This dough recipe comes from one of the earliest known pizza crusts. The Romans, who were quite fond of black pepper, used a dough similar to this, but which was richer because it included eggs and honey. Naturally rendered pork lard is essential to this crust. If you can’t get any you can use the same amount of olive oil, but the taste will be different.
1 cup warm water (110 – 115 deg. F.)
1 package active dry yeast
3 to 3-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 heaping tablespoon naturally rendered pork lard
Pour the water into a medium sized mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir gently until the yeast has dissolved and the water turns a light beige color.
Add a cup of the flour, the salt, pepper and lard and mix well using a wooden spoon. Add another cup of flour and mix well. After the second cup of flour has been added the dough should start coming away from the sides of the bowl and should start to form a sticky mass. Follow the remainder of the steps for the Sicilian style dough.
Now we’re ready to lay out and form the dough. Lightly coat a 12 x 17 inch jelly roll pan with vegetable oil. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside (filling recipes follow). Roll a 12 x 18 inch rectangle out of the dough. Arrange the dough so that the shorter side is at the top and bottom. Lay the filling evenly down the center of the dough, leaving a 1 inch border at the top and bottom and 4 inches at either side. The diagram below should help if you’re not sure how to lay out the dough. The Xs indicate the area for the filling.
12″
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Fold one side over the filling, repeat with the other side, and tuck in the dough at either end. Carefully lift the roll onto a prepared baking sheet. Arrange it so the seam side is down and the roll is diagonally on the sheet. Reshape the roll by smoothing and pressing the dough carefully, and by smoothing the filling. Don’t press to hard, gently . . . gently . . . Ahhh! that’s it. Cover the roll with a towel and let it rise for about 1/2 hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 400 deg. F. for 30 minutes, while the dough is rising. Brush the roll lightly with olive oil, prick it in a few places along the top with a fork. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
THE FILLINGS
What’s a pizza without topping, or a calzone without filling, or a Stromboli without stuffing? What follows are a few recipes that I know will work. You can, of course, adapt your own. Perhaps a nice seafood calzone or deep dish spinach and cheese filling that you like will find a new place as a stuffing for Stromboli.
Broccoli Sausage Stuffing
1 lb broccoli or Swiss chard
1/2 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage meat, removed from casing, crumbled
1/2 lb mozzarella, coarsely shredded
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Wash the greens well and discard any woody or pulpy stems. Chop the remainder into small pieces. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the greens and saute on high heat for a minute. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and stir for another 2 – 3 minutes, or just until the vegetables turn a bright green. Add some water, cover the pan and cook until the greens are tender, 2 – 5 minutes. Drain very well, set aside to cool and then toss with sausage and cheese.
Cheese and Greens Stuffing
Follow the recipe above for the preparing the broccoli or chard. To that, add 1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup caciocavallo, shredded (provolone would be a good substitute)
1/2 cup scamorza or smoked mozzarella, coarsely shredded
fresh ground black pepper to taste
Sausage, Spinach and Cheese Stuffing
1/2 lb sweet or hot Italian sausage meat, removed from casings, crumbled and
browned in 1 tablespoon olive oil;
1/2 lb cooked potatoes, mashed
1 lb fresh spinach, cooked, squeezed dry and chopped
*OR*
1 x 10 ounce package frozen spinach, cooked, chopped and squeezed dry
1 small sweet onion, finely minced, sauteed in 1 tablespoon olive oil until golden
1 ounce canned anchovies, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded caciocavallo
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 extra large egg, beaten
lots of fresh ground black pepper
Drain excess fat from browned sausage. Combine and mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.