June 23, 2016 my home state, of West Virginia, experienced one of the worst floods in our history. And as a way to share God's love, I made these pepperoni rolls and gave them to many families who were in need. Pepperoni Rolls are something West Virginia is known for and this recipe is the best I have ever tried. What makes them so good is the bread, and it is so soft, tender, and delicious. The recipe may seem like a bit of work but believe me it is well worth the effort. I hope you give them a try!

Pepperoni Rolls

Ingredients:

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
½ cup of warm water
2 1/2 cup of potato water
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3 small white potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
½ cup of shortening
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
7 to 8 cups of A.P. flour
2 to 3 packages of pepperoni, (about 1 pound total)


1 to 2 tablespoon butter to brush on before baking


Instructions

Mix yeast, warm water and the 1 teaspoon sugar in a bowl and let stand at room temperature until it begins to get foamy. Cook potatoes until tender in about three cups of water (enough to make approximately 2 ½ cups leftover potato water). Mix your cooked potatoes and 2 ½ cups potato water in a blender. Add the 1/4 cup sugar, shortening and salt, and blend well. Add your egg and blend 5 seconds more.

Cool mixture to lukewarm. Then pour the mixture into a big bowl and add the yeast mixture. Slowly add 4 cups of flour and beat until smooth. Add 3 to 4 more cups of flour and knead until the dough is fairly stiff but still a little sticky. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes until the dough has a smooth texture. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to rise until it has doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. (Note: the dough will keep in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Be sure to push down the dough at least once per day.)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Turn dough onto a floured board and cut into dough balls. (I use a kitchen scale to weigh each ball and make them around 3.5 ounces) Continue to cut into roughly 20 pieces (you can make 40 smaller rolls for appetizers if you like). Take a piece of the dough and push it flat. Then place pieces of pepperoni in the middle (overlapping and not stacking) and roll it up. Pinch the ends of the dough to hold the pepperoni inside. Place on an greased baking sheet seam side down. Repeat until you’ve used up all of your dough and pepperoni.
Brush rolls with 1 to 2 tbsp of melted butter and then bake them until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.


Thyme to Cook WV
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