Pepperoni Balls are homemade in a pinch
Pepperoni Balls are easy to make but hard to perfect~
Erie, Pennsylvania, or beautiful Erieland as I like to think of it, has quite a few things that it’s famous for. Some great, like the Lake and these fabulous Pepperoni Balls, and some not quite so great. (Has everyone heard of the pizza bomber?)
I’m going to admit something that I probably shouldn’t: these homemade Pepperoni Balls are super easy and great in a pinch, but they aren’t as good as the real thing. You need to make a trek to Erie itself to experience these. They’re on the menu at most pizza joints, many casual dining restaurants, school cafeterias and most all of the sporting events around town (grade school through semi-pro). Students even sell them door to door. (YAY!)
Erieland has a long tradition of tasty treats. Pepperoni Balls are a favorite.
What are they? Small rolls stuffed with pepperoni in their most basic form. Cheese can be added, although it’s not traditional. If you’re going for fancy, they can be served with marinara sauce, but usually they are served as is, rolled in a piece of foil straight from the oven.
Stanganelli’s Italian Food is where the best Pep Balls are made. You can find the balls in the freezer section of almost every grocery store in town too. Pop them in the oven long enough that the finished product will burn your mouth, and you are ready to go.
Check out this short video of the production of Stanganelli’s Pepperoni Balls!
Time To Make The Pepperoni Balls from Boss Hog on Vimeo.
Is your mouth watering yet?
Let’s get to work! You don’t need much…
Start with a tube of regular pizza dough. Spread it out on a chopping block, and cut it into eighths with a pizza cutter wheel (affiliate links follow).
Put about 8 pieces of pepperoni in the middle of each one of the squares, and make into little pouches.
Put the pepperoni Ball seam side down on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Continue until you’ve used up all the dough. This recipe will make 8 Pepperoni Balls. Dot a few pieces of pepperoni on top of each of the balls before they go in the oven.
Bake until golden brown.
Serve them right away. You can go plain Jane, or you can serve with your favorite marinara. Our Pasta Sauce is a great fit.
You can stuff the balls with cheese along with the pepperoni if you need a little extra grease.
Pepperoni Balls
Ingredients
- 13.8 ounce Tube of Pizza Dough (regular)
- 6 ounces Sliced Pepperoni
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet well with cooking spray.
- POP! Dough and lay on flat surface. Cut into 8 pieces approximately the same size.
- Put 8 to 10 pieces of pepperoni on top of each piece of dough, and roll it up into a little pouch. Place the dough ball, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all dough is used up.
- Quarter a few pieces of pepperoni and place decoratively on top of each dough ball.
- Bake for 14 to 18 minutes until Pepperoni Balls have risen and are golden brown.
- Serve alone of with your favorite marinara.
I’m an Erieite, born and raised until I married and left at age 28. There is nothing better than a true pepperoni ball from back home, which must be deep fried to taste all it’s yumminess! Yup, put your diet on hold for the day and just indulge! O’h and be sure to try out our sponge candy, no one else’s compares, though it’s never been easy to find I have tried a few others in my travels. You can even find it at the grocery store checkout lines and even the local Country Fair gas station markets in Erie!
Stat ellos is the best. Since we live in Florida making them works.
As far as songs candy we try whenever we see it but it doesn’t compare
I was introduced to Pepperoni Balls in 1969 at Romeo’s Pizza on Perry Square.
I grew up an Irisher in an Italian neighborhood in NYC and never heard of or encountered the delectables.
I miss these so much, I’m going to make them tonigh!