Petite Strombolli's

A few years ago my sister-in-law Heather, a great cook in her own right, and brother-in-law came to visit us for a few days. They put some things from their travel cooler in our fridge for safe and cool keeping while we gallivanted around town. After a good time was had by all they left and went back home and lo and behold I opened the refrigerator door and these yummy looking crescent shaped beauties were waving hello! So I did what all good care-takers would do-I ate them. Of course I called Heather and thanked her and coaxed her into sharing the recipe with me.

They are a terrific travel-friendly "sandwich" of sorts. And completely open to being personalized with whatever you might like. We opt for lunch meat, tomatoes, and onions. But any pizza-like, sandwich friendly, and oven-appropriate topping would do. And the best part is, kids love them and so does marinara dipping sauce. Make them for your next picnic lunch, road trip, or just plain dinner.

Heather's Petite Strombolli's

1 recipe of wheat pizza crust dough, see below

sliced deli meat, such as turkey or ham

sliced or grated cheese of choice (I used swiss and provolone because I had it on hand)

olive oil

garlic powder and onion powder if you have it

black pepper

sliced onion, red or yellow briefly sauteed in a olive oil

sliced tomatoes

cornmeal (if you have it)

marinara sauce for dipping

After 1st rise of pizza dough, shape dough into large round. Cut dough like a pie into triangles. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic/onion powder. Top each with meat, cheese, semi-cooked onions, and tomatoes. Sprinkle with black pepper. Roll up from wide end toward point. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal if using, and place strombolli's on sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until golden. Serve warm or room temp with marinara sauce for dipping.

Wheat Crust Pizza Dough

1 packet active, dry yeast (regular or rapid rise)

2+ cups flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 cup really warm water

1 T sugar

1 T olive oil

Black pepper, a few cranks worth

Proof yeast by placing warm water, yeast and 1 T sugar in bowl of mixer. When foamy add 1 cup white flour, 1/4 cup wheat flour, salt, olive and black pepper to yeast mixture and mix for 2 minutes. Add in remaining white flour. When dough pulls together, either knead in mixer for a few minutes or dump onto floured surface and knead my hand adding a bit more flour if needed. You want the dough to be a tad sticky but easily handled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 1-2 hours until doubled. Do not punch down. Gently shape into whatever you want. For pizza crust, sprinkle pizza pan with cormeal, and place shaped dough onto pan. For crispy crust, not need to let rise again, top with toppings and bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes until golden brown. For soft crust, let shaped dough rise 1/2 hour and then top and bake at 350 for 25-25 minutes.