My father-in-law is part Albanian, and one of his family recipes is to make a homemade bread called “Valya”.  He makes it about twice a year for everyone to enjoy.  It is a spicy bread made with lots of seasonings (paprika, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and black pepper) and oils then rolled into a log and cut into pinwheels.

These Pepperoni Pinwheels are a spin off of Valya, but a bit less labor intensive albeit very tasty! These are a great appetizer for the little ones. I make them extra spicy with lots of black pepper and paprika, but you can tone down the spice as well.  With that said, you can also spice it up with a little crushed red pepper flakes.  If you don’t eat meat, just skip the pepperoni.  Either way you choose to make these they are delicious!!!!!!! A must try appetizer for your next family gathering.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a rectangular baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread a small amount of olive oil on it, so the pinwheels don’t stick. Next, place the store bought dough onto a floured surface or line a board with parchment paper to gently roll the dough out just to stretch it to roughly 9 inches by 14 inches, as seen in the below photo.

Then add a drizzle of olive oil spreading it out with your clean hands.  Time to spice it up! Add a few dashes of paprika, sea salt and black pepper to taste along with a sprinkle of dried parsley flakes for a pop of color.  If you wish, you may add some crushed red pepper flakes.  Next, add the pepperoni covering most of the dough, maybe 30 pieces. Take a look at the picture so you have an idea how you should lay them out.

 

Next, cover the pepperoni with shredded cheddar cheese, about 1 cup, maybe a little less if you prefer.  Now you can gently roll it into a log, and cut it into the pinwheels.

 

Place the pinwheels onto the greased baking sheet, and gently press them to slightly flatten them.

 

Sprinkle on more paprika and dried parsley flakes. Bake in the oven for roughly 10-12 minutes until slightly browned.