Stromboli

Pizza fillings rolled into a log rather than folded, with the top vented to let steam escape evenly.

Prep: 20 minRise: 60 minBake: 25 minTotal: about 105 minDifficulty: Medium

Makes

1 large stromboli

What's going on here

Where a calzone folds dough over filling into a sealed half-moon, a stromboli rolls it up into a log, which changes the shape of the moisture problem rather than removing it — a longer, thinner shape with a seam running the whole length gives steam a longer path to travel to escape, but also more total seam length where it could potentially find a weak point. Rolled fillings tend to be layered rather than mixed — cheese and meats stacked in sheets across the rolled-out dough — partly for visual effect once sliced, and partly because layering keeps any given point in the roll from having too concentrated a pocket of wet filling in one place. Cutting angled vents across the top before baking, similar in spirit to a bread's scored slashes, both releases steam in a controlled way along the log's length and, since the cuts partially open during baking, helps the log's surface area increase slightly for more even browning.

Ingredients

Dough

3 cupsBread flour
1 cupWater, warm
1 1/8 tspInstant yeast
Instant/quick-rise: stir straight into the dry ingredients, no proofing needed.
2 tbspOlive oil
1 1/2 tspSalt

Filling

6 ozDeli ham or salami, sliced
8 ozProvolone or mozzarella, sliced
1/2 cupRoasted red peppers, well drained and patted dry(optional)

Finish

1Egg, beaten

Instructions

Dough

Whisk the flour and yeast together, then stir in the water and oil to form a shaggy dough. Add the salt and knead until smooth.

Rise

Cover and let rise until doubled.

Prep

Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F).

Shape

Roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 14x10 inches. Layer the ham, cheese, and peppers if using across the middle two-thirds, leaving a border.

Roll

Roll up tightly from one long edge into a log, pinching the final seam and the ends closed firmly.
Tip: The layered approach, rather than mixing everything together, keeps any one spot in the log from having a dense pocket of filling that's more likely to leak.

Bake

Place seam-side down on a lined sheet, cut several angled vents across the top, brush with egg wash, and bake until deeply golden.
Tip: The vents matter here as much as on a calzone — they give steam a controlled route out along the whole length of the seam.

Rest

Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Claude Score

86/100Excellent

Well-built recipe. Sound ratios and real flavor development.

Ratio soundness25% of total: 86
Flavor development25% of total: 88
Texture control20% of total: 86
Reliability20% of total: 82
Pantry accessibility10% of total: 84

Correctly frames the log shape and layered filling as a different geometry of the same moisture-management problem the calzone solves, rather than treating the two dishes as unrelated.

Scored on the science of cooking — ratios, flavour development, texture control, how forgiving the method is, and whether you can make it from what's in the cupboard. Not a measure of how much you'll like it.

Tips for this recipe

Filling leaked out the seam

Check that any wet ingredients like roasted peppers were thoroughly drained and patted dry, and make sure the seam and both ends were pinched firmly closed before baking.

Let it rest before cutting

Cutting immediately releases a rush of hot filling and steam that can make slices messy — a short rest lets things settle, the same as resting a loaf of bread before slicing.