The Pepperoni Roll!

It always boggles my mind when I talk about pepperoni rolls and no one knows what it is that I'm talking about. Everyone thinks they know what a pepperoni roll is - but really, unless you live in WV or the bordering areas of MD and PA, no one has any idea. I guess I shouldn't be surprised... Pepperoni rolls were invented in Fairmont, WV - my hometown... so they are very familiar to me. Most people think I mean "pizza rolls" or something similar to that when I talk about them, but that is nothing like what a pepperoni roll is.

Why don't many people know what a pepperoni roll is? Because it's illegal in most states to bake meat that is unseen in bread -- weird... but true. So the pepperoni roll has never really caught on.

So what is a pepperoni roll? Well... Thanks to Bob Heffner you can find out.

Bob describes the roll as this:

"A pepperoni roll is a few thin slices of pepperoni baked in a soft, golden oval of slightly sweet dough, smaller than a dinner roll. They aren't 'bready' and they aren't tough and hard like pizza crust.

The contrast between the soft, sweet roll and its spicy filling is very satisfying. They are great while warm, just fine a day later. You usually just eat them out of your hand, although some restaurants (like Colasessano's in Fairmont) split them open and serve them hot from the oven topped with marinara sauce and melted cheese."

There are so many other neat things on the webpage that you can check out. You can get recipes, find the history of the pepperoni roll, learn a little bit about Fairmont (where I'm from) and some other cool stuff. I suggest everyone check it out for a minute.

For those of you in MAR tomorrow... I will be bringing some homemade pepperoni rolls to the potluck. It is a family recipe - not one from the page - and they are a little bit different than the ones on that page because the dough doesn't get quite as fluffy... but they are fairly representative of the wonderful treat that you are missing out on!

I love pepperoni rolls... they are so yum! (The picture is of some pepperoni rolls from Country Club Bakery, the creators of the pepperoni roll - I've eaten there... they are good -- Some pepperoni rolls look a little different than those pictured... but they are all fairly similar)