Stromboli

These were absolutely delicious. We couldn't stop eating them.


The crust is so tasty, with the perfect texture. The only hard part was rolling them up, and that's probably because I doubled the amount of sausage.


You could substitute store-bought dough if you don't want to go through the trouble (such as it is) of making your own.

Next time we might try some different stuffing ingredients. Maybe add some mushrooms, or Canadian bacon.

The original recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse.

Makes: 4 servings
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 1 hour
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• Basic pizza dough (see below)
• 1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, removed from casings
• 1 cup yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, sliced thin
• 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup sliced ham
• 1/4 pound pepperoni slices
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• 4 cups Italian cheese mix, divided
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Crumble the sausage into a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

2. Add the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños and cook until they soften, 4-5 minutes.

3. Add garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Divide the dough in half and roll one half out to a 10x14" rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

5. Top dough with half each of the sausage, vegetable mixture, pepperoni, olives, ham, and Italian cheese mix, leaving a 1" border along the edges.

6. Mix egg with 1 tablespoon of warm water in a cup to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash along one of the 14" edges of the dough. Beginning on the opposite 14" edge, roll up the dough into a log. Pinch the edges and ends together and transfer to a large greased baking dish.

7. Perform steps 4-6 again with the remaining ingredients. Let the two stromboli rolls set for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.

8. Brush tops of stromboli with remaining egg wash. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese and heat an addition 5 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 1-2" slices and serve.

Basic Pizza Dough

Makes: Enough for 2 stromboli
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 t active dry yeast
• 1 t sugar
• Olive oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t salt

1. Combine the water, yeast, sugar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl. Stir. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour to the bowl and mix by hand. Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well each time. Tough will be slightly sticky. Form into a large ball.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still sticky, 3-5 minutes.

4. Drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil into a large bowl and spread along sides and bottom until the bowl is well-coated. Add the ball of dough, rolling it around inside the bowl to coat it completely in the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm. Let rise 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.

5. Punch dough down before using.