Stromboli Friday is the new Pizza Friday
Confession, I am a creature of habit and slightly OCD. For me the perfect Friday night consists of homemade pizza, a glass of wine and a movie (or if I’m being completely honest Dateline, act like you aren’t addicted to it too). This love for pizza began as a small child; however even as a kid I had to do things my own way. I went through this phase where I would not eat pizza with cheese on it. Yes the girl who can’t go a day without eating cheese now once couldn’t stand the sight of it on her pizza. My specialty order of a “sauce pizza” only lasted for a few years before I came to my senses and realized just what I was missing out on by opting for no cheese. Funny enough this preference for a cheese-less pizza has been passed down to my niece. Lucky for her I know exactly where she is coming from and can safely say that she will be loving cheese pizza in no time.
For me, the second Thursday comes around I start dreaming up what kind of pizza I’ll have for dinner Friday night. Most of the time it’s a vegetable pizza that way I can tell myself its healthy and allow myself that third slice. However this Friday I decided to throw caution to the wind and revamp my Friday night ritual with a Soppressata Stromboli.
Soppressata Stromboli
For the Pizza Dough: (yields (2) 1 pound balls of dough)
2 (1/4 oz.) packets active dry yeast
1½ cups warm water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup olive oil, plus more for the bowl
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
For the Stromboli:
1 lbs. fresh pizza dough
1 cup marinara sauce, divided
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ lbs. soppressata, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh baby spinach, stems removed
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for garnish
basil leaves, torn for garnish
Directions
For The Dough:
Into a large bowl pour the warm water and sprinkle with the yeast, let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Whisk the sugar oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Add the flour and stir until the dough forms a sticky ball. Divide the dough in half and transfer to two oiled bowls. Be sure that both balls of dough are well coated in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size. At this point if you are not using the dough you can wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it until ready to use. Otherwise flatten the dough and form into your desired shape.
For the Stromboli:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll out your dough into a ½ inch thick rectangle with the long end closest to you. Leaving a ½ inch boarder, spread ½ cup marinara sauce evenly over the dough. Top with mozzarella cheese, soppressata and baby spinach. Starting with the long end tightly roll your dough into a log creating a spiral on the inside. Place seam side down on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and top with freshly grated Parmigiano cheese. Bake until golden brown 25-30 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing into 1½ inch pieces. Garnish with more Parmigiano, basil, and remaining marinara sauce.