Sbarro Stromboli
Back in college, I ate at the Sbarro in the student center almost once a week. Mac also ate there pretty regularly, and we actually would order the same thing: pepperoni Stromboli. Since we don’t always live near Sbarros, we decided to make our own at home. Our Sbarro Stromboli recipe can feed one or two, depending on how hungry you are. We like to serve it with warm marinara sauce.
We were super ambitious and even made our own dough from scratch. You can substitute a refrigerated pizza dough if you don’t want to make your own dough. To me, the trick to a good copycat Sbarro Stromboli is the nice and crunchy crust. I use an egg wash and plain sesame seeds when I have them to get that same crusty top. You can also sprinkle some cornmeal on your baking sheet and press the Stromboli into it to get that pizza-shop crusty bottom.
Try my other Virginia Tech copycat recipes: Cantina chicken quesadillas | Crispy chicken entrée | West End roasted garlic whipped potatoes | Au Bon Pain chicken Margherita sandwich | Turkey brioche deli sandwich | Au Bon Pain chicken Caesar wrap | West End Cajun pasta | Perfect yellow cupcakes | West End buffalo chicken wrap
I also prefer the larger deli pepperoni for my Sbarro Stromboli. To keep the Stromboli from getting soggy, I like to microwave the pepperoni for about a minute in between two paper towels. This helps absorb a lot of excess grease and makes the pepperoni more crispy. You can also use your favorite mozzarella cheese. I tend to grab the pizza or Italian blends of whatever brand is on sale that week. While we normally eat plain pepperoni with cheese, you can easily add in your favorite pizza toppings.
Once you’ve picked out your toppings and cheese, you’ll want to assemble the Stromboli. I like to lay the dough out in a rectangle with the long side facing me and spread the toppings across it. From there, I slowly roll the dough up (similar to how you make cinnamon rolls). Be sure to not roll your Stromboli too tightly. The finished Stromboli should be about four inches wide.
PrintSbarro Stromboli
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 packet of active yeast
- 1 cup of warm water (105 – 115 degrees)
- 2 1/2 – 3 1/2 cups of flour
- 2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning (we use Pasta Magic)
- Optional – sesame seeds for crunchy topping
- Optional – 2 tbsp. cornmeal
- 1 egg
Filling
- 2 cups of shredded mozzarella
- 1 package of large pepperoni (the big slices you find in the deli section)
- Any other pizza toppings you like
Instructions
Dough
- Dissolve yeast in warm water in mixing bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour, olive oil, and salt and stir for about a minute until blended.
- With dough hook, mix two more minutes. Add last cup of flour. Knead with hook for two minutes until dough begins pulling away from bowl.
- Turn into greased bowl. Let dough rise for about an hour until it doubles in size.
Stromboli
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Punch dough down and press into square shape.
- Spread cheese in an ever layer over the dough. Top with pepperoni and additional toppings.
- Roll up dough evenly (like you’re making cinnamon rolls) and pinch ends close. Make 2-3 slits across the top to allow steam to vent. Lightly scramble the egg and brush over the rolled Stromboli. Sprinkle on sesame seeds.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Slice and serve with marinara sauce.
- Prep Time: 1 hr 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Enjoy!
