Copycat Sbarro Pepperoni Stromboli
Let's make this mall food court favorite that you used to order when you were a kid. It's the marinara-dunked pepperoni and cheese stuffed pastry from Sbarro, but at home!
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Let me set the stage for you, you’re 10 years old and your mom took you to the mall to go clothes shopping at Marshall’s before school starts. After you squeeze into many unflattering tight polo shirts you stop by the food court on the way out for lunch and the sweet baked aroma of pizza hits your nose. You run and press your whole face up against the Sbarro glass line display to see a line of sesame-seed-coated pizza rolls with cheese and pepperoni oozing out at each end at which time you realize all that torture was for this moment right here. Let’s make it at home!
I never knew how easy stromboli would be until I made some homemade pizza dough, stretched it out into a rectangle, dumped a bunch of cheese and pepperoni in the middle, and then rolled it up into a log and baked it to see that it took no time to make.
Don’t forget the marinara, for it’s such a crucial part of the flavor. Stromboli is a rolled pizza without the sauce, so heat a big bowl of marinara for the table.
Now let’s get something straight right here and right now. Store-bought marinara sauce, pizza sauce, and pasta sauces all taste good now. Stop shaming yourself or others for using this stuff. Oh? Can you make a delicious homemade marinara sauce faster than I can heat a bowl of this in the microwave Sue Ellen? Please.
A big learning curve of this recipe is learning how to handle your pizza dough. You want to keep these things in mind while forming that rectangle. Am I using enough flour to keep the dough sliding? Am I moving the dough enough to prevent it from sticking to the countertop? Am I rolling this shape evenly? Asking yourself these questions will help you get better and better at all three of these things. Don’t be afraid of trying and failing. It’s still dough, stuffed with pepperoni and LOTS of cheese… Even if it looks ugly, I would eat it.
I promise you this will be fun and delicious to make and eat. Don’t be so precious about a recipe that looks challenging to you that you don’t even try it. You’d be missing out and I don’t want you to. Come and join us Strombolis!
Copycat Sbarro Pepperoni Stromboli
For pizza dough:
- 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, extra for rolling
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup lukewarm water
For assembly:
- 1 lb. pizza dough
- 1/3 cup finely grated parmigiano cheese
- 4 cups whole milk mozzarella, grated
- 6 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
- 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 (15.5oz) jar marinara sauce (Raos), warmed for serving
Preparation
- Mix the pizza dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook starting with flour, salt, and yeast until combined. Add warm water and olive oil to the flour mixture and mix until a sticky dough forms. (7 - 10 minutes or until the dough doesn’t stick to the bottom)
- Let dough proof in a greased bowl covered with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap for 1 hour in a warm place. Stretch and fold each corner once doubled in size and let proof for another hour. If using store-bought dough, let the dough come to room temperature for at least 1 - 2 hours.
- Prep a sheet tray lined with parchment paper with olive oil and prepare your egg wash whisking together your egg yolk and water.
- Roll your 2nd proofed pizza dough out on a flour-dusted surface to a half-sheet tray-sized rectangle. Use more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Keep the dough moving on the bench.
- Drizzle the middle of the rolled dough with olive oil, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Add all your grated mozzarella cheese over the parm, then sprinkle over pepperoni. Starting with the side of the dough closest to you, roll the dough over the fillings and pull the fillings together to make a nice tight roll. Roll away from you as you tighten the roll to form a nice thick cylinder. Place the roll seam-side-down and brush with egg wash. Cut 45 ° slits all across the log and top with sesame seeds.
- Baked at 450 °F on the lowest rack of the oven for 18 - 20 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and brush with olive oil for glistening and softening the stromboli.
- Place on a wire rack to cool for 5 - 10 minutes, then slice and serve with warm marinara to dip.