A classic stromboli recipe, made with homemade stromboli dough and filled with salami, cheese, roasted red peppers, pesto and pepperoncini. Perfect for everyday eating, picnics or tailgating!
Stromboli is an Italian-American rolled sandwich. It originated in Philadelphia and was named after the Italian island of Stromboli, which is known for its volcanoes. Some think that fillings bursting out of stromboli as it bakes reminded people of a volcano :) Stromboli uses a pizza or yeasted bread dough and is typically filled with a variety of meats and cheeses.
Stromboli is endlessly customizable! You can fill it with any number of fillings and make a great lunch or dinner. It also travels well, so it’s perfect for picnic eating or tailgating.
Stromboli filling options
Classic stromboli –
- Genoa salami (or other/assorted Italian deli meats)
- Provolone (or sliced mozzarella, but I find provolone has more flavour)
- Pesto (or fresh basil leaves)
- Tomato paste (works better than tomato sauces, as it is thicker and has more flavour)
- Roasted red pepper (jarred work perfectly, but you can make your own)
- Pepperoncini, for some heat (look for them packed in oil) or you can replace with sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil.
Other stromboli filling ideas –
- Pizza stromboli – pepperoni and mozzarella cheese
- Cheesesteak stromboli – beef, sauteed peppers and onion and cheese.
- Mexican style – chorizo, ham, sauteed poblanos and onions and jack cheese.
The possibilities are endless. As long as you can roll it up, it’s all good!
How to make classic stromboli
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
- Start by mixing up the stromboli dough.
- Set the dough to rise until doubled.
- Roll the dough out and add spoonfuls of tomato paste on one half of the dough.
- Spread out the tomato paste along the one side.
- Add spoonfuls of the basil pesto on the empty side.
- Spread the basil pesto out to cover that side of the dough.
- Add an overlapping layer of meats over the entire dough, then add the rounds of provolone cheese on top, finishing with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
- Lay the roasted red pepper strips on one side and the pepperoncini on the other side.
- Roll up the stromboli, starting from the long edge.
- Place the rolled stromboli on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Brush the dough with egg wash.
- Cut a row of small slits along the top of the dough to allow steam to escape and bake.
My top stromboli tips!
- Don’t skimp on the fillings! In order to get a nice balance between the bread and the fillings, be sure to generously fill the stromboli with meat and cheese. Two layers of meat is a minimum, in my opinion.
- That said, be careful with wet fillings (zucchini comes to mind), which can make for a soggy stromboli. Pat dry or better yet, saute lightly to cook off a bit of the moisture before using in the filling.
How to serve stromboli
Stromboli is great eaten out of hand for lunch or enjoyed for dinner with a salad. You can eat it cold, at room temperature or warm it up a bit. I love to serve stromboli with lightly warmed pizza or marinara sauce, for dipping.
Ranch or creamy garlic dressing or sauce also makes a great dip for stromboli.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
Stromboli will keep well in the fridge for about 3 days or freeze up to 2 months, for longer storage. You can easily make the stromboli ahead and refrigerate. Slice when ready to serve.
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Get the Recipe: Classic Stromboli with Homemade Dough
Ingredients
Homemade Stromboli Dough:
- 2/3 cup (150 ml) lukewarm water, about 105F
- 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons Active dry or regular instant yeast, not rapid or quick rising
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing before baking
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups (250 g) “00” or all purpose flour, spooned and levelled
Classic Stromboli Fillings:
- 8 oz (250 g) Genoa salami, thinly sliced
- 7 oz (200 g) Provolone cheese, sliced
- 4 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 Tablespoons basil pesto
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 large jarred roasted red pepper, sliced
- 1-2 Tablespoons pepperoncini peppers in oil, or sun dried tomatoes, in oil
Instructions
- Prepare stromboli dough: In a large bowl of the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the kneading hook, add the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar. Let it stand 5 minutes. Add the olive oil and salt, along with about half of the flour (1 cup or 125g). Mix to combine well, scraping down the side of the bowl, as needed, until the flour is moistened. Begin adding the remaining flour, in small increments, mixing well after each addition and adding only as much flour as you need to create a smooth, moist dough that cleans the bowl and wraps around the kneading hook (dough should be moist, but not sticky, so add additional flour, as needed, to get the dough to that point)
- Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Form into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
- Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and gently deflate. Roll the dough into a roughly 10×13-inch rectangle.
- Preheat oven to 350F (non-convection/not fan-assisted) with rack in the centre of the oven.
- Tip! When using fillings packed in oil, such as pesto, pepperoncini and sun-dried tomatoes, try to drain or pat off as much of the oil as possible before adding to the filling. Likewise, with jarred roasted red peppers, pat them dry well before slicing. This will help keep the moisture and liquid down in the stromboli, which can leak out as it bakes.
- Filling the stromboli: With the long side of the dough closest to you, spread the tomato paste onto the bottom (closest) half of the dough (refer to the step-by-step photos above this recipe card to see this). Spread the pesto onto the top half of the dough. Add the salami, covering the entire dough surface, overlapping slightly and making 2 layers of meat. Place the provolone slices on top. Scatter shredded Parmesan evenly overtop. Lay the roasted red pepper strip along the bottom edge, about 1 inch in from the edge. Scatter the pepperoncini pieces or sun-dried tomato pieces over the top section of the dough. Start rolling up the stromboli, starting from the long edge closest to you, pinching the end closed as you roll, until it is completely rolled up. Tip! Sometimes "rolling" is more like fold and flop. It doesn't need to be tight or perfect. It's all good in the end.
- Transfer the rolled stromboli to a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet (be sure it has a rim, as oils, etc., may leak out during baking!). Brush the top of the stromboli with olive oil, then use the tip of a sharp knife to cut small slits into the top of the dough, every couple of inches right across the top of the stromboli.
- Bake stromboli in a preheated 350F oven for about 50-55 minutes, or until golden. (Stromboli will sometimes have a little blow-out on the side when baking. It's part of their character :) Remove from oven, then remove to a cooling rack to cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. *Stromboli will look and feel crisp when it comes out of the oven, but will soften as it cools.
- Serve with slightly warmed pizza or marinara sauce for dipping, or try it with ranch or garlic dip or dressing for dipping.
- Store left-over stromboli well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze baked stromboli for up to 2 months.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
