Pepperoni Rolls
This easy version of Pepperoni Rolls creates a fluffy, tender roll that is filled with classic favorites – mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. They are the perfect snack or appetizer!
WEST VIRGINIA STYLE PEPPERONI ROLLS
If you have ever been to West Virginia, you may have seen or tasted Pepperoni Rolls. Or, if you are like me and live in the western half of Virginia (near West Virginia), they’re pretty popular here too (especially the gas station variety – why is gas station food oddly good sometimes?) They are so delicious! The combination of soft, doughy bread, ooey gooey mozzarella cheese, and yummy pepperoni is a classic, right? And my version is so easy to make! We like to serve them up with some marinara sauce for dipping!
These are just like my Momma made! She always added cheese in hers even though a lot of folks may not have & I think that’s why everyone preferred hers over others. She was 92 when she passed away and these were her specialty! Proud to be a West Virginian and of the Italian descendants who came here and created these. Thank you! These were excellent and so easy to make!
– Judy
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
These aren’t called pizza rolls, they’re called pepperoni rolls and this is the traditional way of how they are put together. However, they are perfect for dipping into marinara sauce or pizza sauce if you want more of a pizza flavor.
You bet! Of course, they won’t be your standard West Virginia Pepperoni Roll anymore. You can trade these out for any other cheese options or deli meat options. I think a ham and cheese would be another great combination. If you’ve got the kids in the kitchen with you, this would be a fun way to let them build their own roll!
As long as you don’t mind the cheese potentially oozing out of the roll. Too much and it might make a bit of a mess.
Yes definitely! And, these are wonderful to make a big batch of. Make them then wrap them individually in plastic and serve when you’re ready. They’re perfect to pop in a lunchbox (or work lunch) and you and your kiddo can enjoy them for lunch either at room temperature or slightly warmed up. They really are very good even when they aren’t warm.
Any extra pepperoni pizza rolls should be stored in an airtight container. You can keep them at room temperature for a day but I recommend storing them in the fridge for up to a week. They freeze beautifully too. I would individually wrap them then put them into a freezer safe container and they’ll last for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- frozen bread dough – this does need to be thawed out first (just follow the package directions on how to do that.) I think store bought bread dough just makes this whole process easier (and it still tastes like you made it from scratch.) However, you can certainly use a homemade bread dough.
- pepperoni – I just get the regular store-bought pepperoni in the package but you could choose a spicier pepperoni or even the larger deli pepperoni.
- mozzarella cheese – I think this is much easier to put together if you use the deli style slices of mozzarella. It gets a little harder with the shredded but you can certainly use that if it’s all you have. You could even use slices of fresh mozzarella.
- Italian seasoning – I really love the punch of flavor this adds. It’s not absolutely necessary but I always like a little extra seasoning.
- egg and water – this is going to mix together to be an egg wash that gives you that shiny golden brown color on top.
HOW TO MAKE PEPPERONI ROLLS
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper, and set aside. Place the thawed bread dough onto a clean work surface. Cut into 8 equal parts.
Flatten out the dough to about 4×4 inch diameter. I just used my hands to flatten and spread it out.
Place 2 slices of pepperoni in the center of each piece of dough.
Add 2 slices of the cut cheese on top.
Sprinkle the cheese with the Italian seasoning.
Fold the two outer edges over the filling, then tightly roll, pinching the seams together until secure. Place seam side down onto the prepared sheet tray. Repeat with the remaining rolls, and place them not touching on the tray.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg and water. Brush the exposed bread dough lightly with the egg wash.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the tray before serving.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Pepperoni Rolls
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen bread dough, thawed (thaw according to package directions)
- 16 slices pepperoni (divided use)
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into 4ths (divided use)
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning (divided use)
- 1 large egg, well beaten
- splash of water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper, and set aside.
- Place the thawed bread dough onto a clean work surface. Cut into 8 equal parts.
- Flatten out the dough to about 4×4-inch diameter. I just used my hands to flatten and spread it out.
- Place 2 slices of pepperoni in the center of each piece of dough (note: you can add more if you like.)
- Add 2 slices of the cut mozzarella cheese on top.
- Sprinkle the cheese with Italian seasoning (you can add as much or as little as you like).
- Fold the two outer edges over the filling, then tightly roll, pinching the seams together until secure.
- Place seam side down onto the prepared sheet tray. Repeat with the remaining rolls, and place them not touching on the tray.
- In a small bowl whisk together 1 large egg, well beaten and a splash of water. Brush the exposed bread dough lightly with the egg wash.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the tray before serving. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce, if you prefer.
Notes
- Traditionally, West Virginia pepperoni rolls only had pepperoni in them and nothing else. You can certainly do it that way if you like and add a few more slices of pepperoni. Many places make it with the pepperoni sticks instead of the slices. But many folks add cheese these days and I sprinkled a little seasoning on them (all these things are optional and up to you.)
- I just use Rhodes bread dough (not a paid affiliate link) since that is the only brand sold near me but you can use whatever bread dough (they all are pretty much standard in size since they are made to fit a standard loaf pan) that is available to you.
- I just used slices of mozzarella cheese (see my ingredient image above) but you could also use mozzarella cheese sticks and cut them in half and use one half per roll.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
These were delicious! Reminded me of home!
Yummy! These are fun and easy to make. And delicious . I used the store bought frozen bread and it didn’t really rise well until I put it on the counter for about 2 hours. Then the rest was easy. We dipped them in ranch and marinara. We will be making these again soon.
I didn’t have bread dough, but I did have Pillsbury Pizza dough. It worked out beautifully! I cut 4×4 squares and they rolled up nicely. (I also used 5 slices of pepperoni and covered them in slices of mozzarella.) Yum!!
So easy with the store bought dough. Some people ask why not some sauce. IMO the only sauce you need is some pepperoni grease soaked in the bottom layer.
How long did you let your dough rise once is was thawed?
These are just like my Momma made! She always added cheese in hers even though a lot of folks may not have & I think that’s why everyone preferred hers over others. She was 92 when she passed away and these were her specialty! Proud to be a West Virginian and of the Italian descendants who came here and created these. Thank you! These were excellent and so easy to make!
Excellent and will definitely make again. I second the other commenters – these tasted like home! Proud West Virginian here as well!
This was such a great recipe. My kids were able to do it all by themselves and they did such a great job. Your website is so wonderful with how you explain everything and have all the step by step photos. It was so helpful to them and they were able to follow along and could make sure they were doing it right by looking at the pictures. You are a fantastic teacher so it makes me think that is your day job? 🙂 My family is from WV, and I have to tell you, these are so much better than what I grew up with. Those ones were so plain with just pepperoni and dough (I know that is the traditional way but let’s be honest, kinda boring lol). This has seasoning and cheese – so delicious and so much better. We dipped them in marinara and they were loved by all. Sorry for the long comment, just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all your hard work into all your recipes. Perfect for folks learning to cook or who may not be confident cooks. Please keep doing what your’e doing!
This is pretty much your recipe. I got pepperoni rolls, and experimented with buns. I made a pizza last week. Time for a double rise is less than two hours. Wonderful recipe ❤️
do you have to have parchment paper or can you skip it or use something else as a substitute? also I couldn’t find frozen bread dough I asked my local food Lion grocery store they had no idea what it was so I tried to go online and find a substitute for it on Google Google said frozen pizza dough can I use that?or what can I substitute for that thanks so much
I’m sure you could but I haven’t tested it. It won’t be the same texture. You could make a home made bread dough.
Patricia, it looks like Food Lion might carry Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls. These would work just fine. Use one roll for each pepperoni roll.
This brought back so many memories of growing up in WV. Thank you so much!
Made these last night. Took me back to my WV childhood. SO good!!
Awww I love hearing that Liz – thanks so much! There is nothing like good food memories!
Can you do these with crescent rolls in the air fryer?
I have a pepperoni rollup recipe on the site here already with crescent rolls. It doesn’t taste the same as these though. If you look at that recipe, you’ll see directions how to do it in the air fryer. https://www.thecountrycook.net/crescent-pepperoni-roll-ups/
enjoying the recipe ideas. convenient to make and look amazing!
Thanks so much Rob!
What a delicious snack to have while watching a ball game or movie. Quick and easy peasy.