Fill this homemade stromboli with your favorite meats and/or cheeses like pepperoni, ham, prosciutto, provolone, mozzarella, and more. I make it from my homemade pizza dough, a simple 6-ingredient dough that stays soft on the inside and develops a wonderfully crisp crust. There’s only 1 rise, which gives you enough time to prep any fillings. Stromboli makes a wonderful meal, but also works as an appetizer or game day snack.
One reader, Lisa, commented: “This is the second time I am making this recipe. First time I used provolone cheese and pepperoni, and tonight we had a Philly cheesesteak one (used peppers, onions, and Steak-umm). Fantastic!! Five stars does not do this recipe justice. Would rate it higher if I could. ★★★★★”
This recipe is such a fan favorite, that it deserved a spot in print! You’ll also find this recipe in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Tell Me About This Homemade Stromboli
- Flavor: This recipe is more like a guideline because you can customize it with your favorite various fillings. Stromboli is a pizzeria menu staple where I grew up in Philly and I usually make it with Genoa salami, deli pepperoni, provolone, and mozzarella cheese. I love brushing the dough with melted butter, garlic, and fresh parsley for added flavor. Garlic powder, dried herbs, or even an Italian seasoning work wonderfully on the dough too. Or spread your favorite pizza sauce on top—see recipe note below. Flavoring/filling options are endless.
- Ease: Looking at the recipe below, you may be intimidated by its length. Don’t be nervous—I wrote the recipe in extreme detail in case you have questions along the way. I work well with visuals, so I include step-by-step photos and a video tutorial too. Overall, I’d say this is an intermediate recipe. The dough is pretty straightforward. Shaping/filling/rolling is easy, but take the time to review this post and directions before you start. No matter how your baked stromboli looks, you’re eating crust/cheese/meats/garlic/and maybe some sauce. It’ll be delicious, I promise.
- Time: There’s no arguing that homemade dough takes time, but the results are always worth the effort. Luckily this dough only requires 1 rise and you can prep your fillings as you wait. It will take you a little less than 3 hours to complete the full recipe.
Stromboli from Pizza Dough
You can make 1 stromboli with 1 pound of store-bought or homemade pizza dough. Even though store-bought dough is convenient, I encourage you to try this homemade dough. It requires just 6 basic ingredients and about 60–90 minutes of rise time.
2 Important Notes on my Pizza Dough:
- My pizza dough yields about 2 lbs. of dough, which is enough for 2 strombolis or 1 stromboli + a batch of cheesy breadsticks, 1 pizza, or even 8 garlic knots.
- I don’t recommend halving this dough recipe. You can try, but for absolute best results, make the full recipe. If you only need 1 stromboli, freeze the other half of dough for another time. I promise you’ll want to make stromboli again.
It’s really handy to have 1 all-purpose dough that works in many different ways; you’ll appreciate its ease and versatility. I use this exact dough for ham & cheese pockets and pepperoni pizza rolls, too.
Stromboli Fillings
Options are endless. If it works as a pizza topping, it will probably work as a stromboli filling. You can’t really go wrong because if you’ve used too much filling, you won’t be able to roll the dough up.
- Base: Butter + garlic + parsley is a great spread for the dough before adding other fillings. Feel free to use more garlic and parsley or swap parsley for another herb or Italian seasoning. You can also use pizza sauce. See below.
- Meats & Cheeses: Make sure any meat you use is cooked. You can use 1/2 pound of various sliced meats per stromboli, this could be about 20 slices per stromboli but that depends on the thickness of the meat. Some meat suggestions are capicola, salami, soppressata, prosciutto, deli ham/turkey/roast beef, and/or pepperoni. Avoid using small pizza pepperoni slices. For best results (and flavor), use large pepperoni slices from the deli counter. You want about 1/2 pound of cheese per stromboli as well. If using shredded cheese, I recommend 1 and 1/2 cups per stromboli. If using sliced deli cheese, I recommend 10-12 slices per stromboli. You can also mix—I usually use 6-8 large slices provolone and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
- Only Cheese: If you want a meat-free stromboli, still use the recommended amount of cheese. If you add more, it may spill out the sides or be difficult to roll and slice. Feel free to add vegetables. See next.
- Veggies/Herbs: Other filling ideas, instead of or in addition to meats/cheeses, are a layer of cooked mushrooms, cooked chopped broccoli, or cooked sliced peppers (blot excess moisture if you can), spinach, or basil leaves (chopped or whole). For a meatless stromboli, 2 cups of vegetables per stromboli (plus your cheese) works well.
Want to add pizza sauce? You can add pizza/marinara/tomato sauce to the filling. Feel free to skip the melted butter and garlic (or leave it on, doesn’t matter) and spread 1/2 cup of sauce onto each rolled out dough before layering on the meats and cheeses in step 6.
Step-by-Step Photos
Make and knead the dough, referencing my How to Knead Dough tutorial as needed. After you punch down the dough, divide it in half to make 2 strombolis. You can freeze half for another time if desired.
Roll each out into a (roughly) 10×16-inch rectangle and spread with garlic butter.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley or desired herbs, then layer on meats and cheeses, leaving a 3-inch gap on top and 1-inch gap around the edges. Brush edges with egg wash, which helps keep everything sealed.
Roll up, tucking in the ends. Do this slowly and make sure the roll is tight.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sea salt or flaky sea salt, pepper, more herbs, or a little cheese. (Toppings are optional.) Cut 3-4 slits on top for air to escape.
Bake until golden brown, then cool for 5 minutes before slicing. It’s flaky and crisp when it’s warm—totally irresistible. Pizza or marinara sauce is great for dipping! If you ever need a homemade sauce to try, we really like Beth’s homemade pizza sauce.
Stromboli Vs. Calzone
And, finally, here’s a quick explanation if you’re interested. Stromboli and calzone are not the same, though they can be prepped with the same ingredients. The difference is their shape. Stromboli originated in Philadelphia by restaurant owner Nazzereno Romano and is rolled like a cinnamon roll, baked as 1 long log, then sliced. Italian calzones originated in Naples, are folded in half like a semi-circle or half moon, then baked and served individually. Both can be filled with the same ingredients, though a calzone usually includes ricotta (something a little too wet for stromboli) and both are usually brushed with an egg wash to help seal the edges and provide a golden crisp crust. Lots of love for both!
*PS: Don’t forget about Chicago-style deep dish pizza when weighing your pizza options, too. 🙂
See Your Homemade Stromboli
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge!
Print
Homemade Stromboli (Yields 2)
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: two 16 inch strombolis (about 10-12 slices each)
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Use this dough recipe and the filling/toppings below to create 2 Homemade Strombolis. See all recipe notes before beginning because you can save half of the dough for another time or make other dishes with it (such as pizza or breadsticks). More filling suggestions, helpful step-by-step photos, and a video tutorial are included in the post. This recipe is also in my New York Times best-selling cookbook, Sally’s Baking 101.
Ingredients
Homemade Dough for 2
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (7g) instant or active-dry yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 Tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 and 1/2 cups (about 450g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and work surface
Fillings for 2
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 pound thinly sliced meats such as Italian cold cuts, deli ham, or large pepperoni slices*
- 3/4–1 pound (340–454g) cheese (about 3 cups shredded or about 16–20 slices deli cheese)*
Egg Wash & Topping for 2
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon water
- optional: fresh or dried parsley, flaky sea salt, and/or grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Whisk the warm water, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
- Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 60–90 minutes or until doubled in size. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Shape the dough: When the dough is risen, punch it down to release the air and divide it in half. (If you aren’t making 2 strombolis, freeze the other half of the dough. See freezing instructions below.) On a lightly floured work surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each portion of dough into a 10×16-inch rectangle. Use your hands to square off the edges, as shown in the video. If the dough keeps shrinking as you try to shape it, cover it lightly and let the dough rest for 10 minutes before trying again. (The gluten just needs to relax.)
- Add fillings: Mix the melted butter and garlic together. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread the garlic butter evenly over each rectangle. Sprinkle each with parsley. When you start layering on meats and cheeses, leave a 1-inch border on the bottom and sides and a 3-inch border on top. (Basically you’ll have an empty 3×16-inch gap on top that only has butter/garlic on it. This is because when rolling, the fillings will be pushed forward. See photos and video if you need a visual.) Arrange a layer of sliced meats onto each dough rectangle, usually about 8–10 overlapping slices on each, depending on the size of your slices. Add a layer of cheese. Repeat with more meat and cheese until all is used—about 1/2 pound meat and 1/2 pound cheese per stromboli.
- Brush the edges with egg wash, including the 3-inch border at the top. Slowly roll each into a tight 16-inch log, folding in the two ends as you roll. Dust your hands or the dough with flour if things become too sticky.
- Carefully transfer each stromboli to a prepared baking sheet. Pinch or tuck in the ends to seal. Brush the top of each stromboli with egg wash and, if using, sprinkle on the optional toppings. Using a sharp knife, cut 3–4 slits into the tops of each, which helps steam escape. At this point, you can either bake or cover the shaped stromboli tightly and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown—if you have an instant-read thermometer, the center of the stromboli should be at least 200ºF (93ºC). If meats are particularly greasy (like pepperoni), some grease will spill out the sides. Cheese may bubble out the sides or top slits, too. If baking both at the same time, rotate pans halfway through baking and extend bake time (if needed) by 2–3 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and slicing.
- Serve plain or with warm pizza/marinara sauce for dipping.
- Cover and store leftover stromboli (slices or whole) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Freezing Dough: This dough recipe is the same as my pizza dough recipe. It yields 2 strombolis. After the dough rises and you divide the dough in half (step 6), you can freeze half of the dough. (If you want to freeze all of this dough, I recommend you still divide it in half and freeze separately.) Shape half or halves into a ball(s). Lightly coat all sides of the dough ball(s) with nonstick spray or olive oil. Place the dough ball(s) in a zipped-top bag and seal tightly, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen pizza dough in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight. When ready to make stromboli, remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to rest for 30 minutes on the counter. Continue with step 6, punching down the dough to release air if needed.
- Overnight Dough Instructions: To prevent these notes from getting too crowded, see pizza dough post for overnight dough instructions.
- Refrigerate Shaped Stromboli Ahead of Time: See end of step 9.
- Freezing Shaped Stromboli Before Baking: Instead of freezing the dough as a whole, you can freeze the shaped stromboli before baking. Fill and roll stromboli as directed in step 7. Do not cut slits or add egg wash (step 8). Carefully place filled/rolled stromboli on a piece of plastic wrap. Sprinkle with flour to help prevent sticking. Wrap up tightly. To preserve freshness, I recommend a layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap as well. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, still wrapped, in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Brush with egg wash, add optional toppings, and cut steam slits. Place stromboli on a lined baking sheet and bake as directed. Since stromboli is pretty cold going into the oven, it will take a couple extra minutes to bake.
- Freezing Baked Stromboli: Allow baked stromboli to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil (or a layer of both), and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw, still wrapped, for just 1 hour at room temperature. Bake, lightly covered with aluminum foil, in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 30 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Dough Scraper | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush | Instant Read Thermometer | Coarse Sea Salt or Flaky Sea Salt
- Amount of Dough/1 Stromboli: My homemade pizza dough, written in this recipe above, yields about 2 lbs of dough, which is enough for 2 strombolis. If you only want 1 stromboli, freeze half of the dough as noted in step 5 or make a pizza such as margherita pizza, BBQ chicken pizza, or a batch of cheesy breadsticks. If you’re only making 1 stromboli, make sure you halve the filling ingredients. For the egg wash/topping ingredients, it’s difficult to halve the egg, so whisk 1 egg with 1 Tbsp water, use as directed, then discard any leftover. (You’ll have leftover egg wash even if you’re making 2 strombolis.)
- Fillings & Vegetable Stromboli: Butter + garlic + parsley is a great spread for the dough before adding the meats/cheeses. Feel free to use more garlic and parsley or swap parsley for another herb or Italian seasoning. You can also use pizza sauce. See next note. Use 1/2 pound of various sliced deli meats per stromboli, this could be about 20 slices per stromboli but that depends on the thickness of your meat. Avoid using small pizza pepperoni slices. For best results (and flavor), use large pepperoni slices from the deli counter. You want about 1/2 pound of cheese per stromboli as well. If using shredded cheese, I recommend 1 and 1/2 cups per stromboli. If using sliced deli cheese, I recommend 10-12 slices per stromboli. You can also mix—I usually use 6-8 large slices provolone and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. For a meatless option, you can add cooked mushrooms, cooked chopped broccoli, or cooked sliced peppers (blot excess moisture if you can), spinach, or basil leaves (chopped or whole)—2 cups of vegetables per stromboli (plus your cheese) works well. Options are endless here. You can’t really go wrong because if you’ve used too much filling, you won’t be able to roll it up.
- Want to add pizza sauce? You can add pizza/marinara/tomato sauce to the filling. Feel free to skip the melted butter and garlic (or leave it on, doesn’t matter) and spread 1/2 cup of sauce onto each rolled out dough before layering on the meats and cheeses in step 6. If you ever need a homemade sauce to try, we really like this homemade pizza sauce.
- Egg Free: Skip the egg wash if needed. You can brush each shaped stromboli with 1 Tablespoon melted butter instead.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Surprisingly easy and delicious. You only need a few ingredients to make something impressive! I used sliced mozzarella, sandwich pepperoni, and soprasetta salami. Now that I’ve tried it out, I’ll definitely be experimenting with fillings.
Also, I made the dough without stand mixer. Used a Danish wisk it get the dough together, then knead with hands. Worked great!
Great recipe! I love the precise measurements for the rolled out dough and the directions for making ahead. I was able to assemble these around lunch time and then just pop them in the oven for dinner when my kids were breaking down. The kids loved the stromboli too!
AWESOME and fun recipe. Prep the dough ahead and get creative with the fillings. Sally’s details make it easy to execute!!! Will DEFINITELY make again.
Love that this makes 2! Made the dough, put in fridge after punching it down. Pulled the next day and let it come to room temp. Made the stromboli (adding a little course salt and parmesan cheese on top)with my kiddo. I did a step and he followed. They both turned out great! 1 has been eaten and there’s still 1 left for tomorrow. This was an easy to follow recipe and not complicated at any step. There is a little waiting time (which is why we did over 2 days), but that’s also fun to see the dough puff up like it does. We had dipping sauce, but this doesn’t even need it. It’s delicious all on its own!
This recipe was delicious! I made one with ham, salami, pepperoni and mozzarella and Italian cheese. And I made the second one like a Costco chicken bake. It was perfect. Thank you so much.
This recipe was so fun that I have made it twice. Both times I have made pepperoni and cheese and I also made a vegetarian version (spinach, mushroom, onions, peppers, cheese) and chicken/bacon/ranch. Everything was great. This is a recipe to add to our regular meal rotation. My husband loved it. My kids loved it. I loved it. It reheated very well as leftovers too which is a bonus for me.
I’ve tried many dough recipes and this one is definitely one of the best! The butter and garlic spread adds great flavor. In the final step I sprinkled mine with everything bagel seasons and it was delicious!
Dying to try this recipe! Can I make the dough in a bread machine?
Hi Yael, We don’t have a bread machine to test it out – but I’m sure it could!
Sally has done it again with a delicious recipe! I filled one with salami, pepperoni and mozzarella, and the other with homemade pesto and mozzarella! They were delicious!
Loved this (and all of Sallys recipes)! So easy to follow, detailed instructions and always love her side notes. This will be a recipe on repeat!
This turned out so well! I kept it simple, with the garlic and parsley butter, prosciutto and a mix of provolone and mozzarella cheese. It was devoured by my whole family! I only did one, so now I have pizza dough in the freezer for another use.
Yum! So much flavor! I will be making again and again; especially since my toddlers loved it! I used ham, mozzarella, salami, pepperoni and sprinkled Italian seasoning on top!
I found that the 10×16 size made the dough really thin and super difficult to roll up. My dough was definitely double, so that wasn’t the problem. The flavors were great, and I will make again for sure, but I don’t think 10×16 is a great measurement.
This is such a nice recipe, not difficult at all and such a good result. I used a bit of tomato sauce inside and fresh basil leaves – yummy
My entire family LOVED this recipe! I made both strombolis at once and found Sally’s instructions and step-by-step video very helpful. There were hardly any leftovers!
We were thinking about ordering pizza this weekend but decided to try this recipe instead – and I’m glad we did! Having not made stromboli before I was a little nervous, but the recipe and video made each step simple and easy to follow. And the results were delicious!
My husband, who managed a pizza restaurant many years ago, made your stromboli. He said the dough was easy to work with and we both enjoyed the final result. Sine there are only two of us, we divided the dough into thirds and froze two portions. Thank you for the recipe, we definitely be using your recipe in future!
Loved it! The kids had a blast helping, was a great family activity. Pretty simple to make. Easy to use to much liquid. We added pesto and spinach to one and it was definitely leaking but it was still tasty. Will be making again.
This was a huge hit with our big family. All 6 kids enjoyed it which is rare around here. I made the dough using the dough cycle on my bread machine. It turned out perfectly.
Made this for my boyfriend’s family, and his father who is full-on Sicilian really liked it! I added a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and some dried Italian seasoning to the butter before melting which worked out great. I think next time I’ll double the spread. For filling I went to the deli and got large pepperoni, ham off the bone, and provolone, all sliced super thin, and good mozzarella which I shredded at home. This recipe was surprisingly easy and so good. I made both Stromboli and 6 people ate every last crumb! This is definitely getting added to my regular go-to recipe rotation.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe. I am from India and I absolutely love your recipes and videos. I made this with ham and pepperoni with 2 kinds of cheeses and it was amazing. What kind of cheeses do you think will work best? My tastes super but was not oozy cheesy like your photos. Any advice on the cheese please?
The pizza dough recipe is one I use regularly so I thought this would be a hit. It was amazing and I can’t believe I made a stromboli. I am starting to get my own ideas for the pizza dough as I’ve now made it for garlic knots, pizza weekly, and now the stromboli. My kids and husband LOVED it!
Going on an outing with savouries slots all taken up I made a sweet version – using Spiced butter instead of garlic, and had to use a milk wash cos’ I hadn’t any eggs on hand. The fruits I used were basically what I had in my kitchen – sliced dried apricots, sliced crystallised ginger, a couple of fresh figs sliced – to form a sort of jammy topping- I mixed all these with a couple of tbsp of apricot jam with a generous amount of vanilla extract. And then did the stromboli thing. It came out perfect, went down a treat none at all left and some opted to have it with a spreading of Philly cream cheese. Thank you for a great idea. Also for a picnic it packed so easily
-ps – I love your recipes – they’re comprehensive, easy to follow, and best of all allows for so much room for my imagination to go with.
Thank you so much ❤️
I made this recipe for Sunday night supper and we loved it! I used three meats, provolone and mozzarella cheese, and my home grown dried herbs in the melted butter. We used my homemade pizza sauce on the side for dipping. It all came together very nicely! The dough worked so well for the Stromboli and I also used it for some beautiful breadsticks! Great recipe and I can’t wait to try some different fillings next time!!
Mmm! I’ve made made this twice within the same week! It tastes delicious and the dough softness is perfect! Also, stromboli is a fun word to say out loud!
This turned out amazing everyone loved it! I had to use small pepperoni instead of large sliced because I couldn’t get any but it still worked and tasted amazing.
This was actually very simple to make and a hit with my whole family. My friend and I made this together over zoom and had a blast. We are going to try and do the monthly challenge over zoom together each month!
This was so delicious! Looking forward to making this again and experimenting with different fillings. Love having another way to use pizza dough.
Great recipe! Baked this for the challenge and I’m so glad I did! I did salami, pepperoni, ham, provolone, and mozzarella. I think I can work on my rolling technique, but I’d definitely make this again. Crispy crust with a soft inside. Yum!!
I made this tonight and it was gobbled up by everyone. My 6 year old had 4 pieces! The only thing I did different was i sprinkled some corn meal on my pizza stone to cook the stromboli on. Great recipe!
Another Great One! Your dough is so easy to work with, and this made for a fantastic stromboli! For years I have made something we called stromboli in this house, but apparently, “officially” it was a giant calzone! I used the meats and cheeses you suggested, and the larger pepperoni made a big difference from the pepperoni rolls I made through the first parts of the pandemic. (I think the pepperoni rolls from another chef are actually stromboli!) The garlic butter on the inside added great taste. Thanks also for the link to the sauce recipe – that was great to go along with it.
We have enough for a second meal and a ball of dough in the freezer for a future pizza or stromboli!
Great dinner, but will also be something I use as an appetizer.