Homestyle Pepperoni Rolls

Hey everyone!! I am so excited to bring you my latest collaboration with my favorite yeast company, Red Star Yeast! I have always loved baking any kind of dough with their yeast because I am always sure that the results will be perfect!!

This recipe came to me because I have been feeling very nostalgic lately. I don’t know why exactly, but I have been craving a simpler time in life where we weren’t looking at our phones every few minutes and checking texts or emails. Maybe because when I grew up, and mind you I am in my 50’s, we didn’t have cell phones, emails or texting 🙂  I ended up starting college in San Antonio and transferring to WVU in Morgantown, WV. My beloved Father was an ophthalmologist and was head of the department at WVU, so I transferred to be closer to my family.  I loved West Virginia, the people, my school, Cheat Lake and the stunning beauty of the hills and the water.  So, when trying to come up with a recipe using Red Star Yeast, I naturally thought of Pepperoni Rolls. They seemed to be in every market, convenience store and gas station in Morgantown, and I must have eaten my weight in them while I was in college 🙂  If you have never tried one, you are in for a real treat!! Now, you can make them at home and enjoy them with everyone you love most 🙂  I have to say that after many trials and errors, I discovered that after the rolls were baked and sliced in the middle, I stuffed more cheese in the hole because it seems like no matter what I did, some would leak out during the baking process. Adding extra cheese after they have been baked was the perfect solution!! Just put them in the microwave for a few seconds to melt it and enjoy every last bite!! Let me know how you love these, and make sure to get some Red Star Yeast for all of your dough making needs!! 🙂

You can stir the dough by hand or in your stand mixer. It will look rough and craggy before it rises for the first time!

I love using Red Star Yeast Platinum, because it provides me with foolproof, perfect risen dough every time!

I used a spicy pepperoni stick because my hubby loves everything spicy. It added really good flavor to the roll!!

Divide the dough into 8 separate rounds.
Place the piece of pepperoni on top of the rolled out dough.

Place the cheese directly on top of the pepperoni, then roll it up like a burrito 🙂  Make sure to pinch the ends and seam so the cheese won’t spill out too much!

This is what they look like when you roll them up with the seam side down!

See all that cheesy goodness that spilled out? I can promise you it didn’t go to waste 🙂  I just added more cheese in the space above the pepperoni after I sliced it 🙂

Look how pretty they are?

Look at that gooey cheese coming out of the middle?

Put them on a cute cake stand to serve to your guests! 🙂

Look at that beautiful bread, yummy pepperoni and melted cheese!!

Are you hungry yet? 🙂

Homestyle Pepperoni Rolls

Makes: 8 big rolls Prep time: 4 hours total Bake time: 30 to 35 minutes

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 packet, Red Star Platinum Yeast

3 and 1/2 cups bread flour

1 egg

One, 6 ounce stick of pepperoni, cut into 8 pieces by cutting it in half, then each piece into 4 lengthwise pieces

1/8 cup olive oil

1 and 1/2 cups grated monterrey jack cheese, plus more for stuffing if needed

2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing the rolls before baking and after they come out of the oven

Directions

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats and set aside.

In a microwave bowl or on the stovetop, heat up the milk and butter until the butter is melted. The milk mixture should be very warm, but not bubbling and the butter should be completely melted.

Whisk in the sugar, salt and yeast.

Allow the mixture to sit until the yeast gets foamy. This should take about 8 minutes total.

In your stand mixer, or by hand, add the bread flour to your bowl and create a well in the center.  Crack your egg in the middle and then pour the yeast mixture over the top. Mix just until all of the ingredients come together. The dough will be sticky and rough looking at this point and that is fine.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours.

After two hours, gently need the dough right in the bowl.  Form it into a ball and cover it again with plastic wrap.  Let it rise for 1 hour.

After this rise, turn the dough out into a well floured surface.

Knead the dough into a smooth ball forms.

Now, cut the dough into approximately 8 equal sized pieces and roll them into a ball.

With a rolling pin or your hands, roll each piece to about a 5 inch circle.

Place a piece of the pepperoni on top of the dough.

Lightly brush the pepperoni with the olive oil.

Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the cheese on top.

Fold the dough over the mixture and roll up like a burrito.

Make sure to tuck and seal the ends under and pinch closed the seam side.

Place seam side down on your lined baking sheet.

I placed 4 per pan so they have enough room to rise and spread out a bit.

Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and let rise again for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while the rolls are rising.

Brush the tops of the rolls with the melted butter before baking.

Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the pans.

Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Brush the rolls again with the melted butter when they come out of the oven.

Cut the rolls in half and add more cheese to the hole if you need to.  You can then place it in the microwave for a few seconds to melt it.

Enjoy them just like this, or you can even dunk them in your favorite marinara sauce.

Either way, you just can’t go wrong with these fabulous rolls.

I hope you love them as much as I did!!

Happy baking everyone!! xo

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