A tall man with a warm smile and work hardened hands comes into the store every morning for a cup of coffee and a chat- with me, or Kyra or one of the other regulars. Meet Roy Goodman, retired elevator repair man, world class volunteer at the Kempton Community Center, and baker. He bakes regularly and he regularly buys all of his baking needs here at the store.

For years during our daily chat he’d describe “pepperoni bread” to me as he purchased the requisite Cooper Sharp cheese and sliced pepperoni. Well this morning- after 9 years- Roy finally brought me a slice of his pepperoni bread! It was beautiful… a swirl of red and white in a soft flaky dough. After a short warm up in the toaster I gleefully ate it, dipped into pizza sauce from the deli, as my breakfast. It was melty and the combo of cooper and pepperoni was far better then any pepperoni pizza! The dough was delicate and chewy at the same time. It turns out Roy has a gift… and so I promptly made him tell me his secrets:

“It all started in Emmaus” he said, “There was a convenience store, a Unimart I think, where Buss Paint is now, right at the center of town. A young girl who worked there would make this pepperoni bread and it was first come first serve, it always sold out. Well she let me watch her make it and showed me how. I’ve been making it ever since.”

Pepperoni Bread

In a stand mixer combine:
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
1 T. honey
Let the yeast work for 5 minutes and add:
1 1/2 c. mashed potato
1/2 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
Mix on low until incorporated, then add:
Enough bread flour to make a soft dough (the amount will vary depending on the moisture content of the potatoes, the temperature and humidity) but about 2 cups.
Let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat your oven to 375°.
Punch dough down and knead for 5 minutes until a smooth stretchy ball forms.
On a floured surface, roll dough into the most uniform rectangle you can manage.
Layer:
3/4 lb sliced cooper sharp
1/2 lb sliced pepperoni
Roll loosely and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake 45-50 minutes
Let bread rest for 5-10 minutes so your cheese doesn’t pour out when you cut into it.
This dough recipe makes enough for 3 loaves of bread. Divide the dough into thirds and make into rolls or any other bread item of your choosing, or make 3 loaves of pepperoni bread- you’ll need more pepperoni and cooper though!