Stromboli

During one of my countless trips to the US in my childhood, I had the great pleasure of trying pepperoni bread; it was delicious and unique with its itty bitty pieces of pepperoni and cheese throughout each slice.  I had never tried anything like it before and after spending most of my childhood in the kitchen with my grandma who was a wiz at preparing strudels of all shapes and sizes we tried making our very own Pizza Strudel; turns out we were making Stromboli even before we knew what it was or even was such a thing ~ surprise~ surprise!

Apparently, Stromboli originated in the 1950s becoming a favourite Italian-American dish.  Typically it was/is prepared with different types of Italian meats, cheeses, and sauce, rolled and baked. We visualize our dough in thirds and fold our dough over the toppings so they don't fall out plus reducing the mess and clean up time.  The Stromboli is similar to a Calzone which is baked which is like a giant turnover followed by a Panzerotto which is typically deep fried. 

The wonderful things about Stromboli are that you can make it your own, using your favourite cheeses, veggies, and meats to create your own unique creation.

We usually pair our Stromboli with our Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe for the perfect pizza and wings night!

INGREDIENTS

Pizza Dough (homemade or store bought - click on link for recipe)

Marinara Sauce (homemade or store bought - click on link for recipe)

Mozzarella Cheese (we prefer using Buffalo Mozzarella due to it rich flavour Note: if you use Buffalo Mozzarella allow time for all the water to drain)

Hard Cheese (we use a combination of equal parts of Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago for an intense flavour)

Selection of Meat and Vegetable Toppings (we used green peppers, mushrooms, and pepperoni)

Olive Oil (to brush the top of the Stromboli prior to baking ~optional)

DIRECTIONS

Roll out the pizza dough into a large rectangle to a 1/4 inch thickness.

Spread Marinara Sauce over the entire dough leaving about 1-inch perimeter.

Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Visualize the dough as three separate sections and top the center third with cheese and toppings.

Fold dough over the toppings and add sauce, cheese, and toppings to the top third.

Fold over the last third insuring the dough seals all the yummy goodness.

Tuck and fold the ends of the dough underneath each end of the Stromboli.

Cut random slits into the dough across the width to allow steam to escape.

Allow to rest and rise for about 30 minutes to an hour prior to baking; this will produce a light and airy Stromboli.

Heat oven to 375F.

Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from oven and let rest several minutes prior to slicing into thick slices or all the ingredients will ooze out like lava.

Plate your Stromboli by topping the slice with Marinara Sauce and serving up a bit extra on the side for dipping.

How we made it!

We make our oven baked pizzas the same way; do take a moment to check out or pizza video!