The Fried Dough is a typical preparation of Emilia Romagna, where every city has its version. Some use yeast, others don’t; some use baking soda and sparkling water, while others use oil or lard. My parents, who were from Ferrara, made Pinzin with just flour, sparkling water, oil, and salt. For my Fried Dough with Lard, since I want to serve it stuffed, I mix it with fresh yeast and lard… I know you’ll say: nooo, not lard! But I prefer it this way because it stays crispy, soft, and once fried, I open it up and present it stuffed with various cold cuts, lard, cured ham, spicy salami, and cheeses. Prepare the dough in the morning if you want to serve it in the evening. The longer it has to rise, the less yeast you need to use. Here’s my recipe…
Updated Recipe of 12/14/2017
Follow my Facebook page and LIKE to stay updated
Further Emilian recipes can be found by clicking the links below
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 9 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 30 pieces of dough
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.42 oz fresh yeast
- 3/4 cup water (lukewarm)
- 2 oz lard
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 quart peanut oil
Tools
There are IconA Affiliation Links in the recipe
- Food Scale
- 2 Bowls
- Rolling Board
- Plastic Wrap
- Frying Pan
- Paper Towels
Steps
Sift the flour and pour it into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, prepare the sponge. Crumble the yeast, add the sugar, and dilute everything with a portion of lukewarm water, about 1/4 cup. Add (from the total) 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix this batter until it forms a cream, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour.
Into the bowl with the rest of the flour, add the lard in pieces and the sponge. Dissolve the salt in the remaining lukewarm water (130 ml or 1/2 cup) and pour it over the ingredients in the bowl. Knead by hand and then pour everything onto the rolling board. Knead thoroughly, form a ball, and place it in the bowl, making a cross cut with a knife. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 6-8 hours. The longer it rises, the less yeast you will need to use.
Roll out the dough on the rolling board and stretch it by hand to the thickness of a finger. Using a rotary cutter, cut into diamonds and let them rise covered with plastic wrap for another 30 minutes.
Heat abundant oil to the correct temperature (toothpick test). Fry a few pieces at a time, about 10 minutes in total to fry them all. Place the dough pieces on paper towels and serve them stuffed with various cold cuts and cheeses. An ideal filling is a mixture of lard, rosemary, garlic, and parmesan. Important: serve them very hot.
