Pepperoni Rolls - a West Virginia treasure

If you have never lived in West Virginia, you might be confused as to what the heck this recipe is for. It's for the yummiest snack ever and the West Virginia state food. They were invented in Fairmont, WV by an Italian immigrant as lunch for coal miners. You are seriously missing out if you've never had one.

I'm not a native West Virginian, but I love to bake and we love to eat these, so after moving to Virginia, I didn't have a lot of choice but to figure out how to make them. They're not only delicious, they don't need refrigeration and so are terrific to take on car trips. I send them with my kids when they have away games. I used to be able to send just a few, but they started sharing and now...well, now, I have to make several dozen for them to share!

There's not REALLY a recipe. It's bread dough wrapped around pepperoni. NOT slices. No. Just no. Pepperoni sticks. It's just not right if you use slices. 

Just try the recipe. If you don't like them, I'm not really sure we can even be friends. Haha!

Pepperoni Rolls (I usually make two batches)
Tweaked from King Arthur Flour and Cooks Illustrated

1/2 large stick (20 oz) pepperoni (see picture on the right)
1 cup water
2 Tbsp pepperoni fat
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast

First, cut the pepperoni. Cut off the ends, cut off the wrapper, then cut the pepperoni into quarters. You'll have four pieces about 5" long. Cut those in half lengthwise, then in half again. You'll use just two of them for this batch. Then each of those gets cut into quarters, then cut each of those pieces in half. You'll end up with 64 little sticks of pepperoni. Put those pieces into a microwave-safe bowl and cook for about 3 minutes, to render out some fat. Remove, put the pepperoni on a couple layers of paper towels, and use the rendered fat in the dough. You COULD use butter, but I think this tastes better.

I use a bread machine and put all the ingredients (except the pepperoni, of course) into my machine and run the dough cycle. If you'd prefer to do it by hand, mix everything (except the pepperoni) together to make a soft, smooth dough. Let it rise until doubled. 

When it's finished rising (bread machine or not), divide into 16 pieces and flatten into little rectangles about 3"x 4". With the short side facing you, place one piece of pepperoni on the end, roll just enough to cover, add another piece, roll to cover, add another, roll to cover, and add a fourth piece. Roll up the rest of the way, pinch seam shut, and place, seam side down, on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Cover with a clean tea towel to rise at least 45 minutes, or until just about doubled. About 30 minutes into the rise, heat your oven to 375. When rolls look a little puffy and bounce back most of the way when touched gently with your finger, bake for about 18 minutes (rotating halfway through baking) until golden brown and delicious.

Let cool on wire rack and do try to not eat them all at once.