I find fried and baked panzerotti really delightful. The cooking method that makes them unique is certainly frying, but if you want a lighter preparation, you can also bake them, although they will be slightly drier this way. I also find them ideal as street food or to enjoy at a party; they will certainly be a hit!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 2 Hours
- Portions: 22/24 panzerotti
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb all-purpose flour (for pizza or 00)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 fresh yeast (25 g)
- 2.3 cups water
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 17.6 oz tomato puree
- 5 mozzarella cheeses (125 g each)
- 10.6 oz cooked ham (optional)
- 1 quart vegetable oil (various)
Preparation
Put some water in a glass and warm it in the microwave for a few seconds. Add the crumbled yeast to the warm water, a teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of flour taken from the total, and mix well. Let it sit for a few minutes.
In a bowl, put the warm water, add the dissolved yeast, the oil, then the flour and the salt.
Knead until you get a smooth, non-sticky dough ball.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a surface, continuing to knead.
Form 22/24 balls weighing about 2.5 oz each, place them on a floured tray to rise.
Cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out, then with a tea towel and a blanket to keep everything covered.
Let them rise for one or two hours until they have more than doubled in size.
If you prefer, you can let the dough rise first for one or two hours and then form the balls and let them rise for another one or two hours.
If the tomato puree is a bit too liquid, let it reduce for about twenty minutes or place it in a colander to remove all the water.
Roll them out with a rolling pin forming not-too-large circles, fill the discs with some diced mozzarella (let it drain well), diced cooked ham (optional), and a generous tablespoon of tomato sauce on top.
Close well, pressing the edges with the tines of a fork; otherwise, with your fingers, to prevent them from piercing.
In a pan, heat plenty of vegetable oil. To check if it’s hot enough, place a small piece of dough inside, if it quickly rises to the surface, the oil is ready.
Place the panzerotti in the pan, fry on both sides for a few minutes, until golden.
Fry them as soon as they are prepared; do not let them rest after filling them, otherwise you risk the filling soaking the dough.
To drain excess oil, place them horizontally in a colander.
Arrange them on a tray with kitchen paper, serve hot.
Suggestions/Tips
If desired, they can also be baked: place parchment paper on the oven tray, position the filled panzerotti, and bake at 350°F with fan for 15 minutes
To check the oil temperature, drop a small piece of dough in; if it rises quickly and turns golden in a few seconds, it’s ready.
To close the panzerotti well, press the edges possibly with the tines of a fork; otherwise, with your fingers, to prevent piercing.
If any panzerotto gets pierced during cooking, set it aside and finish cooking it at the end: this will prevent the oil from getting dirty.
Use a colander both to drain the whey from the mozzarella and to remove excess oil once the panzerotti are fried.
In some panzerotti, we added a bit of gorgonzola: try them, they’re really super.
If you liked the Fried and Baked Panzerotti, try the other filled leavened recipes:
Stuffed Focaccia with Broccoli
Margherita of stuffed rolls with broccoli cream
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