The dough for Apulian panzerotti is a fundamental recipe for preparing excellent Bari-style panzerotti that don’t break during frying.
Panzerotti are one of the most delicious and well-known dishes of Apulian cuisine, of which the Apulians are incredibly proud, along with the famous Bari focaccia and the onion calzone, products that you can find in practically every bakery.
If focaccia is a must-have on Sunday tables, Apulian panzerotti are the street food par excellence, but they are also the dish most prepared at family gatherings and meals with friends, the perfect symbol of conviviality, as they are often prepared together as if on an assembly line.
The preparation of Bari-style panzerotti also marks the beginning of the Christmas holidays: traditionally, they are prepared on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, along with fried cod and other delicacies.
It is very important to prepare the dough for the panzerotti correctly, not only to have a soft and digestible dough but especially to have an elastic and well-kneaded dough that doesn’t break during frying. It’s essential to remember that the dough for the panzerotti must enclose a moist filling, so finding the right recipe for the Bari-style panzerotti dough is very important.
Let’s start with the premise that the dough recipe for panzerotti involves very simple ingredients: as an ancient recipe, it was originally made only with water, flour, salt, and yeast. Given that Apulia is vast, there are indeed many recipes for panzerotti (or calzones or fritters, as they are called in some towns).
Personally, I also add a small amount of re-milled semolina and a drizzle of oil to the panzerotti dough because it makes the dough more fragrant. Some people also replace part of the water with milk to make the dough’s flavor more delicate. I prefer to use only water to avoid making the recipe heavier.
I recommend trying my dough for Apulian panzerotti: I have made a lot of panzerotti over the years and have always tried to refine the recipe to find the perfect combination. This is the one I have been making for years, and in my opinion, it is the best. And if you follow my tips for making perfect Bari-style panzerotti, I assure you that you will make a great impression!
You can prepare the panzerotti dough either by hand or with the Bimby or a stand mixer: if you knead it by hand, I recommend working it for a long time until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough.
As for the amount of yeast, adjust it according to the time you have available and the room temperature. Keep in mind that when it’s warmer, the dough rises much faster, and consequently, you can use less yeast. Generally, with less yeast and a longer rising time, the leavened dough becomes more digestible. If, however, you want to knead and make the panzerotti on the same day, use a cube of fresh yeast per kilogram of flour, just like our grandmothers did. In the recipe, I will put an amount of yeast, but you can reduce it according to your needs.
Before leaving you with the recipe, I also say that you can use this dough to prepare tray pizzas or focaccias: in these cases, however, I recommend slightly increasing the hydration of the dough, reaching even 700-750 g of water per kilogram of flour.
Well, now let’s move on to the recipe and see together how to prepare the dough for Apulian panzerotti, but first, I’ll leave you with some links to unmissable Apulian recipes!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 8People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Apulia
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 491.72 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 88.21 (g) of which sugars 3.70 (g)
- Proteins 17.56 (g)
- Fat 7.43 (g) of which saturated 0.88 (g)of which unsaturated 0.10 (g)
- Fibers 3.55 (g)
- Sodium 1,455.71 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 206 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to prepare the dough for Apulian panzerotti
- 6 1/2 cups Manitoba flour (or type 0 flour, pizza flour)
- 1 cup re-milled durum wheat semolina
- 2 1/2 cups water (cold)
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 15 g fresh brewer's yeast (or a sachet of dry yeast)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp salt (1 3/4 tbsp if you prefer less salty dough)
Tools to prepare the dough for Apulian panzerotti
- Stand Mixer
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Pastry board
- Fork
- Plastic wrap
Steps to prepare the panzerotti dough
Let’s see together how to prepare the dough for Apulian panzerotti. You can do it by hand, with the Bimby, or with the stand mixer.
On a pastry board, pour the flour and semolina in a mound and make a well in the center. In a corner far from the well created in the flour, put the salt.
Put the crumbled yeast in the well, add the sugar, and pour a little cold water (taken from the total). Stir with a fork until the yeast dissolves.
Add the oil and slowly proceed to add the remaining water while continuing to incorporate the flour. When the dough begins to come together, also incorporate the salt into the panzerotti dough.
Knead by hand with vigorous movements, occasionally slapping the dough on the pastry board to help develop the gluten. Work the dough for at least ten minutes until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
Place the dough in a large bowl, make a cross on the surface to aid in rising, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Wait for the dough to double before using it.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, add the flour and semolina.
In a small bowl, dissolve the crumbled yeast with the sugar and a little cold water taken from the total.
Turn on the mixer hook at the lowest speed and pour the contents of the small bowl with the water, yeast, and sugar.
Also add the oil, then the rest of the water little by little.
Finally, add the salt. Significantly increase the mixer speed and knead for about ten minutes until the dough wraps around the hook, forming a firm, smooth, and homogeneous dough.
Set the dough to rest in a large bowl, making a cross on top of the surface with the tip of a knife. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and wait for the dough to double before using it.
Note: The recipe is for one kilogram of flour. To avoid damage to your Bimby, I recommend kneading 500 g of flour and semolina at a time, as the maximum capacity of the bowl for preparing this type of dough is 700 g.
Put the water, yeast, sugar, and oil in the bowl: 1 minute speed 2.
Add the flours and salt: 5 minutes kneading speed.
Compact the dough obtained with your hands and place it in a bowl, make a cross on top with the tip of a knife, and cover the bowl with a bit of plastic wrap. Wait for the dough to double before using it.
Notes and variations
-If you don’t have re-milled semolina, you can use all flour. I recommend using Manitoba flour or “pizza” flour or type 0. More generally, it would be preferable to use flour with protein content equal to or higher than 10 g (check the nutritional values on the packaging).
– If you use dry yeast, there’s no need to dissolve it in water first: you just have to mix it with the flour.
– I haven’t deliberately put the rising times because they depend on many variables. For example, with a cube of fresh yeast, in summer the dough will rise in a couple of hours, in winter it will take at least 5-6 hours.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Why use cold water for kneading?
Our grandmothers used to use warm or even hot water for kneading. In reality, nothing could be more wrong, as heat is the enemy of yeast and risks “exploding” it, preventing the dough from rising. Especially if kneading with a stand mixer, you also have to be careful not to overheat the dough. Ideally, you should use very cold water, especially in summer. If you decide in advance to knead, put the water you will need for the dough in the fridge.
Why make a cross on the dough?
This gesture is also part of our grandmothers’ tradition. There are several versions regarding this: some say the cross is made on the dough to “bless” it. The less religious version says the cross is made on the dough to aid in rising, especially for firm and less hydrated doughs like that of the panzerotti.
Can I use only all-purpose flour?
If you really have nothing else, you can use all-purpose flour, but I advise against using only that, because the panzerotti dough must be very elastic, and you can only achieve this by using flour rich in gluten, like Manitoba flour or other flours with protein content higher than 10-12 g.
How can I make a long-rise panzerotti dough?
To make a long-rise panzerotti dough, I recommend kneading 24 hours in advance with about 5-6 g of fresh yeast per kilogram of flour, leaving the dough in the bowl covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for an hour, then putting the bowl in the fridge for 12 hours. Take it out of the fridge, let it come back to room temperature, and then use it for preparing the panzerotti. For example, if you need to prepare the panzerotti for Saturday night, knead on Friday afternoon, leave the dough at room temperature for an hour, then put it in the fridge overnight. Take the dough out of the fridge in the middle of Saturday morning, allow it to acclimate until mid-afternoon, and then start preparing the panzerotti.
