This weekend is my niece, Megan’s, 22nd birthday. She’s a few months younger than my son, Andrew. When they were both pretty little, Andrew had a hard time pronouncing Meggie, the nickname my brother-in-law used for his daughter. When Andrew said it, it sounded more like Buggie. Although it never really caught on with the rest of the family, we affectionately refer to Megan as Buggie from time to time.

Megan graduated from West Virginia University last May with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology. During her 4 years of living in West Virginia, Megan enjoyed the mountains & beauty of the state and cooking with her friends. They were always making finger foods and deep frying EVERYTHING! Tailgating and celebrating during football season were major fall pastimes. Oh, yeah, and taking classes, too. There was some of that!

The one local food item Megan really liked was the pepperoni roll. Knowing that I was a baker, Megan asked me if I had ever made anything like them & if they were hard to make. Never having experienced them, I did some online research into exactly what they were. The calzone-esque pepperoni rolls originated as a meal for West Virginian coal miners. As with any regional food item, there are quite a few variations of a West Virginia Pepperoni Roll, all of them claiming to be the original. I consulted with Megan and after going through the recipes I sent her, she picked out a recipe and the two of us made them at the next family gathering. The rolls were a big hit, Megan & I got to do some baking together & I added a new regional dish to my repertoire!

West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls (adapted from chickensintheroad.com)

Makes 16 rolls

Bread Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup chopped pepperoni
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 cups flour

Filling:

• 8 ounces pepperoni slices
• 8 ounces cups banana peppers
• 2 cups shredded cheese

Using a bread maker, add all the dough ingredients into the pan in the order required by the manufacturer and set the machine to the dough setting. (See below for dough instructions without a bread maker.)

When the dough is ready, divide it into 2 balls. Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll each ball of dough out onto a floured surface into an 8″ x 12″ rectangle. Sprinkle flour over the dough to keep it from sticking as you roll it out.

Make one slice lengthwise down the dough. Slicing from the other direction, make a slice down the middle, then again on each half, until you have eight pieces.

Sprinkle the center of each dough piece with the cheese. Place pepperoni slices on the cheese then add the peppers.

Starting from a long side, roll up the individual pieces, pinching the seams & ends to seal them.

Allow the rolls to rise for approximately 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes, until they are browned. Serve as is or dipped in pizza sauce.

(To make the dough without a bread maker: In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, salt, sugar, minced garlic, egg, oil, chopped pepperoni, and the 1/2 cup of cheese. Let this sit for five minutes. Stir in the first cup and a half of flour with a heavy spoon. Add the next cup of flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until the dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled, for about an hour. Uncover the bowl and sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before dividing the dough in half into two balls. Proceed with rolling out of the dough as described above.)

Happy Birthday, Megan  ~Linda

West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls (adapted from chickensintheroad.com)

Makes 16 rolls

Bread Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1 cup chopped pepperoni
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 4 cups flour

Filling:

• 8 ounces pepperoni slices
• 8 ounces banana peppers
• 2 cups shredded cheese

Using a bread maker, add all the dough ingredients into the pan in the order required by the manufacturer and set the machine to the dough setting. (See below for dough instructions without a bread maker.)

When the dough is ready, divide it into 2 balls. Working with one half of the dough at a time, roll each ball of dough out onto a floured surface into an 8″ x 12″ rectangle. Sprinkle flour over the dough to keep it from sticking as you roll it out.

Make one slice lengthwise down the dough. Slicing from the other direction, make a slice down the middle, then again on each half, until you have eight pieces. Sprinkle the center of each dough piece with the cheese. Place pepperoni slices on the cheese then add the peppers. Starting from a long side roll up the individual pieces, pinching the seams and ends to seal them.

Allow the rolls to rise for approximately 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls for 20-30 minutes, until they are browned. Serve as is or dipped in pizza sauce.

(To make the dough without a bread maker: In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, salt, sugar, minced garlic, egg, oil, chopped pepperoni, and the 1/2 cup of cheese. Let this sit for five minutes. Stir in the first cup and a half of flour with a heavy spoon. Add the next cup of flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until the dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled, for about an hour. Uncover the bowl and sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before dividing the dough in half into two balls. Proceed with rolling out the dough as described above.)