Busted: pepperoni bread

Goddamnit anyway. Nothing is simple.

I got a few requests for the pepperoni roll recipe from this entry and I promised to post it, so here goes.

Truth is people, the pepperoni rolls don't come from a recipe so much as a procedure and in that telling, I'm letting a big secret out of the bag.

I make all my homemade bread doughs, including the one for my beloved pepperoni rolls, in a Panasonic SD-YD250 Automatic Bread Maker.

There, I said it. I'm busted. So kill me already.

I recently purchased this Panasonic in order to replace the SD-BT55P model that was gifted to us by sister of Goat and her husband for our wedding in 1992. The original Panasonic was a godlike machine that operated perfectly for 16 years and was only replaced when the paddle mechanism began to leak (from extraordinary wear) and replacing it cost half as much as a new machine. I can only hope the new model does as well as the old.

This machine kicks ass.

I make my pizza dough in it (and yes, I am the sort of asshole who has a big stone on the bottom of the oven to bake the pizza on), I make bread dough in it (I use that for everything, regular bread or I roll in some cheddar or parm and herbs or whatever strikes my fancy), and I sometimes use the machine to bake the bread as well (when I'm in a hurry and don't have time to shape and bake it myself).

For pepperoni rolls, I put this in the machine:

3 cups bread flour (about 14 3/4 ounces)
3 tablespoons powdered milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast.

then I press "dough" mode and a perfect dough comes out 45 minutes later. How fucking beautiful is that?

I cut the dough into four pieces, roll each into an 8-inch circle (which are never perfect and always come out as a weird amoeba shape), sprinkle a handful of shredded mozzerella on there, then arrange about 10 slices of sandwich-sized pepperoni in an even layer on top. I roll that up, pinch the seam and let it rise, covered (with a layer of Saran and a kitchen towel on top), for about an hour.

HINT: put those mothers right on the baking pan after you roll them and let them rise on there. And do me a goddamn favor? Line the goddamn pan with parchment paper. Because if you have a blow-out (and you will have a blow-out), you'll be glad you did, trust me. Jesus christ awmighty.

After they've risen, put three slashes in each and bake them at 385 F for about 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. I usually rotate the pan about halfway through for an even bake.

Everyone loves these pepperoni rolls. You can use ham and cheddar (Lil' OB's fave) instead of pepperoni and mozzarella (Goat's fave). Or I sometimes make an Erin roll with olives and banana pepper and whatever leftover lunchmeat and cheese I've got lying around (me likey hard salami and swiss). I wrap these individually and freeze them for lunches. They're great for picnics. One roll is a really big portion. I cut Lil' OB's rolls in half and wrap them that way before I freeze them.

The secret is in the dough, which is chewy and luscious. That dough makes a hell of a good dinner roll as well. Just cut it into 12 pieces and bake 'em. Those are my mom's fave.

So I'd like to take the credit, but the Panasonic does most of the work and if you have $140, go over here and get yourself one. I use mine all the time. If you only have $33, maybe get you one of these. You won't have any bread, but add a couple of AAA batteries and maybe you'll get some facial grimaces and toe curling to rise.