History
The pepperoni roll spread from the West Virginia coalfields into western Pennsylvania's Italian bakeries, where pepperoni and cheese are baked inside a soft bread roll. In Pittsburgh's Strip District, Jimmy & Nino Sunseri became famous for an oversized two-pound version stuffed with house pepperoni, mozzarella and provolone. The rolls are sold warm from bakery counters as a portable lunch with deep Appalachian-Italian roots.
Book a food experience
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 500g bread flour
- 300ml warm water
- 7g instant yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 10g salt
- 30ml olive oil
- 150g sliced pepperoni
- 150g shredded provolone or mozzarella
Method
- Mix flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt and oil into a soft dough; knead 8 minutes.
- Rest covered 90 minutes until doubled.
- Divide into 6 pieces and flatten each into a rectangle.
- Lay pepperoni and cheese down the centre of each and roll up, sealing the seam.
- Place seam-side down on a tray and rest 30 minutes.
- Bake at 190C (375F) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
- Cool slightly and eat warm, when the cheese is still soft.
Tip from the editors. Seal the seam well and bake seam-side down so the cheese does not leak out as it melts.
Where to eat the pepperoni roll
The pepperoni roll in Pittsburgh
Jimmy & Nino Sunseri Co. ★ 4.2
Jimmy & Nino Sunseri is a third-generation Italian deli in the Strip District in Pittsburgh. Famous for two-pound pepperoni rolls and fresh-baked bread.
TipOrder the pepperoni roll, the store's signature. Jimmy is the Strip's unofficial greeter.
Mancini's Bread Company ★ 4.3
Mancini's Bread on Penn Avenue in the Strip District has baked Italian bread in Pittsburgh since 1926. The Signature Twist is its most famous loaf.
Worth the queueSignature Twist loaf
More places near Jimmy & Nino Sunseri Co. and Mancini's Bread Company
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Primanti Bros (Strip District original) Sandwiches, under 100 m away
- Labad's Mediterranean Cafe and Grocery Market, under 100 m away
- Jimmy & Nino Sunseri Pepperoni Roll Street food, about 100 m away
- Mancini's Bakery (Strip District) Market, about 100 m away
- Mancini's Bread Street food, about 100 m away
- Wholey's Fish Market Market, about 100 m away
More cities are in research. Want the pepperoni roll covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.