Pepperoni Rolls are a West Virginia speciality! Spicy pepperoni and melty cheese are tucked inside a fluffy bread roll — it’s the perfect portable food! One taste of this recipe and you’ll know why they’re famous here!
West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls
Pepperoni rolls are everywhere in West Virginia — from restaurants, to grocery stores, to gas stations. Our school cafeteria served pepperoni rolls at least twice a month (my favorite day to eat school lunch!) Pepperoni rolls originated as a portable lunch for coal miners, but soon became the food that the state is most famous for.
However, when I moved to Texas, I never saw pepperoni rolls here. Growing up in West Virginia, I took for granted that they were a staple. Here in Texas, almost no one has ever heard of them!
What are Pepperoni Rolls?
The best way I can explain a pepperoni roll to non-West Virginians is that it is similar to a kolache (for my fellow Texans) or a stromboli (for those of you who live in the East).
The dough is a yeast roll dough and when the pepperoni bakes into it, the oils from the meat soak into the bread so the whole thing is just bursting with spicy, meaty flavor.
However, I’ve never had a kolache here in Texas that even held a candle to the pepperoni rolls of my childhood and adolescence. I don’t even like pepperoni that much, but when it’s in a pepperoni roll it turns into something magical.
My husband grew up in Texas, so he’d never heard of a pepperoni roll, let alone tried one. On our first family trip to West Virginia I made sure that he sampled them. It was a short visit for the holidays, so we only had time to grab a bag from the local Kroger. My husband is a proud Texan, but even he couldn’t deny the amazingness that is a West Virginia Pepperoni Roll.
Football season and pepperoni rolls go hand in hand — they are pretty much the perfect tailgate food! For the beginning of football season, my husband treated me to a batch of homemade pepperoni rolls!
This is his own recipe with a few little tweaks, but he stayed true to the original. This West Virginian approves!
Related: See more game day recipe ideas here!
Pepperoni Roll Ingredients
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- Dry yeast
- Warm water
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Eggs
- Pepperoni
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Butter
Kitchen Tools Used
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Cake Scraper
- Cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or non-stick silicone baking mat
What is the Best Cheese to Use in Pepperoni Rolls?
My husband swapped out Oaxaca cheese (similar to mozzarella) for his one Texas twist on our pepperoni rolls. However, the flavor is almost exactly the same, so feel free to use mozzarella if you don’t have Oaxaca cheese at your grocery store.
How to Prepare the Dough
Combine yeast and water in a large bowl and allow to sit for 5 minutes until you see foaming action. Stir in melted butter, salt, sugar, and eggs.
Slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time, stirring as you go, until all flour is incorporated. The dough will become sticky and tough to stir.
Cover bowl of dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.
How Do I Know if My Yeast is Working?
Before this recipe, I’d only attempted to make yeast rolls once by myself because they require a bit of TLC to get them just right.
When working with active yeast, the most important thing is to make sure the water is warm, but not hot. If you mix your yeast with hot water, it will kill the yeast (you’ll know it’s gone bad because there will be no foaming action).
How to Make Pepperoni Rolls
When the dough is ready, flour your counter or workspace. Knead the dough, working some of the flour into it so it will be less sticky.
Cut the dough in half, then continue halving until you have 18 equal portions of dough.
TIP: When dividing your dough, a cake scraper works really well for cutting the dough quickly and cleanly. Be sure to use plenty of flour on your workspace so the dough doesn’t stick!
Add more flour to counter, roll each piece of dough into a ball, then gently flatten to about 1/2″ thick.
Place a couple pepperoni slices and a handful of cheese on one side of each circle of dough. Fold up and pinch the ends to seal the pepperoni and cheese inside.
Place rolls on a baking sheet with silicone baking mat or parchment paper, seam-side down. Cover with a towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour.
TIP: We love these reusable non-stick silicone baking mats for just about all of our baking projects! You can wash them and use over and over and your food just slides right off when done!
Brush with melted butter and bake for 18 minutes at 375°F, until the crust is golden brown. The more butter you use, the flakier the crust! Use as much as you want!
How to Serve Pepperoni Rolls
Honestly, my favorite way to enjoy pepperoni rolls is as-is, warm out of the oven! You can also sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or marinara sauce for dipping.
Since all the fixins’ are contained inside, these make an excellent school snack or lunch!
Can You Make the Dough in Advance?
Yes! You can make the dough, fill the rolls, and have them ready to bake on a pan. Simply keep in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. The dough will hold for overnight until you’re ready to bake.
You can also freeze the dough, but you’ll want to do this before you fill the dough with pepperoni and cheese. After you mix up the dough and let it rise for 2 hours, move to a freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 2 weeks. When you’re ready to bake, simply remove from freezer and thaw to room temperature.
Can Pepperoni Rolls be Frozen?
They usually don’t last very long in our house, so we keep our pepperoni rolls in a large ziplock bag in the refrigerator. They should last for 3-5 days this way.
You can also freeze pepperoni rolls for up to a month or so — keep them in a sealed freezer bag. When your ready to reheat, allow rolls to thaw for a couple hours, then pop them in the oven on a baking sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls Recipe (Printable Copy)
If you liked this recipe, please rate it! We’d also love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 packages dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 4 cups flour plus extra for forming rolls
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 6 ounce package pepperoni
- 10 ounces Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Combine yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl. Leave for 5 minutes until you see foaming action. Water that's too hot will kill the yeast (you can tell because there will be no foam).
- Stir in melted butter, salt, sugar, and eggs.
- Slowly incorporate flour, one cup at a time, until all four cups are mixed into the dough. The dough should be sticky and hard to stir.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours.
- Spread a generous amount of flour on counter or large cutting board. Knead dough on the counter to work in a bit more flour, until the dough is not so sticky.
- Cut dough in half evenly, the cut each of those halves in half again. Repeat until you have 18 rolls.
- Flour the counter again.
- Roll each ball of dough, then flatten until about 1/2 inch thick. The diameter should be about the size of the palm of your hand.
- Place cheese and pepperoni on one side, then roll. Pinch ends to seal.
- Lay pepperoni rolls on a cookie sheet covered with a non-stick silicone baking mat, about 6 per tray. Cover each tray with a dish towel and let rise 45 minutes - 1 hour.
- Before baking, brush the rolls with melted butter.
- Bake for 18 minutes at 375°F.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls on Pinterest:
More of Our Favorite West Virginia Recipes:
West Virginia Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich
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- Cranberry Bliss Bread - December 1, 2022
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Kay says
Try using small sticks of pepperoni in the rolls The best from Clarksburg WV Tomaro’s Bakery
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Oh I wish!! 🙂 I’m hoping to get back to West Virginia for the holidays this year if it is safe to travel by then. My husband makes a darn good pepperoni roll, but it’s always fun to get the original when we go home!
John Klein says
Yes I concur growing up going to Ogleby Park and having those pepperoni rolls in my backpack
Priceless
Sylvia says
I agree, I like stick pepperoni in my rolls. And Tamoro’s Bakery does have the best pepperoni rolls
Jessica says
I came here from a Google search looking for a pepperoni roll recipe- funny enough, I’m also a transplant from WV (well, I moved from KY, but I was born in WV) to Texas- and I’m just over by Rosenberg! Small world!
I sure do miss pepperoni rolls from back home. I’ve been trying to explain them to my own Texan husband, and even mentioned that even our Kroger back home carried them! Including the ones with jalapeños on then, yum!
Brenda Studnicki says
Could you use a string cheese stick as the cheese in these?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Brenda- I’m not sure how well string cheese melts because I haven’t tried it. My hunch is that it might not work as well as regular cheese.
Martha Bidal says
I am a native West Virginian – and a 1979 graduate of WVU. I lived on Pepperoni Rolls for 4 years. Never had one with cheese?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Martha – growing up our school made them with LOTS of cheese (yum!) and my best friend’s mom made them without cheese (still yum!) Over time our family settled on a version with a moderate amount of cheese – it’s just our favorite way to make them! Though I know that everyone has their own preference – we once went to a pepperoni roll contest and that was so cool to see and taste all the different recipes!
Elizabeth says
The dough for this recipe is great! I’m going to get creative with it and use different thing inside. I’m giving this only 3 stars because it needs WAY more pepperoni and cheese. I made my rolls exactly how they were listed and I ended up with 3/4 bread and 1/4 filling. I’ll make these again though and modify.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I always loved them with lots of cheese as a kid too! Though some recipes I’ve tried use NO cheese! :O
Melanie says
Agree no where near enough pepperoni and cheese The bread was too sweet..3/4cup should be 1/4 cup. Too much time invested into a flop recipe
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
That’s the thing about pepperoni rolls…there are SO many different variations. Some recipes I’ve tried even had NO cheese. I always appreciate feedback. Though calling it a flop isn’t very nice…it’s just the way our family likes them.
Kitty says
Do you use fast acting yeast or just the regular yeast?
Jim says
I’m a W. Va. transplant living in Tulsa, OK. I’ve made them with pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and a little pizza sauce inside, coated the outside with melted butter and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese before baking. Served with a side of marinara dipping sauce. Everyone that’s tried them keep asking for more.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I’ve had them with sauce inside too, though I think they were called stromboli when prepared in that style. In any case, they’re delicious!
Denise says
I too am from WV. I live in Atlanta now. I made them with pizza sauce and pepperoni sticks and cheese. Kind of like a pizza roll. They are delicious. Not too much sauce. You only want the flavor in the bread; not saucy. I think I might go make some.
Patricia johnson says
This dough recipe is so. Good and easy to work with. My son asked me to do Reubens filling. They were excellent. Not traditional West Virginia but good.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
That sounds awesome! Thanks for the tip! Glad you liked the dough 🙂
Aileen says
Do I use regular yeast or fast acting yeast? Can’t wait to try this recipe:)
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
We use fast-acting, though you can use either!
Megan F. says
If no silicone mat can you use a regular greased baking sheet?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
That should work just fine too 🙂
Laura says
Thanks for sharing your recipe! Do you know if you can freeze them before baking? Or is it better to freeze after baking?
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Laura, you should be able to freeze before baking too. However, they will probably hold only a month or so. Hope you love them as much as we do!
Caroline says
Hi, I’m from England and just found this recipe by chance. Having teens commuting back and forth to university this recipe sounds perfect to batch cook and freeze. I’m going to tweak the recipe for use in a bread maker but can’t wait to see the results and indeed scroll through your other recipes.
Arts and Bricks says
OH, this looks delicious! I moved to West Virginia 23 years ago and had never heard of pepperoni rolls until living in this state. I’m going to try out this recipe with the kiddos! Thanks for sharing.
David says
THANKS for this recipe! My wife and I made your recipe today for these WV pepperoni rolls & they turned out good for a first try! The bread is sweet & the mozzarella & pepperoni tasted great together! This is definitely a repeat recipe for future baking!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
So glad you liked them! Thank you for letting me know!
Tawni says
These were good, but my only complaint is the sugar. I initially thought 3/4 cup of sugar seemed like a lot. When I tasted them it was like biting into a VERY VERY sweet roll. Off-putting, to say the least. Next time I try them I will use a lot less sugar.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
You could definitely use less sugar if that is more to your taste. I’ll update the recipe with a note about that!
Rachel says
I haven’t had a chance to eat them yet, but I started the recipe about 2.5 hours before we typically eat dinner, and I saw they needed 2 hours in the fridge, but what’s not included in the total time is the 45 minutes-1 hour needed for rising. I wish the total time would’ve ready 3 hours and 18 minutes so I could’ve planned more accordingly.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Hi Rachel — thank you for the feedback! I’ll take a look at the recipe and see if I can make it more clear on the time requirement.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I found the issue — there was 45 minutes noted for resting time. However, it was not added into the total time. I have corrected this — thank you again for letting me know!
Daisy von Fleek says
I made these today, very easy recipe, and omg, they turned out so fluffy and delicious. My only change was using 2 tbsp of sugar instead of the 3/4 cups called for, which is just a matter of personal taste, and the 2 tbsp was plenty to give the yeast something to work with. This has become an instant family favourite, thank you so much for sharing. 18 minutes at 375F was perfect!! PS: Greetings from Canada! 🇨🇦 We visited WV once in the spring and what a beautiful state you live in!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
So glad you loved them! Yes, the sugar is subjective and perfectly ok to adjust for the sweetness level you like. I haven’t been to Canada yet, but it is on my bucket list when we are able to travel more!
Nick says
Good recipe, though I would substitute slices for sticks. I know it’s a big debate back home in WV, but I’ve always been in the stick camp.
If you have a good higher end grocer, you should be able to find large sticks of pepperoni. I always cut them into quarters.
We also don’t put cheese in our rolls unless we plan to refrigerate them.
Thanks for the info!
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I love hearing from readers what they consider to be the best pepperoni rolls! I’ve had the stick kind before, but where I grew up they were always made with slices. Our school made them with slices and lots of melty cheese (yum!!), my BFF’s mom made with slices and very little cheese (also yum!) I’ll have to see if I can find the sticks out here in TX and see if my family likes those too!
Becky says
I live in West Virginia and make sourdough bread. I make pepperoni rolls with this dough and they are wonderful.
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
That would be interesting to try! Thanks for the tip!
Lisa says
Great recipe! The only thing that I changed was I only used about 2 tablespoons sugar. Thank you!!
Ashley says
Agreed that the dough is too sweet. Not my favorite recipe. Still searching for one I love. Pepperoni rolls very hollow on the inside. Bread didn’t really expand except on the ends where I pinched everything closed. Not enough filling. It only made 16 rolls instead of 18. I will say they really expanded (doubled) in the oven so make sure you have them spaced far enough apart (luckily I had). Made 8 at a time and froze left over dough. When I made the remaining 8, I made sure to roll the dough like a Swiss roll instead to try to get the bread to expand better. Didn’t work. Still extremely hollow. I dunno, most pepperoni rolls I’ve bought are not that hollow inside. Just a personal preference I guess
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
Thanks for the feedback! I love to hear about different styles of pepperoni rolls…it sounds like you like them similar to how my elementary school made them. The school rolls where packed with cheese and made with dinner rolls so they did not have a “pocket” inside.
David says
The sugar question is the most interesting one from the comments. From my view, the WV rolls should be mildly sweet and I feel like that is very important. They should approximate the sweetness of Hawaiian bread. Definitely more than 2 Tbs. I tried a half recipe with 2 Tbs and it wasn’t sweet at all. Next time I’ll double it at least and taste the dough
Stacey aka the Soccer Mom says
I agree, sweet is the way to go with the bread, but everyone has their own idea of what makes the “best” pepperoni roll. I love hearing from everyone!