Sunday, July 3, 2016

Pepperoni Bites

My mom used to make these when we were kids.  I think she used frozen bread or pizza dough, but it's simple enough to make yourself using this no-knead recipe.

Pepperoni Bites

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup water
  • blocks of mozzarella cheese
  • pepperoni slices

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl.  Add water and stir until dough is fairly uniform.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave out on the counter for 18-24 hours.  At this point you can use the dough right away, or put it in the fridge to use later.

When you are ready to make the pepperoni bites, cut the mozzarella into cubes weighing roughly 1/2 ounce each (e.g. cut an 8 oz block into 15 or 16 pieces).

Flour the work surface and scrape the dough out, and flour the top as well as your hands.  Grab a small amount of dough, about the size of a golf ball, and flatten it.  Place a slice of pepperoni on top, and then a piece of cheese.  Fold the dough around the pepperoni and cheese and make sure all holes are sealed.  I prefer to use the minimum amount of dough needed to cover the pepperoni and cheese.

Place the dough balls on a foil lined and greased baking sheet.  They can be baked right away, or frozen for later.  To freeze, put the whole baking sheet into the freezer; when they are fully frozen, peel off the foil and put them in a freezer bag for storage.  They can be baked directly from frozen.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, long enough that the dough is fully cooked but the cheese hasn't totally leaked out.  Serve with marinara.