Pizza's Roly-Poly Cousin: Stromboli

I love making homemade pizza, but lately I've really been digging stromboli.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this tasty pizza-relative, here's a cheat sheet:

Calzone = pizza folded over

Stromboli = pizza rolled up

Stromboli is baked in a big log and then cut into slices to reveal little topping-studded spirals of deliciousness.  Like a pizza, you can put just about whatever you'd like in there.  It also makes a tasty and substantial appetizer - lots of flavor, but no fork and knife needed!  For an appetizer, I like using topping combos like a smear of apricot jam, thinly-sliced prosciutto, and fontina cheese.  This weekend, we're going traditional with green and red bell peppers, a little pepperoni, and a small vat of leftover Salsa di Pomodoro for dipping!

Stromboli

(Serves 4 as a main course, 6-8 as an appetizer)

1 batch pizza dough (I take a shortcut here and buy the multigrain pizza dough from Whole Foods - they'll sell it to you fresh or frozen)

1 1/2 cups grated cheese of your choosing

Toppings of your choosing (I used 1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper, chopped and a handful of pepperoni)

1/4 cup olive oil, for brushing on top

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Next, prep your toppings.  

Then, roll out the pizza dough until it forms a large rectangle, approximately 12"x18". 

Sprinkle the cheese over the pizza dough, then add the toppings, leaving a 1" border at the top and about 1/2" on each side.

Then, start rolling!  Start from the longer side that is closest to you, being careful not to displace your toppings.

 

Once the stromboli is all rolled up, carefully tuck the sides of the roll underneath and transfer the roll onto a baking sheet, seam-side down.  Brush the roll with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and oregano.  Then, carefully cut 3-4 slits in the top of the roll, being careful to only perforate the outermost layer of dough.  This will allow steam to escape while baking.

 

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow the stromboli to cool for 10-15 minutes (so the cheese doesn't just ooze out when you cut it).

Slice on the diagonal into 1 1/2" slices.  I served it with a salad and some leftover Salsa di Pomodoro for dipping - delish!