Easy Stromboli

This is easily one of my most requested recipes. I got it from Joyce Anderson, the wife of my high school history teacher. I've tweaked it more to my own preferences, but it's basically the same recipe. She made it every time students came over. I went to a small Christian school and we were a close-knit bunch. The Andersons always had groups of kids over. They really liked being around us. And we them. Every time I make this, I think about them and the impact they had on my life. Ahhhh, the power of the stromboli.

Easy Stromboli

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thaw but do not let rise
1 (4.5 oz) pkg hard salami slices
1 (4.5 oz) pkg pepperoni slices (this is not pizza pepperoni, this is larger and the same size as the salami)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Italian dressing

After the dough is thawed, stretch it out on a greased cookie sheet. This is the most difficult part of the whole process, getting the dough to stretch and stay while you put on good stuff. You can use your favorite bread dough recipe for this instead of the frozen. I've even used whole wheat dough and it's quite good.

Brush the dough with a little Italian dressing. Don't douse it, just a light brushing all over the dough. Don't you like the precise measurements? Layer about 10 slices of salami, slightly overlapping each other. Spread 1 cup of cheese over the salami. Layer the pepperoni and mozzarella cheese the same way. You don't have to do it in this order. You can start with the pepperoni if you want, or even the cheese. Make it your own!



Fold the dough over the filling and pinch tightly to seal. Carefully turn the stromboli over and place seam side down on the cookie sheet. Brush a little more Italian dressing over the top.



Repeat the steps for the second loaf. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool until you don't burn your fingers, then slice and eat.



Some people like to dip the slices in pizza sauce, but we usually just eat it plain. If you want to freeze the loaves, cool completely and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw, then heat up in the oven at 325 for about 15 minutes. Wrap in foil if the stromboli browns too much on top.

I currently have three strombolis in the freezer, waiting the arrival of my father-in-law. One for him, two for the rest of us.