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.

Chancey’s Crusties

3.18 from 68 votes
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 15 Servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
An easy to make copycat version of the Chanceys Crusties recipe. These pepperoni and cheese stuffed pizza rolls are amazingly addictive!

Ingredients 

Crusties Dough:

  • 1 ½ tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 1 teas. salt
  • Pinch sugar
  • 3 cups all purpose flour, plus some for shaping

Crusties:

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 8 ounces Provolone cheese, grated
  • 4-5 ounces pepperoni or salami, minced
  • Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
  • Salt and pepper
  • Ranch dressing, for serving

Instructions

  • To make the dough, add yeast and water to a medium bowl with a pinch of sugar and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is bubbling. Then stir in salt and flour.
  • Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it’s very smooth and elastic, but not too sticky. If it gets sticky, feel free to add a bit more flour.
  • After kneading, place dough in a lightly oiled bowl for 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
  • When ready to make crusties, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grate cheese and mince the pepperoni or salami. Split dough into two even pieces.
  • Roll each piece of dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s in a large rectangle (maybe 12×16 inches).
  • Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle with dried oregano, crushed red pepper (opt.), salt and pepper. Sprinkle on half of the cheese and pepperoni.
  • Roll dough into a tight cylinder and use a sharp (serrated is best) knife to cut it into 14-16 even pieces.
  • Places pieces on a baking sheet and repeat with second piece of dough.
  • Bake crusties at 400 degrees F. for 20-25 minutes until they are well-browned and crispy on the edges.
  • Serve while warm with ranch dressing!

Notes

Dough adapted from this youtube video.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Crusties | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 231IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Appetizers, Breads, Snack Time
Cuisine: Italian

Did you make this recipe?

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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.

Yeasty.
Yeasty.

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

Rough dough.
Rough 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.

Ready to rise.
Ready to rise.

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.

dough for Chanceys Crusties
After a rise.

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.

Good fillings - Chanceys Crusties
Good fillings.

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.

Buttered and spiced.
Buttered and spiced.

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

Go heavy on filling - Chanceys Crusties
Go heavy.

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.

Locked and loaded - Chanceys Crusties
Locked and loaded.

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.

Chanceys Crusties after a hot bake.
After a hot bake.

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.

Chancey's Crusties are a classic late night snack near Radford University. This is my take on their most popular pizza roll. They are called Crusties because the cheese bakes on the bottom and gets crispy!

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