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
Can you use “00” or bread flour as a substitute for the dough?
Hi Carla, we haven’t tested this recipe with 00 flour, but it should work–it just may change the texture of the crust a bit. If you give it a try, please report back how it turned out!
Thank you! I typically use that for my pizza dough but I wasn’t sure if the texture would hold up. I just made two batches; I’m putting three balls in the freezer for a party next weekend and will “sample” the fourth one tonight for dinner!
Follow-up on using the 00 flour. I think because it is designed to make a thinner Neopolitan type pizza crust, that it just didn’t have enough structure. They came out delicious but they all split on the bottom. I weighed all of the filling ingredients, so it wasn’t overstuffed. I think I’ll try the all purpose or bread flour next go-around!
Great and versatile recipe, everyone loved it! I used the overnight rise instructions and the dough had very nice flavor. Since I used my stand mixer for the kneading I did have to add a bit more flour so it wasn’t too sticky. I kept to the suggested weights for meats & cheese, and also did put a thin layer of marina on top of the garlic butter. Really fantastic and highly recommend!
This was awesome – I followed the recipe to a “T” and it was wonderful, the dough was “pillow-y”. It made such a nice change from regular pizza. Thanks for sharing
This recipe is delicious. I use this recipe as my pizza dough as well. It rises beautifully. Thank you for sharing your gift!
This has become a favorite at our house!
Pretty good, bit time consuming.
This looks delicious!! If I’m using a 1:1 GF flour would there be any changes to the recipe? Thank you!!!
Hi Jenn, we haven’t tested a gluten-free version, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flours like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out for you.
The addition of garlic butter was fantastic. I made so many varieties and it was a nice change from typical pizza and a hit with the whole family!
Looks delicious, but to make this with sourdough, would you use a sourdough pizza recipe for the dough? Thank you.
Hi Toni, you can try a sourdough pizza dough recipe if you have one, but we haven’t tested it ourselves so aren’t sure if there would be any adjustments you’d need to make.
Can this be made gluten free?
Hi Gemma, we haven’t tested a gluten-free version, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flours like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it turns out for you.
This looks great ..definitely going to make this this weekend. Very similar to my Moms recipe and I’m sure yours is just as good since you said you grew up in Philly ..I did too born and raised ..now if I could just find a recipe for Tomato Pie — Philly Tomato pie !
This was a wonderful recipe!!! I’ve made Stromboli before but the recipe I followed had you just pulling up the sides and pinching it. Rolling is so much better!!! I also like using the pizza sauce to dip rather than putting it inside. My husband and friends loved it. The directions were very clear and that made for a successful bake. Thank you
Wow. This was DELICIOUS. Made it tonight and was blown away by the flavor.
Great recipe Thank you as always for sharing!
I usually make your sweet recipes, but this savory stromboli was delicious!
All the filling poured out. Bummer. Followed exact instructions.
Kate, I too lost all my filling on my first Stromboli. To keep this from happening I have found that by layering my meats on top of the dough first, then the cheese, the meat acts as a barrier to keep the melted cheese inside. I use salami and pepperoni. Since salami is generally larger, I later that down first, slightly overlapping, then layer pepperonis to finish covering the dough (the salami will usually caver half the dough). Then I add my cheese on top of the meat. When I score the top I be sure to only cut the dough, not my meats. This has helped greatly!
Also, I tuck my ends under after it is all rolled up to not lose cheese from the sides.
Sally pleas consider making your recipes available to save to Justapinch. Mist of my friends use this to store online recipes.
Just finished eating our lunch, I am so full and it was delicious. I made the crust recipe last night and let it rise in the fridge over night. Decided to make one stromboli and one pizza. The dough was so easy to work with this morning! I also used the link for the homemade pizza sauce, yum! Only change I made to that was that I used honey instead of sugar and less than what the recipe called for, but I always adjust that because canned tomatoes always differ in acidity so I adjust to my taste. I also used honey in the dough recipe, but that was the only change that I made. Great recipe and great visuals. Stromboli always reminds me of my childhood when my Aunt would visit us from Pennsylvania and we would make them together. Thanks for the great recipe so I could recreate this memory.
So glad this recipe brought back great memories for you, Cora!
Followed this recipe exactly and will not be using it again. The dough was too bread-like and changed the taste of the stromboli that we are accustomed to.
How many degrees am I supposed to bake it on? Regular oven.
Hi John, see step 4 — “Preheat oven to 400°F (204°).”
Easy to follow recipe and turned out perfectly! I used jarred pesto sauce instead of brushing with garlic butter, but only because I wanted to use up the open jar of pesto – I’ll make this recipe again and again and make it with the butter next time. So good!
Incredible. Never thought I’d be able to make Stromboli let alone impress others with it!
Great recipe! I was wondering if freezing, do you recommend freezing it uncooked or cooked? Just wondering which is better?
Hi Kathy, if you scroll down in the recipe card to the Notes section, numbers 4 and 5 have the freezing instructions for each. Hope this helps!
Thanks! Just wondering if one method yields better results than the other. (Freezing already baked or freezing uncooked)
I tried this recipe for the first time over the weekend and these were absolute perfection! I think I over-stuffed mine a bit, but they still closed fine, just looked much larger than yours, but I also used chunk sausage, mushrooms, etc, not just flat pepperoni so I’m sure that’s part of it. Even being quite large they still baked up perfectly (just needed a little extra time). They taste so insanely good and they reheated well for my husband’s lunch at work. Will definitely throw this into the rotation.
Truly enjoyed making this as it was simple to make & devoured by all. Thank you for sharing your recipe & great step by step instructions
excellent recipe—the video was very helpful. It turned out great—super crust and very delicious, but both of them split all the way down the sides, what can I do so that won’t happen?
Hi Wanda! A few tips for you… it’s possible the dough was rolled a bit too thin, which caused it to open up. For next time, try rolling it a bit thicker, even if that means the rectangle is slightly smaller. Always be sure to bake the stromboli with the seam on the bottom, and avoid overstuffing it with cheese, meats, and other toppings. Finally, if you are using especially greasy meats, it helps to blot them dry with a paper towel — the excess grease can sometimes cause them to make the crust soggy and open up. Hope all of these are helpful for next time!
Sally, I LOVE your pizza dough and roll and breadstick recipes! I need help with this Stromboli. I followed your directions and ended up with what I googled and found out is “a gum line” throughout my roll where the toppings met the dough. I put back in oven for 11 more minutes (total 36 minutes at 400F) and it didn’t improve. I brushed the dough with melted butter and garlic and used no other sauce before my ham and cheese. How do I eliminate the gum line!?
Hi Deedee, I’m glad you love the recipes here! It sounds like this could be fixed with a couple oven settings. I recommend lowering the oven rack, lowering the oven temperature (to perhaps 375F or 350F), and tenting the stromboli after about 10 minutes. And then extend the bake time. Lower oven temperature and longer bake time could help.
We love this recipe! I’ve made one as written with meat, and the second with veggies (sautéed yellow onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and spinach). Both came out great.
This recipe was super easy to make and the dough was delicious. I don’t have a lot of experience with using yeast so, I was excited it turned out great.
This was fabulous! The dough was PERFECT and rose beautfully! I froze the other half. as I was only cooking for 2 tonight. Spreading the dough with the garlic, butter and parsley added so much flavor! I did not have ham on hand but used pancetta and grilled onions! Topping it with the egg wash, sea salt, Romano cheese and toasted sesame seeds! Thank you for sharing!!
Made Stromboli for the first time today and we all loved it! The dough was perfect! I used leftover meats and cheeses from our charcuterie. Not bad for my first Stromboli. Thanks Sally!