When I was in college, I lived in an apartment with three other girls. It was an incredibly run-down apartment, and it was near impossible to keep clean. And I don’t mean that in a lazy way. I think if you spent a day cleaning it, with no furniture or items in it, it would still be gross. There was a baseline sheen of gross that you just couldn’t get out. If you have been to any college apartment… I think you know what I’m talking about.
I digress. The kitchen was the hardest to keep clean – the kitchen items for four people were crammed into every cabinet and inch of counter space. It was always a mess. I was definitely part of the problem. So cooking was kept to a minimum. (If you’re wondering why blog posts from me were nonexistent for a 3 year stretch there… that’s why.) But there were rare occasions when my roommates and I tried to clean up and make a meal we could all enjoy. One of those things we went out of our way to make were these pepperoni bagel bombs. I was working at Milk Bar, and would sometimes get to bring home the discards (when there were any). And since they were so good, we decide to just make our own.
They were quite a production to make in a kitchen like that one. I truly shudder to imagine cooking in that kitchen now. But to make the frozen pepperoni balls, find space for them in the fridge, and then make a yeasted dough? Wow. What was I thinking.
You can make this with just store-bought pizza dough if you don’t want to make homemade dough. I’m not sure why we didn’t do that?
Anyways… these pepperoni bagel bombs are great. One of the best things Milk Bar offers. And I am not someone who has any sort of nostalgic association with pizza rolls or anything. They few times I have had pizza rolls, I have not enjoyed them.
But these?? Delicious. A proper treat. Superior in every way imaginable. 1 is a perfect snack. 2 with a side salad could be a meal.
I zhushed these up a bit with some miso garlic marinara and chopped onion. You could swap out the pepperoni for sausage if you’re feeling crazy. It’s a very adaptable recipe! And very easy to make if you’re not in a college apartment that’s falling apart at the seams, with a college brain that’s falling apart at the seams.
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Feel free to change these up however you want – switch out the sauce, the meat, the cheese. Use homemade or store bought pizza dough to make them as easy as you want.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 6 oz package pepperoni (with 16 slices reserved)
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce of choice
- 5 oz shredded mozzarella/provolone
- 3 oz shredded Parmesan
- 1/2 an onion (optional)
For the dough*
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 3/4 cups water, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
*Alternatively, a store bought pizza dough can be used!
Instructions
- Chop up your pepperoni slices, and dice your onion if using. Reserve 16 pepperoni slices for topping your bagel bombs, if desired.
- Then, in a large bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients. Once combined, scoop out into 16 even lumps onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Put them in the freezer until solid.
- Next, make the dough: Stir together 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer — do it by hand, using the dough hook like a spoon. Continue stirring by hand as you add 1 3/4 cup water, mixing for 1 minute, until the mixture has come together in a shaggy mess.
- Knead the ball of dough until it is smoother and more cohesive. The dough should look like a wet ball and should bounce back softly when prodded. This may take 5-10 minutes.
- Brush a large bowl with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and transfer the dough ball into it. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough proof at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Assembly:
- Punch down and flatten the dough on a smooth, dry countertop. Use a dough cutter to divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Use your fingers to gently stretch each piece of dough out into a mini pizza between 2 and 3 inches wide.
- Put a frozen pepperoni ball in the center of each dough circle. Bring up the edges of each round and pinch to seal so that the pepperoni ball is completely contained, then gently roll the ball between the palms of your hands to ensure that the bomb has a nice, round, dinner roll-y shape. Arrange the bombs 4 inches apart on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.
- Whisk 1 egg together with 1/2 teaspoon of water to create the egg wash. Brush a generous coat of this wash on the buns. Place a pepperoni slice on top of each bun, and sprinkle with extra mozzarella if desire.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Bake the bagel bombs for 20 – 30 minutes. While in the oven, the bombs will become a deep golden brown and a few may have filling explosions. You can use your fingers to tuck the filling inside, or leave them as is.
- Serve immediately, or save in the fridge or freezer and reheat in the microwave or oven. If reheating in the oven, preheat the oven to 300 and heat for 15 minutes.
Notes
Dough recipe from Milk Bar via Manhattan Food Project