I know the thought of deep-fried foods can be a no-go zone for some. However, Pizza Fritta is definitely worth a try. And if made correctly (fried at the right temperature), you might not even notice it was deep fried in the first place. Eh ehm, or could you? Why did I bother to make this recipe? Was it really that good? Well, I admit to loving fried foods. Everything from fried seafood pictured below:
To something I cannot ever resist which is fried dough balls or fried seaweed mixed in dough! Argh, I need to stop. The whole point is that fried stuff made the right way doesn’t necessarily make them healthier but by God can they be delicious and make you want to eat more and more.
So fare la pizza fritta a casa (make pizza fritta at home) because there is more than one option. You don’t want to go plain with just tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil? No problem, sneak some prosciutto cotto in there or mix that with some ricotta and parmesan. See where I am going with this? No need to limit yourself so keep scrolling and let’s funfry together 🙂
What is pizza fritta?
Fritta means fried. Pizza fritta is a typical street food you would come across almost everywhere in Naples. But I’m sure in many other regions in Italy as well. It can be filled with a tomato base, fresh basil leaves, and mozzarella.
You can also use an oregano-thickened tomato base if you find the previous one to need more ‘oomph’. But you are more than welcome to experiment with other pizza toppings of your liking. This tastes great fresh off the fryer or cold so is a good option to take to work for lunch.
Pizza fritta history
Where did pizza fritta come from? According to BBC’s interesting read about the history of pizza fritta and how it came to be. Pizza fritta was invented as a result of poverty during world war 2. It is no surprise that many well-known recipes are a result of either not having enough ingredients, or not being able to afford ingredients.
How is a pizza fritta in Napoli?
There are a few ways that pizza fritta is made. However, it is typical to find a pizza fritta in napoli made with fried pizza dough and a spread of tomato sauce with a fresh leaf of basil. Some may finish the topping with a sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano or a few slices of hresh mozzarella. Either way, pizza fritta is a hit!
What does pizza fritta mean?
Pizza fritta directly translates to ‘fried pizza’.
Tips:
Keep it simple: choose ingredients that complement each other. With none being too overpowering.
Less is best: Whatever ingredients you choose, do not overfill the dough
Rolling: It’s very easy to end up rolling the middle a little thinner than the edges. This is something you need to avoid otherwise it will fall apart during frying.
Close: Be sure to leave no open pockets otherwise the filling will come spilling out as the hot oil pours into your panzerotti. So either pinch the edges, or do a smudging motion where you put your forefinger about 1 cm from the edge, then press down on the dough as if you intend to smudge it onto the surface.
But do so without pulling the rest of the dough too much because in case part of it is suck on the counter; pulling it will cause a tear causing the filling to pour out as you try to pick it up. This leads to the next point
Flour: Make sure the surface where you place the dough to rest after filling is lightly but adequately floured. This is to avoid the dough sticking and causing any tears as you try to pick it up to fry.
Time: When it’s a nice golden brown on each side, take it out. No need to worry that it hasn’t cooked through because it has.
Pizza Fritta Recipe: How to Make Pizza Fritta
Prepare The Dough
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle then sprinkle the salt on the outer ring of the flour.
Stir yeast into the lukewarm water (if using active yeast) and leave it to stand for 5 minutes after which you can pour it into the flour well until most of it is incorporated. If using instant yeast, just add it to the flour.
Now tip the dough onto the counter and knead for 5 minutes, then pour olive oil onto it and knead for a further 5 minutes until the dough has a smooth finish and springs back when pressed.
Leave the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with cling film to rise for an hour or until double in size in a warm place.
While the dough rises prepare the sauce
Cook The Sauce
If using canned tomatoes you need to blend them and sieve out the seeds.
Heat about 4 tbsps of olive oil over medium-high heat and toss in the garlic to infuse the oil. Take them out the minute they start to brown. Since we aren’t using that much oil, a tip would be to tilt the pan so that the oil forms a puddle around the garlic.
Take the pan off the fire and gently pour in the tomato but be careful as it may splatter. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste then give it a stir, cover, and put it back on the stove to reduce and thicken over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Make sure you occasionally stir the sauce to avoid burning.
While the sauce cooks you can grate the cheese and slice the mozzarella
Fill The Dough
If the sauce is ready take it off the fire, stir in 3 leaves of fresh basil, and leave to completely cool
After the dough has risen to double the size knock it back and portion it to 70g each. On a lightly floured surface roll out each portioned dough to 15cm wide.
Place two slices of mozzarella (leaving about 1 cm from the edge) with a pinch of Parmigiano on one-half of the rolled-out dough. Then top that with 1 tbsp of sauce and cover with a leaf or 2 of fresh basil.
Fold the empty half over the filling. Do not pull the dough too much as you cover, when the edges meet use your fingertips to seal (press or push your finger down on the edge and pull back toward the outer ring as if making a smudge of the dough). Then using a dough scraper gently put the dough on your palm and pinch the edges to make sure it is sealed well.
Fry
While you fill the dough have the frying oil come to an optimal frying temperature of at least 350F in a large deep pot to avoid spillage.
When it’s hot enough, gently put 1 panzerotti (beginning with the first one you filled) to fry at a time. Immediately you put it in, pour hot oil over it. It will start to puff up, stop when it seems like it is about to pop then wait for the bottom to brown (about 1 and a half minutes) before you flip it over. It should take 3 minutes for each pizza fritta to fry.
Repeat with the rest and leave to drain excess oil on kitchen rolls.
You can eat them hot or cold. If packing the rest for lunch make sure to seal them properly to avoid smelling like a walking friggitoria (a place that sells fried food).
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Ingredients
- FOR THE DOUGH
- 250g strong flour (bread flour)
- 160ml lukewarm water
- 6g dry active yeast
- 1tsp sea salt
- 1tbsp olive oil
- FOR THE FILLING
- 400g canned passata/plum tomatoes
- Olive oil
- 2 Garlic cloves
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 125g fresh mozzarella di bufala
- 20g grated parmigiano reggiano
- 650ml frying oil if using a 4qt/3.8L pan
Instructions
PREPARE THE DOUGH
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle then sprinkle the salt on the outer ring of the flour.
Stir yeast into the lukewarm water and leave it to stand for 5 minutes after which you can pour it into the flour well until most of it is incorporated.
Now tip the dough onto the counter and knead for 5 minutes, then pour olive oil onto it and knead for a further 5 minutes until the dough has a smooth finish and springs back when pressed.
Leave the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with cling film to rise for an hour or until double in size in a warm place.
While the dough rises prepare the sauce
COOK THE SAUCE
If using canned tomatoes you need to blend them and sieve out the seeds.
Heat about 4 tbsps of olive oil over medium-high heat and toss in the garlic to infuse the oil. Take them out the minute they start to brown. Since we aren't using that much oil, a tip would be to tilt the pan so that the oil forms a puddle around the garlic.
Take the pan off the fire and gently pour in the tomato but be careful as it may splatter. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste then give it a stir, cover, and put it back on the stove to reduce and thicken over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Make sure you occasionally stir the sauce to avoid burning.
While the sauce cooks you can grate the cheese and slice the mozzarella
FILL THE DOUGH
If the sauce is ready take it off the fire, stir in 3 leaves of fresh basil and leave to completely cool
After the dough has risen to double the size knock it back and portion it to 70g each
On a lightly floured surface roll out each portioned dough to 15cm wide
Place two slices of mozzarella (leaving about 1 cm from the edge) with a pinch of Parmigiano on one-half of the rolled-out dough. Then top that with 1 tbsp of sauce and cover with a leaf or 2 of fresh basil
Fold the empty half over the filling. Do not pull the dough too much as you cover, when the edges meet use your fingertips to seal (push your finger down on the edge and pull back toward the outer ring as if making a smudge of the dough). Then using a dough scraper gently put the dough on your palm and pinch the edges to make sure it is sealed well.
FRY
While you fill the dough have the frying oil come to an optimal frying temperature of at least 350F in a large deep pot to avoid spillage.
When it's hot enough, gently put 1 panzerotti (beginning with the first one you filled) to fry at a time. Immediately you put it in, pour hot oil over it. It will start to puff up, stop when it seems like it is about to pop then wait for the bottom to brown (about 1 and a half minutes) before you flip it over. It should take 3 minutes for each pizza fritta to fry.
Repeat with the rest and leave to drain excess oil on kitchen rolls.
You can eat them hot or cold. If packing the rest for lunch make sure to seal them properly to avoid smelling like a walking friggitoria (place that sells fried food).
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