During football season, my family gathers at my aunts house on Sundays and we watch the Steelers play. Everyone brings their favorite “tailgating” dish and we eat and yell at the TV all night. One of my favorite things to eat are my cousin’s pepperoni rolls. Pepperoni rolls are a dish that my family enjoys on so many occasions, they are fun to make and taste amazing. For those of you that have never had a pepperoni roll, you need one ASAP.
While I have been eating pepperoni rolls my whole life, I never stopped to think about where pepperoni rolls came from or that the majority of people in the United States might not know what they are. Believe it or not, pepperoni rolls are pretty much strictly Northern Appalachian. They originated in West Virginia and then were sold throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and some parts of Ohio. I bet all the people who live in these states cannot even imagine going to a grocery store and not being able to buy a pack of pepperoni rolls. I know I can’t. But, they are only sold in Walmarts and Giant Eagles that are in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.
The story of the pepperoni roll is an interesting one. It is of Italian descent and was created by a man named Guiseppe “Joseph” Arigo. He created pepperoni rolls in 1927 and sold them in a bakery called The Country Club Bakery in Fairmont, West Virginia. Since Fairmont was a spot that was heavily populated with mines and railroads, many immigrants (especially Italian immigrants) were attracted to Fairmont. With many Italian families were settling here, they shared traditional dishes that were modified for the area. This is how we got the pepperoni roll, it is modeled after the Italian calzone.
Not only was this a good place for immigrants to come for work, it was also a great spot for pepperoni rolls to pop up. The pepperoni roll became a great lunch for coal miners during their long days in the mines. Pepperoni rolls don’t need to be refrigerated so they were easy to take and eat throughout the day. Arigo sold these to coal miners until 1950 when they started selling throughout Northern Appalachia. At this point, pepperoni rolls had gotten so big that they were getting their own bakeries.
Now, the inhabitants of WV, PA, and Ohio can’t imagine life with out the pepperoni roll. They are a Northern Appalachian delicacy. I have been eating these all my life and just assumed that people everywhere had been too. Learning about the history of a food you eat is a good way to connect with your ancestors. Below I will include a recipe for pepperoni rolls. If you’ve never had one, you should absolutely try one or try to make one!
*If you or anyone in your family makes/eats pepperoni rolls, let me know in the comments! I would love to know what special occasions, or any occasions, that pepperoni rolls make their way into your families meals.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 large egg
- One 6-ounce stick pepperoni, cut into 4 logs and each split in half lengthwise
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella
Directions
In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted. The milk should be just a little hotter than warm, between 100 and 115 degrees F, but not over 115 degrees F. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the sugar, salt and yeast. Let the mixture sit until the yeast is activated and foam covers the top, 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the flour to a large bowl and make a well in the center. Crack the egg into the middle and pour in the yeast liquid. Make the dough by mixing all ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Make sure all ingredients are incorporated; the dough will be sticky and loose. Leave the dough in the center of the bowl when it is fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Remove the plastic and gently re-knead the dough while still in the bowl. Form into a ball, as best you can, and cover with plastic wrap. This time allow to rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
After the second rise, remove the dough to a very generously floured surface, kneading to bring together. Cut the dough into 8 pieces, about 3 1/2 ounces each. Gently form each piece of dough into balls, incorporating more flour as needed. Use your hands to flatten each ball to a 4 1/2-inch circle. Brush a piece of pepperoni with oil and place in the center of the circle, along with 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella. Fold the dough over the pepperoni, like a burrito, and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet seam side down. Repeat with the remaining pepperoni and cheese. As you place each pepperoni roll on the sheet tray, leave at least 1 inch or space around each roll to allow for a third rise (therefore you will need 2 baking sheets). Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 30 minutes. The rolls will puff up just a bit.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the tops of rolls with the remaining oil and bake in the oven 30 to 35 minutes. The rolls will have a rich golden color and crispy crust.