Peter Reinhart

Stromboli

Preparation info

  • Makes 1 large Stromboli, which feeds

    20

    people

    • Difficulty

      Medium

Appears in

top 1000Brother Juniper’s Bread Book

Brother Juniper’s Bread Book

By Peter Reinhart

Published 1991

  • About

Dough is a tolerant medium: there is no need to go to great lengths to insure that you start with exactly 100 ounces. Two recipes of Cajun Three-pepper or Wheat and Buttermilk dough will work fine: as will one and a half recipes of Tex-Mex or Roasted Three-Seed Bread.

Ingredients

  • 6¼ pounds (100 ounces) dough1
  • 300 cloves garlic, roasted
  • 6 cups cheese, grated (we use combinations of Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, and mozzarella, but any cheese will do)
  • Pizza toppings for the filling: sliced olives, marinated artichoke heats, onions, mung bean sprouts, roasted red peppers, jalapeño peppers, mushrooms, chopped meats, sausage, diced broccoli, and so on.

    Method

    Roll Out

    A Stromboli is like a pizza, only bigger. Make dough according to whichever recipe you have chosen and, while it is rising for the first time, roast the garlic. Peel the cloves, toss them in a little olive oil and roast them slowly at 350°F. for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic softens and begins to brown.

    When the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it out into a big rectangle, measuring about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide.

    Add Toppings

    Cover the surface of the dough with the chopped garlic or whole roasted garlic gloves. On top of the garlic sprinkle a liberal quantity of cheese.

    Sprinkle on other toppings

    Rolling It Up

    The hard part is rolling it up. Start from the bottom, the edge nearest you. Loosen the dough from the counter with a peel or spatula and begin rolling, trying to keep the filling in but do not worry if some falls out. When the dough is completely rolled up, pinch the seam, seal the ends, and put the whole thing on a sheet pan either straight, like a baguette, or circle, like a wreath.

    Baking

    Bake immediately at 350°F. (300°F. in a convection oven) for about 1 hour. You can spray it as you would French bread if you desire a crisper crust or brush it with egg wash (1 egg whisked in 2 cups water) to give it a little sheen. It will need to be dark gold, almost brown, before the oven is turned off. Leave it in the oven for a 15-minute cool down. It is difficult to cook the inside spirals because of the filling so this extra time is important.