West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

Pepperoni rolls will be a hit with fans of West Virginia University, West Virginia State, Marshall, and any other Mountain State teams. Bread stuffed with pepperoni and cheese is a West Virginia classic—originally devised as a portable meal for area coal miners.

Frozen dinner roll dough makes this recipe easy. Simply flatten out the dough, and top it with pepperoni and mozzarella. A generous brush of garlic butter adds a savory finish that will surely have your tailgaters coming back for seconds.

What Are West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls?

Pepperoni rolls are soft, pillow rolls of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. They were first made as a portable lunch for coal miners. The rolls didn't need refrigeration and could be carried with them underground.

You'd have to work hard to not find pepperoni rolls when you're in West Virginia. They're on restaurant menus, at parties, and even served at gas stations. Outside of West Virginia, you'll be hard pressed to find them, though first cousins like the kolache exist.

Pepperoni Roll Ingredients

The great thing about this recipe is that you can keep the ingredients on hand and make these any time a craving strikes—or any weekend before a football game. Here's what you'll need:

• Frozen bread dough: Don't bother making your own. Frozen dinner rolls are perfect for this.
• Pepperoni: You want the large, sandwich-size slices.
• Mozzarella cheese: Sliced is ideal, but shredded would work.
• Butter, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt: These ingredients form the easy garlic-herb butter that goes on just before serving.
  

How To Make West Virginia Pepperoni Rolls

Full instructions for this recipe are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

• Step 1. Roll out dough: Once the dinner rolls are thawed, roll them out on a piece of parchment paper until each piece is about 4 1/2 inches wide.
• Step 2. Fill rolls: Place two slices of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese on top of each dough round. Starting at one side, roll the dough into a spiral. Pinch ends of dough to secure the filling.
• Step 3. Bake pepperoni rolls: Place the rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and brush with butter. Bake until the rolls are golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Step 4. Brush on garlic-herb butter: Combine the butter and herbs in a bowl, and brush over the warm pepperoni rolls before serving.

How To Serve Pepperoni Rolls

Pepperoni rolls are excellent on their own, warm from the oven with the garlic-herb buttery swipe. But if you wanted to make this a little more presentation worthy, consider warming up some jarred marinara sauce and serving it as a dip for the rolls.

How To Store Pepperoni Rolls

If you have any leftovers, pop them into an airtight container or ziplock bag, and put them in the fridge. They'll last up to 5 days in the fridge, and you can reheat them easily in the microwave.

Pepperoni rolls can also be frozen. Place any rolls in a ziplock bag, label and date the bag, and store the rolls in the fridge up to 3 months. You can warm a pepperoni roll right from frozen in the microwave, toaster, or air fryer, or leave a roll on the counter at room temperature for 30 minutes to thaw.