Plain flour, for rolling
Pizza dough, at room temperature
350g thinly sliced charcuterie (prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, etc)
225g mixed cheeses (provolone, mozarella, etc)
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes and Italian herb seasoning, to taste
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Marinara sauce, for serving
Heat the oven to 200C and line a baking sheet sheet with parchment paper.
Sprinkle the parchment paper with a little flour and then stretch the dough out to a rough 12×18-inch rectangle. You can use your hands to stretch out the dough, or you can move the parchment and dough to a work surface and use a rolling pin. The goal is a dough that is evenly thick, not a perfect rectangle.
Layer on the meat and cheese. Layer the meats and cheeses on the pizza dough, starting about a quarter of the way down from the top edge. Alternate between meat and cheese. Try to keep things as flat and even as possible and don’t stress about taking the fillings all the way to the edges.
Add the parsley and pepper flakes. Sprinkle with the Italian herbs and red pepper flakes.
Starting at the long edge closest to you, tightly roll the stromboli up into a spiral, tucking in the fillings as tightly as possible as you roll. When you’re about halfway rolled up, fold the sides over before you continue rolling. Brush the top edge of the pizza dough with some beaten egg before sealing tightly. Use the parchment paper to roll the stromboli until seam-side down, then position it in the middle of the parchment.
Use a sharp knife to make 5 to 6 (2-inch) slits along the top of the stromboli. A slight angle to the slits looks nice, but isn’t a requirement. Brush the outside of the stromboli with more egg, and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and oozing cheese.
Cool the stromboli before slicing and serving with marinara.
Tips for Building and Rolling Stromboli:
1. Bring the dough to room temperature. You’ll want to take the chill off your refrigerated or frozen pizza dough before rolling out the dough, which will make it more relaxed and easier to work with. If it’s frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then bring the refrigerated dough to room temperature on the counter at least 30 minutes before you start assembling.
2. Alternate between meat and cheese layers. It’s best to layer the meats and cheeses by alternating them. This order prevents the meat layers from slipping around when you roll up the stromboli.
3. Roll, tuck, then roll again. The two or three minutes of rolling up this stromboli might seem stressful the first time you do it, but remember it doesn’t need to be perfect. Roll the rectangle about half way, then stop, tuck in the outer edges — like you would a burrito — and keep rolling.
