I’m in the same park as The Fat Boy, one way that I like to make pepperoni bread sticks is as follows;
Decide how much of the diced pepperoni you want to include in the dough (cost might be a consideration).
Then calculate the amount of pepperoni used on the dough weight, not the flour weight. Then when you mix a dough just cut some off, weigh it, and put it back into the mixing bowl with the amount of diced pepperoni based on the weight of the dough that you are putting back into the bowl then mix the dough just enough to incorporate the pepperoni and you’re good to go. Here is an example of what I’m saying;
Start by putting 10-pounds of dough into the mixing bowl, while mixing at low speed add the diced or better yet, use ground pepperoni until you get the concentration and appearance you want. Divide the weight (in ounces) of pepperoni by 160 (ounces in 10#) and you now have the percent pepperoni that you need to add based on the dough weight. Weigh a portion of your regular pizza dough (also a fine way to use dough that is getting long in the tooth) and then enter the dough weight in your calculator press “X” then enter the percent for the pepperoni and press the “%” key. The amount of pepperoni to add to that specific amount of dough will appear in the display window. Remember the amount of pepperoni will be shown in the same weight measures (pounds, ounces, grams, kilograms) as you showed the dough weight in. Finish the bread sticks by brushing with milk or water then sprinkle on some shredded Parmesan cheese and bake to a light color, as soon as the bread sticks come out of the oven brush with melted butter to which Italian seasonings have been added (dried oregano or basil and garlic powder work well). Serve with a dipping oil made of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, marinara sauce or ranch salad dressing.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
