Stromboli is an Italian American creation best described as a rolled pizza, with pizza dough enclosing the filling. It’s nice eaten warm when the cheese inside is still molten.
Pepperoni, despite its Italian sounding name, was created by Italian Americans at the turn of the century. This soft, air-dried sausage is made from a mix of beef and pork, coloured with paprika and cayenne pepper.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until just smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll each dough half into a 20cm x 30cm rectangle on a lightly floured sheet of baking paper.
Using a metal spatula or butter knife, spread each rectangle of dough evenly with half of the sun-dried tomato paste, leaving a 1cm border.
Top each rectangle with a layer of ham, then pepperoni and mozzarella; sprinkle ¼ cup of parmesan on each, then top with basil. Turn the paper so a long side of dough is in front of you. Fold in edges on short sides; roll up from long side to enclose filling.
Flatten the rolls slightly; brush lightly all over with the egg. Using a sharp knife, cut shallow slashes across each roll. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Stand, uncovered, in a warm place for 15 minutes. Bake until golden.
Ingredients
Dough
Sun-dried tomato paste
Method
1.Make dough and sun-dried tomato paste.
2.**Dough** Combine yeast, sugar and the water in a small bowl; stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture and oil to make a soft dough. Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in an oiled large bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
3.**Sun-dried tomato paste** Process ingredients to form a paste.
4.Preheat oven to 220°C. Lightly oil two oven trays.
5.Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead until just smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 20cm x 30cm rectangle on a lightly floured sheet of baking paper.
6.Spread sun-dried tomato paste on dough rectangles, leaving a 1cm border. Top each with a layer of ham, then pepperoni and mozzarella; sprinkle ¼ cup of the parmesan on each, then top with basil. Turn the paper so a long side of the dough is in front of you. Fold in edges on the short sides, then carefully roll up dough from the long side to enclose filling. Moisten edges with water to seal. Place seam-side down on trays.
7.Flatten rolls slightly; brush lightly all over with egg. Using a small, sharp knife or a razor blade, cut shallow slashes across the rolls. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Stand, uncovered, in a warm place for 15 minutes.
8.Bake stromboli for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200°C/400°F; bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stand for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces.
Stromboli is best made close to serving. Stromboli can be frozen for up to 2 months.
You could use pesto instead of sun-dried tomato paste.
Note
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