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1
Proof the yeast with a pinch of sugar or a few drops of honey in 3 tablespoons of warm water (no hotter than 110 degrees Fahrenheit).
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2
In a large skillet, cook the pancetta over medium low heat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the pancetta is crispy and has rendered all visible fat. Remove the cooked pancetta and set aside. (You'll use it in the stromboli filling.)
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3
Pour off 2 tablespoons of the leftover fat into a measuring cup and add to it one tablespoon of olive oil. Set the skillet aside. (You'll be using it, and whatever fat and oil remains in it, to saute an onion for the filling.)
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4
Into a large bowl, put one cup / 236 ml / 236 grams of cold water, the proofed yeast and water mixture, the chopped mozzarella, the olive oil and fat you just measured, and the honey. Stir it well. Add the semolina and rye (or barley, or wheat or white, if you're not using rye) flours, and stir again. Make sure you stir all in the same direction, by the way.
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5
Add the diced roasted potatoes, if using, the salt and one cup of bread flour. Stir it well to combine.
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6
Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing it well. At some point, it will become too difficult to stir, so just dump out the contents of the bowl onto your work surface. Scrape whatever is inside the bowl out onto the pile of dough and scraps, and put the bowl in your sink, filled with water, while you knead.
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7
The dough will seem very sticky, but if you coat your hands with oil, you should be able to handle it without any difficulty.
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8
Knead until the dough comes together and is fairly smooth. It should take no more than five or six minutes. The potatoes and skins that have come loose will make it a bit lumpy, but don't worry about that.
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9
Rinse your bowl and dry it well. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil into it and put the dough in. Flip it over to coat it evenly, then top the bowl with a piece of parchment at least twelve inches square. Put a towel over the paper and put the covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least six hours.
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10
About an hour before using the dough, take it out and let it come to room temperature. It will take less than an hour if you pull the dough apart into smaller pieces. Make sure they are well oiled and covered so they don't dry out.
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11
N.B. Right after making the dough, you should saute the onions or shallots, if you want to use the skillet in which you cooked the pancetta. Doing this flavors the onions beautifully, assuming that you like pancetta, of course. See Step 3 below, for more details.
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12
Also, you can make the dough up to a day ahead of time. Just put it in a plastic bag that you tie off tightly, leaving some room for the dough to rise. Keep it refrigerated until an hour before using.
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13
Start this process about an hour before you plan to eat. You won't be working on them the whole time, but you need at least a half hour to get your pizza stones or tiles very hot in the oven.
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14
Preheat the oven, with pizza stones or quarry tiles in the bottom third, to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
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15
If you haven't done so already, cook until very light brown the sliced onions or shallots in the skillet in which you cooked the pancetta. Let them sit there until you are ready to use them.
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16
Chop the olives, the garlic (if using), and the cornichons and combine in a small bowl.
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17
Without cleaning the surface on which you chopped the olives, finely chop the herbs and citrus zest. Feel free to include a few parsley stems; they're quite flavorful and add a bit of crunch to the mixture.
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18
Add the herbs to the chopped olive mixture. Add a splash of red or white wine vinegar and the olive oil.
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19
Cut the fresh mozzarella into 4 inch slices (or 1/2 inch cubes, if using ciliegine).
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20
Divide the dough into three or four pieces. Shape each into a ball and roll it out into a fairly thin circle that's about 8 to 10 inches in diameter. This dough is full of oil, and it should be nice and stretchy and very easy to handle.
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21
Put parchment onto a large cookie sheet, preferably one with an open end, off of which you can slide the paper and the uncooked stromboli. You can also work on a pizza peel, of course. If you like using cornmeal or semolina flour instead of the parchment, you can do that, too. I find the parchment on the cookie sheet method to be much easier.
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22
On one side of each piece of dough, put equal amounts of the olive mixture, then the meat, then the cheese, then a few tablespoons of cooked onion. Sprinkle on a bit of pancetta.
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23
Fold over and pinch tightly shut.
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24
About twenty minutes after the oven reaches 450 degrees F, slide parchment paper and the stromboli onto the pizza stones or tiles.
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25
Cook for about 15 minutes. Let them cool for about five or ten minutes before eating.
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26
Enjoy!!
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27
N.B.: If you are not making dough according to the recipe above, i.e., if you haven't already cooked the pancetta by the time you're ready to assemble stromboli, cook 2-4 ounces of pancetta that has been cut into tiny cubes until it is a bit crispy.
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28
If using orange zest, substitute finely chopped rosemary leaves for one of the other fresh herbs.
