Pizza Roll Crusties

Many months ago I got an email from Betsy’s sister-in-law asking for a favor for the next time we saw them.

Her request:

“In college, we had these things call Chanceys Crusties that were amazing and delicious and awesome (also possibly laced with something because they were amazingly addictive).  Chancey’s has since closed so you can’t get them anymore.  Will you make them for me?”

I’m always happy to help making long lost treats. There were a few versions of these on the internet, but I kind of made it my own, especially the filling.

If you’re wondering where the name “Crusties” comes from it’s because as these bake, some of the cheese filling actually comes out of the roll, browns on the baking sheet, and turns into crispy little cheese bits.

Crispy little cheese bits that you will want to eat.

Chanceys Crusties

The Dough

This is actually just a simple pizza dough recipe really. In fact, if you have a pizza dough recipe you love, I think you could use it.

You could also use store-bought pizza dough in a pinch without much issue.

If you want to make it homemade though, it’s not too hard. Just stir together the yeast with the water and pinch of sugar and let it sit until the yeast bubbles, about five minutes.

Then stir in salt and flour until it forms a loose dough.

Start kneading the dough in the bowl until it’s very smooth and elastic, but not too sticky. If it gets too sticky feel free to add more flour.

You should be kneading it for close to ten minutes so it’s the right texture.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl after you knead it and let it rise for at least two hours until it doubles in volume.

Then you can bunch it down and divide the dough into two even pieces which you’ll use to make Chanceys Crusties.

Making the Crusties

There are two main fillings you’ll need for these guys. You definitely need lots of cheese. Personally I found provolone to be a good fit, but I think any cheese would work okay.

I also added in some pepperoni, but you could leave these out if you wanted.

Roll your dough out into a large rectangle and then brush it with melted butter.

Sprinkle on some dried oregano, salt, and pepper. If you want to add some heat, sprinkle on some crushed red pepper also.

Then add the cheese and pepperoni. Notice how finely I diced the pepperoni so it rolls evenly.

Then just roll the dough up into a tight cylinder and cut it into 14-16 even pieces. It helps to use a knife serrated knife to cut these.

Place your rolls on a baking sheet and line the sheet with parchment paper if you can for easy cleanup.

I recommend making the second batch of Chanceys Crusties also before you bake them.

Then bake these guys at 400 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes until they are, well, crusty.

Apparently, the only way to eat these is with ranch dressing.

I’m happy to oblige.

I get why Chanceys Crusties are a hit with a late night college crowd. They are seriously good. I actually thought they got better as they cooled down and were best just at room temperature.

Serving them with a beer or two is pretty much a must.

Has anyone else heard of these things? They were new to me!