The fat renders into the bread, which is the point
Pepperoni Roll
Pepperoni and mozzarella coiled through dough with a sesame crust, so the fat renders into the bread as it bakes.
On a pizza, pepperoni fat renders outward and pools in the cups. Wrapped in dough it has nowhere to go, so it renders inward instead and soaks into the bread around the spiral. That is the entire reason to eat a pepperoni roll rather than a slice of pepperoni pizza: it is a different thing that happens to use the same two ingredients.
It uses a flatter-cut pepperoni than the pizza does, because cupping is irrelevant in here and a flat slice packs into the spiral without leaving gaps. The gaps are what make a roll fall apart when you cut it.
Sesame on the crust, which is a Queens habit rather than an Italian one, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
What goes on it
The pepperoni
Flat-cut, laid in overlapping rows so the spiral has no voids.
The cheese
Whole-milk mozzarella and a little provolone for sharpness.
The dough
The 48-hour pizza dough, rolled out.
The crust
Egg-washed and rolled in sesame seeds.
How it is made here
Laid in rows
Overlapping, edge to edge. A handful thrown on leaves gaps and the roll collapses when it is cut.
Rolled tight
Tighter than the spinach roll, because there is no wet filling to steam it open.
Sesame on the outside
Egg wash, then rolled in seeds on a tray.
Eighteen minutes
At 500°F until the sesame is properly toasted and the spiral is set.
Pepperoni Roll — what it costs
- Each$6.50
- Half dozen$36
Prices include every topping listed above. Extras are $3 for vegetables and $4 for meats. Prices change when our costs do; the menu here is the menu in the shop.
Before you order this
A shared flour kitchen, and what that rules out. Our kitchen handles wheat flour in open air all day, along with milk, eggs, soy, tree nuts and fish. Flour becomes airborne every time a dough ball is opened, and it settles on every surface in the room, including the peels, the oven floor, the cutting board and the wheel. We can tell you what we put on a pizza, and we will tell you honestly. We cannot tell you that anything leaving this kitchen is free of an allergen, and we will not say it. If a reaction would send you to hospital, this is not a safe kitchen for you, and we would far rather say so than take the order.
The kitchen is one room. Every pizza here is opened on the same bench, baked on the same floor and cut with the same wheel, and that is true of this one as much as any other. The pages on allergens and cross-contact and vegetarian, vegan and dietary questions set out plainly what we can and cannot tell you, including the things most shops leave you to assume.
The rest of the menu
Other things worth ordering
Spinach Roll
Spinach wilted with garlic and squeezed dry, rolled through pizza dough with mozzarella and baked until the spiral sets.
From $6.50
Chicken Roll
Grilled chicken thigh, mozzarella and a little roasted pepper rolled in dough and baked — the one that sells out first on a Friday.
From $7.50
Broccoli & Garlic Roll
Broccoli florets roasted hard with garlic and chilli, rolled with mozzarella so the char comes through the bread.
From $6.50Asked at the counter
Pepperoni Roll — questions
Is it spicier than the pepperoni pizza?
Slightly, because the fat and spice stay inside rather than rendering away. Same pepperoni, more concentrated.
Can I get it without sesame?
Yes, just ask. It is made to order then, so allow twenty minutes.
Does it freeze?
Yes, well, wrapped tightly. From frozen, twenty-five minutes at 350°F in an oven. Not in a microwave.
Twelve to fifteen minutes, and worth the wait
Order a pie
Telephone the shop and we will tell you honestly how long the kitchen is running before you commit to anything. Collection is always quicker than delivery and the pizza is always better for it. If you are ordering for a crowd, the catering page has the trays and the notice we need.