Throughout my entire life, I have been making and eating pepperoni rolls. I’ve lived in Utah my entire life, but both of my parents lived in West Virginia and passed down their love for this dish to me and my siblings. I had no idea that pepperoni rolls were not widespread, just a West Virginian tradition, until people expressed confusion towards what I was eating. However, this recipe is so easy and college-friendly that I had to bring more attention to it!
The history of pepperoni rolls is actually quite interesting. In the past, West Virginia had a lot of miners that spent the entirety of their days working diligently in the mines. A common lunch for these miners was a stick of pepperoni and bread, separately. One day, Giuseppe “Joseph” Argiro had the idea of putting the two together to make lunchtime more convenient for people working in the mines. His idea took off and is still very popular, but almost exclusively in West Virginia.
The ingredients you need to prepare this meal are:
12 frozen dinner rolls (large-sized)
1 package of pepperoni (sliced into thirds)
4 slices of provolone cheese
To make it:
1. Thaw the dough until it is no longer frozen, but not yet risen.
2. Flatten the dough and cut each roll in half.
3. Place 4-5 slices of pepperoni and a third of cheese on each roll
4. Fold dough around the ingredients, sealing the edges together.
5. Place rolls on a greased cookie sheet and let rise for 30 minutes.
6. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
This recipe may take a bit of time waiting for the dough to thaw and rise, but it is so easy to prepare and so delicious! Take advantage of the time in between steps to do homework or watch a few YouTube videos. Trust me, the end result is well worth the wait. I hope you enjoy this West Virginian tradition as much as I do!