Easy Weeknight Stromboli

Growing up, I always loved when my mom made stromboli. The house would smell like fresh bread and we got so creative with the fillings! Since my girls practically live for Italian food and love pizza, I decided to make an old favorite.

Stromboli is, more or less, a massive, savory jelly roll. It's dough rolled around fillings. This recipe makes enough dough for 2 pretty large strombolis, so cut in half if you have a smaller family or don't want a week's worth of leftovers! (We rarely have leftovers, tbh)

My mom always folded our stromboli like a large calzone - which is an option if you have a lot of fillings! Cheese and broccoli are one example. If you want a more authentic stromboli, roll like a jelly roll!

For the girls, I keep the filling really simple: tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni or sausage. As for myself and Brian, we switch things ups and add all sorts of fillings. Our favorite so far has been an Italian cold cut stromboli. I used a handful of Soppressata, Genoa Salami, and Capocollo, provolone cheese, and banana peppers. It is heavenly and hands-down, our favorite!

This is a great weeknight meal, but it does require a little prep work and planning. The thing is, the dough takes a long time to rise. Like, a total of 2 hours of prep work. So give yourself time. The results are worth it, I promise.

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Ingredients

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

4 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 cup warm milk

2 Tbsp melted butter

1. Combine dry ingredients in stand mixer and lightly mix. Use a dough hook for best results.

2. Add water, milk, and melted butter. Slowly mix ingredients into dry ingredients until a dough forms.

3. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.

4. On a floured surface, split dough in half. Roll into 2 rectangles, approximately 1/4 in. thick. Fill with desired fillings. Evenly coat the dough in desired sauce, then layer on toppings, covering the whole surface. Leave a 2-inch border around the edges to allow room for rolling.

5. Roll the dough away from you until a log forms, like a jelly roll. (this makes 2 strombolis, we usually make a kid-friendly one and one for the adults!)

6. Brush with melted butter and gently score the top of each stromboli. Let rise for another 45 minutes.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375°

The most tedious part is making the dough and letting it rise. That is time intensive, but it truly is one of the most resilient doughs to make. The fun part is choosing your fillings! Here are some ideas:

• Cheese, chicken, and broccoli - layer on cheese, then pre-cooked chicken and broccoli florets

• Meat-lovers pizza - Use tomato sauce and meats like sausage, pepperoni, ground beef, ham

• Philly Cheesesteak - Using a cheese sauce as the base, fill with pre-cooked and chopped steak, onions, and peppers

• Cheeseburger - American cheese or shredded cheddar, ground beef, sautéed onions

• Chicken Parmesan - Marinara sauce, pre-cooked chicken, and lots of mozzarella cheese

• Chicken, Bacon, Ranch - ranch dressing as a base, pre-cooked chicken and bacon crumbles, and cheese

Enjoy!

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