Stromboli Ladder Loaf

The thing about dinners is that I don't like to make the same things over and over. This is only a problem because every time I cook it is more of a production then just making dinner. I'm still learning :) I'm sure once we have kids and I can't convince them (nor will I want them) to eat cereal for every meal when I don't want to cook, this will have to change. The upside to this is that when I do cook I try a lot of new recipes courtesy of the lobby magazines where I work.

This is one of my most recent favorites - the Stromboli Ladder Loaf. It's like a giant homemade Hotpocket -mmmm What's nice about this is that you can fill it with anything you want. I've done the traditional pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni but I've also tried Alfredo sauce with broccoli, spinach and chicken - and the list of options goes on.
It's a pretty quick meal because you don't have to wait long for the dough to *rise and like I said, the list of options for fillings is as long as you are creative.

Prep: 25 min + rising Bake: 20 min

Dough Ingredients

1 1/2 c water (70-80 degrees)
2 Tbs canola oil
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbs nonfat dry milk powder
2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
4 c bread flour
3 tsp active dry yeast

Filling (as they suggest - I didn't follow any of the measurements because it's more of an add-your-preference type dish. I would suggest adding a lot of sauce if you don't want it dry because the dough soaks up moisture easily)

3/4 c pizza sauce
1 pkg sliced pepperoni
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg white
1 Tbs water

In bread machine (we don't have one so I just mixed by hand) place first 8 ingredients. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 min of mixing; add 1-2 Tbs of water/flour if needed). When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 15-in x 12-in rectangle. Place on a greased baking sheet.

Spread pizza sauce in a 3-in strip lengthwise down the center of dough to w/in 2-in of short ends. Arrange pepperoni over sauce; sprinkle w/cheeses.

On each long side, cut 1-in-wide strips about 2 1/2 in. into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal.

Beat the egg white and water; brush over the dough. Bake at 425 for 20-25 min or until golden brown. Let stand 10 min before cutting.

*I don't make a lot of breads, but to me this recipe doesn't really say how long to let it rise. Honestly I didn't let my dough rise at all, but it turned out fine. It wasn't too thick and it rose a lot when I cooked it so I haven't worried about it. Maybe someone could give me a pointer on this :)