- 2 7-oz packages Andrew & Everett Muenster Cheese Thin Sliced
- Cornmeal
Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Activate the yeast:
- Rinse a large bowl and glass measuring cup with hot water 2–3 times to temper them. Add 4 cups of 100–110ºF hot water to the large bowl, sprinkle yeast on top, and let stand for 10 minutes until bubbly.
Make the yeast sponge:
- Add the sugar and salt to the water and yeast. Stir to dissolve. Top with a small drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes to 24 hours. The sponge should be thick and bubbly when you’re ready to begin. See notes 1 and 2.
Prepare the dough:
- Begin adding flour to the yeast sponge, one cup at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon between additions. You will add around 7–8 cups of flour in total.
- Continue adding flour until the mixture is thick, raggedy, and difficult to stir. See note 3. Once you can handle the mixture with your hands, dump the dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. You can work any remaining flour into the dough with your hands.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding sprinkles of flour as necessary to remove any stickiness from the dough. Feel free to occasionally channel your inner pizza maker and slam the dough on the counter. After 10 minutes, the dough should be elastic and feel smooth to the touch.
Rest the dough:
- Clean out the bowl that originally contained the dough. Drizzle it with two or three teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, and use a paper towel to coat the inside of the bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down to remove any large air pockets.
- Sprinkle 2 baking sheets with cornmeal.
Make the pepperoni rolls:
- Tear out a section of the dough, a little smaller than the size of a tennis ball. Flatten the dough ball between your palms into a slightly oblong shape.
- Fold a piece of Muenster cheese in half and place it on top of the dough. Add 4 sticks of pepperoni to the middle of the dough. If you’d like more, add more, but I recommend starting with 4.
- Fold the dough over the pepperoni and the dough down the center to seal the roll, using a bit of water if needed. Try to ensure that the cheese is as far away from the seal as possible to avoid oozing while baking.
- Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet and continue making the rest of the pepperoni rolls. Arrange them on the baking sheet approximately 1–2 inches apart.
Rest the pepperoni rolls:
- Cover the baking sheet with wax or parchment pepper and allow the rolls to rest for 30 minutes. See note 4.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Make the egg wash
- Whisk together the egg and water until smooth.
Bake the pepperoni rolls:
- Remove the wax or parchment paper. Brush each roll with the egg wash. Transfer to the oven for 20 minutes. The rolls are done when they are deep golden brown on top with a hard exterior.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
To serve:
- Serve the pepperoni rolls warm and enjoy!
Notes
Note 1: The preferment can be set for 30 minutes up to 24 hours. The longer you allow the yeast sponge to form, the deeper the flavor of your bread will be.
Note 2: If no sponge forms–and this rarely happens–I recommend cutting your losses and starting over. There are a few reasons for a sponge not forming, such as the water being too hot or not hot enough or the yeast being bad. Check the sponge after 30 to 45 minutes, and if you see nothing forming, start again.
Note 3: I have found that after about 7 cups of flour, the dough is raggedy and difficult to stir. At this point, I scoop out the remaining 1 cup of flour and set it aside, turn the dough onto a floured surface, and work the remaining flour into the dough with my hands as I knead it.
Note 4: The pepperoni rolls may poof up to the point they are touching during the final proofing process. Fear not! After they bake, you should be able to easily tear them away from each other.
Nutrition
Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 12g | Sodium: 974mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 0.002mg
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