Classic Pepperoni Roll Ups

There was a woman named Alice who lived across the hall from my grandmother in an assisted living community. Alice was known for many things, but especially for her cooking. In fact, when she passed away, one of the recipes mentioned in her obituary was her pepperoni roll ups. So when I was going through Alice’s spiral-bound cookbook from the 1980s, I knew exactly where to start.

This wasn’t a published cookbook or a church fundraiser collection. It was something Alice created herself, a massive compilation of recipes she had collected, cooked, and perfected throughout her lifetime. Flipping through it feels a little like stepping into her kitchen.

It took me a while to find the pepperoni roll up recipe in the index. Instead of being listed under “p” for pepperoni, they were listed under “m”. I can’t tell you how long it took me to find “My Pepperoni Rollups”.

One thing became clear very quickly as I was making this recipe: Alice must have been cooking for an army. These roll ups are big, and the recipe makes twenty of them. Two will leave most people very full, so if you’re not feeding a crowd like Alice often was, feel free to cut the recipe in half. You can change the serving settings in the recipe at the end of this post.

When I first made them, I followed the recipe exactly as written. The filling was generous with cheese, but the dough required a bit of interpretation. Like many older recipes, it assumed the baker already knew what the dough should feel like. After a few attempts, I worked out clearer measurements that create a soft, elastic dough sturdy enough to hold all that filling.

I also made a few small adjustments to the flavor. Bread can soften what’s inside it, so I kept the generous mound of cheese but added a sharper bite and a little extra seasoning to help everything stand out.

The result is still nostalgic, still comforting, and still very much Alice’s recipe, just with a few small tweaks to help it shine.

If you’ve ever made homemade rolls, this dough will feel familiar. Soft, slightly sweet, and easy to work with. The only real trick is not adding too much flour. Once it’s rolled into a square and brushed with garlic butter, the rest of the process comes together quickly. Pepperoni, cheese, roll, repeat.

After the dough has risen, divide it into four equal portions.

Roll one portion into a square about 13 × 13 inches. The dough should be soft and elastic but still easy to handle.

Trim it as you need to form your square.

Before adding the filling, brush the entire surface of the dough with melted garlic butter. This simple step adds flavor and prevents the filling from getting lost inside the bread.

Lay seven to eight slices of pepperoni in a straight row along the edge of the dough. Sprinkle with the seasoned cheese mixture and add pieces of provolone on top.

Cut the dough just past the pepperoni strip to create a section wide enough to roll. Roll the strip tightly starting from the pepperoni edge.

Repeat the process across the dough until you have five roll-ups from each square.

Place each roll seam-side down on a lined baking sheet and let them rise for about 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm with marinara sauce.

Rhonda

Pepperoni Roll Ups

5 from 2 votes

Soft homemade dough wrapped around pepperoni and four cheeses, brushed with garlic butter and baked until golden brown.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Rise Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 20 Rollups

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

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Dough

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 eggs beaten
• 4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast 2 packets
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

• 16 ounces sliced pepperoni 2 packets (6-8 oz)
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 3 cups shredded white cheddar
• 1 cup shredded parmesan
• 20 slices provolone cheese
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 stick garlic and herb butter melted
• 1 jar marinara sauce for serving

Method

 

1. Heat the milk until steaming but not boiling. Stir in butter and sugar until melted. Allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm.
2. Whisk in the yeast and salt. Let sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast dissolves.
3. Add the beaten eggs and half of the flour. Beat until smooth.
4. Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time until a soft dough forms.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
6. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise about 1 hour, or until doubled.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
8. Divide dough into four balls.
9. Roll each ball into a 13 × 13 inch square.
10. Brush the dough with melted garlic butter.
11. Mix together mozarella, white cheddar, parmesan, southwest chipotle seasoning and italian seasoning in a large bowl.
12. Lay 8 slices of pepperoni along one edge of the dough.
13. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup cheese mixture and top with pieces of provolone.
14. Cut the dough beside the filling and roll tightly.
15. Repeat to create 4-5 roll-ups per square.
16. Place seam side down on a baking sheet.
17. Let rise 30 minutes.
18. Bake at 350°F for 15–20 minutes until golden brown.
19. Serve warm with marinara sauce.

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