Pizzette Fritte
A recipe for Pizzette Fritte from the cookbook, Pizza Night! Rounds of dough are fried until golden, then topped with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.
Servings 16 Pizzette Fritte
Ingredients
Dough:
- 500 grams (1 pound 2 ounces) 00 pizza flour or bread flour
- 1 teaspoon instant dried yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar
- 250 milliliters (1 cup) lukewarm water 105-115˚F (40-46˚C)
- 40 milliliters (1 1/4 fluid ounces) extra virgin olive oil plus extra for greasing
Pizzette Fritte:
- Plain (all-purpose) flour for dusting
- 1 litre (1 quart) vegetable oil for frying
- 360 grams (12 1/2 ounces) Marinara sauce
- 400 grams (14 ounces) fresh mozzarella sliced or torn
- Salt flakes to serve
- 16 basil leaves
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano to serve, optional
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Place the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in the large bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- With the motor running, slowly add the water, followed by the olive oil, and process for 40-60 seconds, until a rough dough ball forms.
- Bring the dough together and shape into a smooth ball with your hands, then place in a large lightly oiled bowl, turning the dough to coat it in the oil.
- Cover the dough and allow to rise in a warm spot for about 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal portions.
- Roll each portion into a ball, place on lightly oiled trays, cover and rest for 40-50 minutes, until doubled in size.
To make the Pizzette Fritte:
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) fan-forced, and place a rack on the middle shelf in the oven.
- On a lightly floured surface, flatten and roll each dough ball out to a 11.5 centimeter (4 1/2 inch) circle.
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 175˚C-180˚C (345˚F-350˚F) on a kitchen thermometer.
- Carefully fry two to three circles of dough at a time, depending on the size of your pan, for 1-1 1/2 minutes on each side, until puffed, crisp and golden.
- Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Place the pizzette on baking trays and top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the marinara sauce and 25 grams (1 ounce) of the mozzarella.
- Carefully transfer the trays to the oven and bake for about 2 minutes, just until the mozzarella has melted.
- Sprinkle the pizzette with salt flakes and top each with a basil leaf.
- For an extra cheesy hit, finely grate a little Parmigiano Reggiano on top before serving and enjoy!