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
This is a great recipe. I usually make my dough, but I was in a pinch and used Trader Joe’s premade dough. Turned out really delicious with a combo of pepperoni, genoa salami and prosciutto. The meats do tend to give off a lot of oil so the last few minutes I put the Stromboli on a cooling rack to keep the bottoms from getting soggy.
This recipe was fantastic. I made the sauce you recommended as well. All fantastic. Thank you, instructions were excellent as well
This recipe has been in my regular rotation since you published it I am making it tonight. I always loved a stromboli but one I control the ingredients to is definitely tailored to my tastes Thank you so very much for making my family’s dinner more looked forward to.
I want to make these in advance,but I am worried the dough will get soggy from sitting in the refrigerator. Has anyone come across this or had this issue?
Hi Patti, you can make this ahead of time. See recipe notes for make ahead instructions!
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made Stromboli in the past, but will be using this recipe going forward. The directions and video were also very helpful.
This recipe is great when used fresh but it has been a complete failure for me when I freeze the dough. This is my second time attempting to use the 2nd 1/2 of the dough after freezing it. I took it out of the freezer the night before and thawed it in the refrigerator. I took that out at least 30 minutes before I needed it, rolled it out, topped it and baked it. The dough inside the roll will not bake up and I can’t figure out why. Very frustrating as it’s not only a waste of the dough but also the meat & cheese fillings I added. Do you know why this may be happening. It doesn’t rise like the first fresh batch, and stays raw in the middle.
This is the second time I am making this recipe. First time I used cheese provolone and pepperoni and tonight we had a philly cheesesteak one (used peppers, onions, steakums). Fantastic!! 5 stars does not give this recipe justice. Would rate it higher if I could. The pizza dough recipe is the best I have ever made. Going to make pizza instead of stromboli. Family absolutely loved it. Recommend 100 percent!!!
Every time I make Stromboli, my dough comes out very doughy and puffy. Don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I am only using a teaspoon of yeast for one. What can I do to make the do thinner like yours?
Hi Chris, try rolling the inside edge of the dough out a little thinner before rolling it up.
To reduce the “fluffy” dough try docking it. This just means poking holes in the dough after you roll it out. Just use a fork and stab it around 15-20 times. this will reduce the “fluffiness” and should help cooking it more so it also not so doughy
Could you use this dough recipe with a fruit/pie filling? (makes stromboli)
Hi Diana, I can’t see why not. If you prefer it a bit sweeter, you can add some more sugar, such as increasing to 3 or 4 Tablespoons.
Recipe came out delicious. Thank you!!
How long do you think the second half of the dough will keep in the fridge with having to freezing it?
Hi Monica, see the overnight/make-ahead instructions in the recipe Notes section below the pizza dough recipe. Hope this helps!
I love this recipe so much. I have made it so many times. DELICIOUS! I have one problem.. it always splits open. What am I doing wrong ?
Hi Linda! 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!
Thanks so much. I will try a bit thicker dough. It is so good….. even if it splits open!!!
Made this recipe for dinner tonight. Delicious. My husband said this was the best Stromboli he ever had. Thank you for another amazing recipe!!!!
Had problems with the recipe because my scale was off. Too much water. Added extra flour and had to bake longer. It is a make again recipe.
If I make individual sized stromboli, like 6 or 8, how does that change the cooking time?/
Hi Helene! It will be shorter, keep an eye on them in the oven. We’re unsure of the exact time needed.
Hi Sally, does this take a long time? Like, to make the dough and everything. Thanks!
Hi Emma, this recipe takes about 2 hours, 30 minutes from start to finish.
Omg! This recipe is absolutely delicious. Should have made two. It was one of the best recipe I ever tried on this website. Do it without hesitation.
This was so delicious. My teenager also loved it, which is a big plus. Thanks so much for all of the details and easy to follow instructions.
These are in my oven right now. One with Italian meats and cheese, and the other with pesto, chicken, cheese and roasted red peppers. I’ve made them several times before, and this recipe is a keeper in my house! The blend of flavors with the crust is perfect. I love that Sally gives us the internal temperature of recipes like this. It’s the perfect test for doneness. Numbers don’t lie!
This recipe is delicious- whole family loves it! I do have issues with the baking every time I try it- I end up baking for way past the recommended time (like another 10-15 minutes with foil over it once it gets brown so it doesn’t burn) because the middle fold of dough is still dough and underbaked at 25 minutes. This happens every time I try this recipe. My sister never has this issue and we can’t figure out what I may be doing differently. Any suggestions or thoughts?
Hi Paula, we’re so glad this is a favorite for you! Every oven can be a bit different, so no worries if yours takes just a bit longer than stated. It could simply be that your sister’s oven runs a bit hotter than yours. If you’ve found a good baking time for you, stick with that!
I found that making sure the internal temp gets to 200 is key (as the recipe notes above) that makes sure that the inner dough is fully baked. Takes about 45-50 min with my oven each time I make this recipe.
This is a big hit with husband and our neighbors.
This was so good. Brought back memories of when my dad would get these from an Italian bakery. I used pepperoni, Genoa salami, soppressata, provolone, and shredded mozzarella. The next time I make it, I’ll just use all provolone with the same meat combo. I was worried that it might be too salty, but it wasn’t.
How about giving a temp to set the oven to.
See step 5.
I tried this out and mine came out just like your photos and tasted really good. I added just a bit of prosciutto to the Genoa Salami and deli pepperoni mix. My daughter loved it!
Did not see at what temperature yo bake the Stromboli
Hi I’m aula, see instruction #5! You’re going to bake at 400 degrees (F) for approximately 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Hope you enjoy the Stromboli!
This is my absolute favorite Stromboli! I do have one question though – just to clarify something for myself. If I want to refrigerate the shaped Stromboli, I follow the instructions through the end of step 7, and then I put it in the fridge. Is that correct? The next day, I’ll take it out and pop it into the oven, yes? If it’s in the fridge overnight, will the dough be extra poofy and change how the Stromboli looks and tastes?
Thanks for the help! And thank you for the most delicious Stromboli recipe!
Hi Haley! Yes, you can refrigerate the shaped Stromboli overnight, then bake it. It shouldn’t puff up too much with the fillings in it. Hope you love it!
I tried this recipe and WOW it’s amazing. I’m having company and going to make two of them, one Italian, and the other Chicken Cordon Bleu. wish me luck!
smeared on some leftover Pesto sauce – highly recommend. Dough is basic, but oh-so-good. Website takes a long time to load and freezes a lot. Deli pep was a winner, for 60 cents.
Made this for the first time tonight and it came out PERFECT. I baked with one and froze the other. The video is super helpful for people like me who are visual learners lol mine came out beautiful and can’t wait to make it again. Delicious.
I make this recipe all the time. It is so good and it isn’t hard . The dough comes together nice and the Stromboli turns out beautiful. Thank you Sally for another great recipe.
Is there a way to make this with prepared pizza or bread dough?
Hi Barbara, yes, you could certainly make it with a store-bought pizza dough. Preparation and baking instructions remain the same.
I’ve tried many of your recipes and they are the best! Thank you.