Pepperoni Rolls - An errand day lunch solution?

Do you know what a pepperoni roll is? If you do, I imagine you must be from West Virginia.

There have been many things about this state that have surprised me. We moved just a mere four hours when coming to the Wild and Wonderful state, how could so many things be so different? Can you believe that there are foods here I did not even know existed before?

Pepperoni Rolls are a simple and delicious snack. They are said to have been popular with the coal miners back in the day. I had never heard of them before. In this state, they are in about every grocery store you stop in. There is even a whole website devoted to the Pepperoni Roll.

I tried my hand at making them this week. They really are very simple. In the basic form they are only dough and pepperoni. This is how they were first made. The flavor of the pepperoni bakes into the dough. It is quite a simple and delicious snack. Of course, you can vary them a lot by adding cheese, hot peppers, sauce, or about whatever you like.

I used a the calzone dough recipe from Electric Bread.
1 1/2 C water
4 C flour (I used all white this time, but will probably add some wheat next time.)
1 tsp dry milk
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp yeast

Throw it all in the bread machine. Set it for the dough cycle and let the machine do its magic.

When the dough is ready, take it out of the machine. I just plopped mine on the counter, but get a plate or something if you like. Then pinch off a bit of dough. I took about a tablespoon size; smaller than a walnut. In the stores the rolls are bigger, but I was making these for children so I wanted them on the small side.

Using both hands I stretched out the dough to resemble a mini pizza; just larger than the pepperoni slice. I laid a slice of pepperoni on the dough, (Use more than one slice if you'd like. Pepperoni sticks can also be used.) then folded the dough over, and pinched it together. Lay the roll on a baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. This made about twenty small rolls.

So, what does this have to do with errand day lunches? One spending area I constantly struggle with is lunches on the days we are running errands.

These really were so simple to make, and are very economical. I discovered that besides the taste, I liked them for some of the same reasons the coal miners did. They transport well, and are an easy and quick meal. That got me to thinking, why don't I make several batches of these up and stick them in the freezer? Then I could pull them out when I need them.

On errand day I often intend to pack lunch, but on grocery day there often is nothing to pack. Other days, especially when we have to be somewhere by a certain time, I run out of time to pack a lunch. There is also a problem of what to pack that a two year old can eat on the go without making herself a complete mess. Peanut butter and jelly is not the answer! The crumbs from a pepperoni roll are easily brushed off.

To avoid eating out when running errands, I sometimes intend to get home before lunch. Dreaming! It almost never happens. We live too far away, and there are too many stops to make. Sometimes I will pick up a convenience lunch at the grocery store. That is cheaper than going out to eat, but not as cheap as a pepperoni roll. Too many times we end up going out for lunch.

Wouldn't the pepperoni rolls in the freezer be an easy solution to my lunch on errand day dilemma? I could grab those, some water, and maybe some apples or other fruit, and have an easy, economical meal! How do you handle lunch on days you are out running errands?

Photo credit (I forgot to get pictures of mine!): katrina!


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