Stromboli

I feel really bad that I have been withholding this recipe from my blog readers for so long. Will is SO proud of making the perfect version of this stromboli, that I feel really guilty that I have not shared it with the world yet. But if there's any recipe I haven't been typing recently that is worth waiting for, this one is it! This is the type of recipe that after you have it the first night, you crave the leftovers the entire next day. And I mean the entire day. Will and I e-mail back and forth at work every day, and after he made this, the next day almost every e-mail included: "I just want to go home and eat the leftover stromboli." So it really was that good. I'll let the pictures really speak for the quality of this meal :)

This is also another one of those recipes that could be extremely versatile. The original recipe called for salami with provolone cheese and banana pepper slices. However, Will decided to make it with spinach, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes! Other suggestions would be your standard meatballs with marinara sauce, broccoli and cheddar cheese, cooked/caramelized mushrooms and cheese, caramelized onions and chicken, etc. The only thing you need to be careful of is to not to cook anything too soggy for the inside, but rather prepare the foods in advance (like mushrooms, onions, squash-anything with a water base to it).

Cooking Notes: We did not use the following from the original recipe: salami, provolone cheese, and banana pepper slices.

Stromboli (adapted from Budget Bytes; serves 4-6)
For the Dough
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups all purpose flour
For the Insides
8-10 oz. baby spinach
8 oz. block of mozzarella, shredded
6 oz. sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp Italian seasoning blend

Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar and stir until dissolved. Let that sit for about 5 minutes or until it becomes frothy on the top. After 5 minutes have passed, stir in the olive oil and salt. Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl and add one cup of flour. Stir until smooth.

Continue to add flour, a half cup at a time, until you can no longer stir it with a spoon. At that point, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, adding more flour as you go. Knead in flour until the dough is soft, but no longer sticky (you end up using about 2 1/4 - 3 cups total). Form the dough into a ball, place it back in the bowl, loosely cover it with plastic, and let it rise for 1-1 1/2 hours or until double in size.

Once the dough is double in size, take it out of the bowl and place it on a floured surface again. Pat the dough down into a rough rectangular shape and then gently stretch the dough into a larger 12x18 inch rectangle. Stretching the dough rather than rolling it with a rolling pin will give a fluffier end product.

Arrange your toppings over the dough. Roll the dough up so that it forms an 18 inch log. Place the rolled dough on a baking sheet and brush with the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over top, then allow to rise for about an hour. Finally, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, Bake the stromboli for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Slice into 12 pieces and enjoy!

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Stromboli