Italian Seasoned Pepperoni Poppers
The Mousetrap is doing another recipe contest for March Madness season so of COURSE I had to join in. They’ve got a solid selection of meats, so I felt like these puffs were the perfect thing, and super great for March madness celebrations!
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour (separated)
1 package active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp onion powder
3/4 cup warm water (120-130*)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped pepperoni (or salami from the Mousetrap)
vegetable oil for frying
Steps:
Mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and onion powder in large mixing bowl.
Add the warm water, oil, and egg. Beat at low speed until ingredients are moist, scraping the bowl continuously.
Then beat at medium speed for ~3 minutes.
Stir in the cheese and the remaining flour to make a slightly stiff dough. Knead for 5-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth & elastic. Add additional flour as needed.
Coat the ball of dough with oil and let rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes, or until doubled.
Once risen, punch dough down and divide in half. Roll each to 1/2 “ thickness and cut in 2” rounds.
Place 1/2 tsp of the chopped meat of choice in the center of the round. Brush the edges with water and top with another round. Press the edges together with a fork to seal.
Cover and let rise for ~30 minutes.
Heat 1-2 inches of oil to ~ 365*. Fry 3-4 puffs at a time, for 3-4 minutes or until brown.
While my family created this recipe with pepperoni, I am more of a salami fan so that’s what I chose to use in mine! But there are so many different things you can use inside these if you want more. You could easily add some sauce or cheese into these as well. My next go, I’m going to try a Caprese filling! These are so straightforward and easy that it’s super simple to customize them into whatever you want them to be.
