Stromboli

Seeing as I’m never fully satisfied with my blog name over here at From James to Jamie (you know, because of that whole “sounds like I’m transitioning into a woman” vibe that it gives off), I’m always playing around with new ideas in my head. On that note, about a day after publishing my latest post, Parmesan Kale Chips, a new name emerged as a clear contender: “You Don’t Win Friends With Salad” (or YDWFWS, for short).

Though the kale chips I posted are clearly not salad (even though they include leafy greens, salt, oil, and cheese), I feel they wholeheartedly embody the YDWFWS mantra. Why, you ask? Well, quite honestly, they are by far the least popular post on this blog of those published within the last six months or so (essentially, since I learned how to photograph food half-decently). I’m not quite sure why this is the case, but I figure it has something to do with this whole YDWFWS idea.

Obviously I know the whole “not winning any friends” thing isn’t entirely true – as you’re reading this, I’m sure that somewhere in the world, a new friendship is being formed over a shared love of baby spinach, arugula and candied almonds tossed together and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette – but to me, it definitely feels like there are slivers  of honesty to it.

All this matters little, though, as I don’t think I’ll ever actually change my name to YDWFWS. Though I think it’s funny (and true in some social circles) the food blogging community simply seems too healthy, too positive, and too supportive of one another, for a blog name that comes off as being critical of, or poking fun at, salad providers.  In addition, I have actually been known to publish a salad post or three in my day, and I know there would be some confusion having a blog called “You Don’t Win Friends with Salad” that just so happens to be posting salad recipes.

So yeah, YDWFWS is out of the running. Still with potentional, however, are any names that make mention to Dutch ovens (because yes, I do in fact have the maturity level of a 12 year-old).

As for the real reason you are here, though, there’s little to say that won’t be repeated in the recipe below. These rolled pizzas are absolutely amazing and are super quick and easy to throw together. With that said, and keeping in mind that this is a recipe that I absolutely know for a fact you can totally “win” friends with, here is my recipe for delicious, easy-to-adapt strombolis:

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups type 00 flour
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 1/4 tsp. Fleischmann’s quick-rise instant yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• pizza sauce
• shredded pizza mozzarella
• 1 egg, for egg wash
• garlic salt, for sprinkling (optional)
• fresh grated parmesan, for sprinkling (optional)
• selection of toppings such as pepperoni, salami, ham, pineapple, peppers, etc.

Directions:

• In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the warm water, mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a rough dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes.
• Return the dough to the bowl and cover loosely with a clean dish cloth for about 10 minutes. The dough won’t rise much during this time, it’s simply to let it rest before rolling it out.
• While the dough rests, prepare the ingredients for your filling. Grate your mozzarella (amount depending on your preference) and chop/slice anything that requires chopping/slicing such as green peppers, mushrooms (thinly-sliced) or pinapple chunks. Virtually anything you can put on a pizza, you can also put in a stromboli; however, just like pizza, some toppings need to be pre-cooked (like chicken) while others can be added raw (like green onions).
• When the dough has rested, roll it out on your lightly-floured surface into a thin rectangle roughly 1 ft. by 1 1/2 ft., or as large as the dough allows (the shorter side will determine the length of your stromboli, so don’t make it too large for your pizza stone, if using one).
• Cover the dough with your dish cloth and let rise until roughly double it’s thickness.
• At this time, preheat your oven to 450°F, along with your pizza stone.
• Once it’s had a chance to rise, remove the cloth and brush a thin border of egg wash (no water needed, just your raw egg scrambled well) around the outside of the dough.
• Add your pizza sauce to the dough and spread it over the entire surface (up to your egg wash border) with the back of a spoon. Again, the amount used is your preference, but you’re looking for a thin layer covering the entire rectangle of dough.
• Add your toppings (I added layers of pepperoni, salami, ham, and green peppers to one Stromboli, and ham and pineapple to another), then cover with a layer of your grated mozzarella.
• Roll up your stromboli, pinching together the excess dough at the ends as you do. Pinch together the dough to seal it along the length of the stromboli, then roll it over so the seam is on the bottom, and tuck the pinched ends underneath.
• Remove your pizza stone from the oven and set aside.
• Brush all the exposed dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle garlic salt on top (about 1/4 tsp. should be plenty).
• Carefully transfer the stromboli to the pizza stone, cut some width-wise slats in the top of the dough, then grate some fresh parmesan directly on top and toss the pizza stone back in the oven.
• Bake for roughly 20 minutes, until the crust is a light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. To serve, cut along the pre-existing lines into individual pieces, or shove into your face whole.

Serves 2

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****(Updated 3/5/2016)****

As per usual, I am submitting this recipe to be shared with my friends over at Fiesta Friday. This week’s cohosts have some great things happening over on their blogs. Josette @thebrookcook recently posted a recipe for English muffins that look absolute incredible. They’re something I’ve always wanted to know how to make, so I’ll be attempting those soon. Then there’s Lily @ little sweet baker, who has an amazing index of recipes on her site that make me want to re-imagine my own blog. That index led me to her No-Bake Salted Dark Chocolate Mascarpone Tart which currently inhabits my dreams.