Pepperoni rolls were invented in West Virginia in the late 1920s as a food for coal miners to eat during their meal breaks in the mines, similar to the pasties eaten by Cornwall and Iron Range (MN) miners.  Here is how I made 6 rolls  using half a batch of Pizza for Many or for One – Keto Version, which was about 12 oz. of dough.  2 rolls made a nice lunch sized serving and 3 rolls would make a dinner.  They can be eaten plain or dipped into marinara or pizza sauce.  Eaten plain the pepperoni flavor really comes through.

As stated above, I made the rolls with pizza dough, since I had some in the refrigerator, but these are more commonly made with the dough for soft white rolls.  Each roll is made from about 2 oz. of dough.

Quantities below are for 8 rolls

16 oz. bread or pizza dough, divided into 8 2-oz. balls

~8 oz. whole pepperoni cut into 4-inch lengths and quartered into 8 pieces

8 slices mozzarella

Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or baking parchment.

On a lightly floured surface flatten and stretch each ball in a 4 x 4 inch square.  Put the slice of mozzarella on the dough, divided into 2 halves it is bigger than the dough.  Top it with the piece of pepperoni.  Fold the dough over the mozzarella, seal the seam with your fingers and put it seam side down in the pan.  Repeat with the other pieces of dough.  Spray the rolls with cooking spray.  Put them in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving, plain or with pizza/marinara sauce.