West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

Originally made as a lunch for coal miners, pepperoni rolls are today a beloved snack and appetizer throughout West Virginia. Learn how to make West Virginia's famous pepperoni rolls using frozen roll dough.

Ingredients

  • 12 frozen dinner roll dough balls (such as Rhodes), thawed (from 1 [48-oz.] pkg.)
  • 24 (3-in.) slices sandwich-style pepperoni (such as Boar’s Head) (from 2 [4-oz.] pkg.)
  • 5 oz. thinly sliced mozzarella cheese (about 7 slices) (from 1 [8-oz.] pkg.)
  • 4 Tbsp. salted butter, melted, divided
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp. table salt

Directions

  1. 1

    Prepare oven and pan: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. 2

    Make rolls: Working in batches as needed, pat or roll each dough ball on a large piece of wax or parchment paper into a 4 1/4- to 4 1/2-inch round. (Try not to flour dough surface; it could keep dough from sealing.) Place 2 pepperoni slices in middle of each dough round. Tear cheese into pieces, and arrange evenly over pepperoni. Roll up dough jellyroll style; pinch ends and seams well to seal.

  3. 3

    Bake rolls: Arrange dough, seam side down, 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Brush 2 tablespoons of the butter evenly over rolls. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

  4. 4

    Brush on butter mixture: Stir together garlic powder, oregano, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl until combined. Immediately brush butter mixture evenly over warm rolls. Serve immediately.