When I was an undergrad at Texas A&M, there was a pizza place there called DoubleDave’s, and they had these pepperoni rolls that I really loved. There’s a similar food popular in West Virginia, apparently, but those are different than the ones I had in college. Anyway, I’ve never seen anything like them anywhere else, and a few years ago I tried to make my own, but they were pretty meh. I decided to try again yesterday. I didn’t make my own dough because all my dough and bread making stuff is packed already, so I got one of those refrigerated, raw pizza dough balls at the grocery store. These came out pretty good. The flavor is very much what I remember from DoubleDave’s. I need to work on my roll making skills, but it was pretty good for a first (well, second) attempt. The thing that really made a difference between my earlier attempt and this one was discovering that DoubleDave’s doesn’t use mozzarella in their pepperoni rolls. They use provolone. It made all the difference.
I dipped them in pizza sauce, because like Stromboli, there’s no sauce inside these. I do remember in college a lot of people dipped them in ranch instead. Anyway, if you want to make them, you just roll out your favorite pizza dough into a normal round pizza shape, cut the raw dough into several “slices”, place pepperoni and provolone cheese along the outside edge, and roll them up into a roll shape. I didn’t leave enough room to seal the ends, which I will do next time. I also think I should have rolled the dough out to a bigger, flatter circle. And then you just bake them until golden brown.
that sounds really good! i like that there is no sauce inside, just the pepperoni and (yes!) provolone! i am very particular when it comes to saucing a pizza. i don’t like many commercial sauces (too sweet) and too lazy to make my own. i tend to go with EVOO and garlic, maybe some ricotta.
i think i will try your suggestion here, and maybe a dipping sauce of olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes.
cool idea! thanks!
is Double Dave’s still around? my sister lives in College Station and i’ll have to ask her to try it out, if she hasn’t already - she also graduated A&M and has been there many years. cheers!
The pizza was always pretty mid, in my opinion. It’s the pepperoni rolls everyone liked. Plus, at least when I was in college in the late 80s, early 90s, the all you can eat Sunday buffet. Back then, the dining halls on campus weren’t open for Sunday dinner, so we’d schlep over to DoubleDave’s late Sunday afternoon and just pig out. And, once we were 21, drink a lot of beer because they had dozens of beers from all around the world, and you could get your name on the wall if you had all of them. Not all at once. They had a punch card thing. I never got my name on the wall. I tried, though. That was a lot of beer, and some of it was expensive.
Kind of reminds me of Godfather’s Pizza. They had a buffet and the quality of the pizza was better than Cici’s from what i recall. I don’t get pizza much these days but i do have a fondness for Marco’s Pizza. Quality of their ingredients is pretty decent for a chain.
If you try to make them, I would also try using smoked provolone. I didn’t do that, but I’m pretty sure that’s what DoubleDave’s used.
Jonathan Weissman just made a video where he tried all the pizza chain’s pizza. Godfather’s didn’t fare well, although better than Cici’s. Marco’s was, according to him, by far the best pizza they tried. I’ve never tried Marco’s. There aren’t any near me, but I’m in New Jersey so there’s a billion and a half mom and pop pizza places better than any chain.
Right on, definitely small businesses are the way to go for pizza. The supposedly “good” pizza where i’m at is usually over priced because that’s just how Austin is, but there are a few places that make pizza that are decent enough.
I would assume that using extra virgin olive oil for sauce is not the best use of the oil. A standard but good quality olive oil should suffice? As far as i know extra virgin olive oil should typically be used as a finishing oil or used in something that is cooked at very low temp. If i’m wrong let me know I haven’t really bothered making a pasta or pizza sauce entirely from scratch.
Tomato should be cooked at a low temperature for a long time. The very barest of simmers for as long as possible delivers the best sauce. With the skins and seeds and pulp removed of course. And yes good extra virgin olive oil. It’s so simple, so much hassle, so seriously amazingly beautiful.
I’m no expert but the same applies to salsas as well as Italian style sauces. Also curries.temper the spices, brown the onions, add garlic and ginger and then add the tomato and some fresh chilli, adding water if it is drying out, until the oil splits out after a good long cook and your sauce is ready.
I haven’t really bothered making a pasta or pizza sauce entirely from scratch.
