Panzerotti Needs Your Attention Please

I’m not new to the alluring world of Italian carbs. I had fragrant pizzas, fluffy zeppoli and strombolas stuffed almost burst. However, I feel betrayed. Why did it take me over 30 years to hear about panzerotti? And why doesn’t this happen in every pizzeria, restaurant and home kitchen around the world? I would like to change this if possible. Grab some frying oil and the nearest pizza dough, and let’s make panzerotti.

Panzerotti are small crescent-shaped pockets of dough filled with cheese, herbs, tomato sauce and other things you can enjoy in a calzone or on top of a pizza. (You’re already halfway there if you know what a calzone is.) Lean dough (not enriched with eggs and butter), the same as for pizza crust, stromboli, or calzone. Everything changes the way you cook. Panzerotti is not put in a wood-fired oven and is not baked in a conventional oven. Panzerotti is deep fried with love.

You can start with homemade pizza dough, or grab a 16-ounce bag of dough from your grocery store fridge or freezer. I did so and have no regrets. Bring the dough to almost room temperature. It’s okay if the dough feels cool to the touch, but your fingers shouldn’t hurt, and it certainly shouldn’t be frozen. You want to shape the panzerotti while they start proofing, so by the time you toss them into the oil, the pockets will be ready to fully rise in the hot oil.

Dust your work surface with flour and stretch the dough into a rectangular shape. Divide the drop into eight equal parts. Stretch each piece until it is thin and the same thickness. Don’t be discouraged if the dough doesn’t want to stretch yet, gluten tends to shrink when stretched. Make a preliminary stretch of each part. Don’t use force or you may tear the dough and the holes will allow the filling to explode in the hot oil. When you’re done with the initial stretch, go back to the first one and start the last stretch. The gluten will relax by the second round and you will get a little more surface area. I stretched each piece into about a five inch amoeba shape. You can try making a circle, but don’t get hung up on it, they’ll figure it out later.

In each piece I added a small spoonful of tomato sauce, some dried herbs and a couple of tablespoons of grated mozzarella cheese. Roll the dough into a crescent shape and press the edges to seal. I tried several different sealing methods, but the best method was to simply press hard with my fingertips. I don’t recommend using a pointed tool like a fork. The prongs can make holes, and you’ll run into filling explosions later on. (Based on experience.) Drop one or two pieces into deep frying oil at 360-375°F and cook for about two minutes on each side or until well browned and browned. Pat them dry with paper towels and let them cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before submerging them in water.

Panzerotti tools you may need:

Heavy-bottomed pan: Lodge Cast Iron Deep Frying Pan

Deep Fry Thermometer with Clip: Deep Fry Thermometer

Spider for safe and easy extraction: Stainless steel and bamboo spider.

Or make your life easier with an air fryer: Cuisinart Electric Air Fryer

The flavor and texture of panzerotti are unmatched by oven-baked calzones. I thought the dough would be heavy, but it was the other way around. The dough turns into a supple, light, elastic, soft, but crispy shell. A golden brown crust forms on the outside, riddled with small tiny bubbles, and once you break it open you will see that the inside of the dough has completely risen and given way to larger bubbles that give the overall spongy texture. The filling was hot, and the cheese was so viscous that it stretched the entire length of the arm. The only thing I’ll do differently next time is add some sausage.

Just for the sake of it, I tried air frying some panzerotti. The results were as expected, but not as good. Deep frying really has a different effect on the dough, turning it from dry and chewy to springy and tender. This is something you simply cannot fake with an air fryer. And that’s okay, the fryer deserves a break, and gosh, you deserve a treat.

Simple panzerotti

Ingredients:

• Oil for frying (I used canola oil)
• 16 oz pizza dough, defrosted and at room temperature
• ½ cup marinara (or other tomato sauce)
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, dried basil, or a few chopped fresh basil leaves

Add oil to a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan. You need enough to reach a depth of about two inches. Heat oil to 360°F-375°F over medium heat.

Dust your work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking, and stretch the pizza dough into a rough rectangle. Cut it into 8 equal parts. Stretch the pieces into 5-inch round shapes. Spread the marinade and cheese evenly over the discs, leaving a small edge of dough around the edges to seal later.

Sprinkle each stack of filling with dried herbs or add a fresh basil leaf (if using). Fold one side over the filling in a crescent shape and press the edges firmly to seal them together. Drop the panzerotti into the hot oil, one or two at a time. Cook for about two minutes on each side, or until browned and browned. Refrigerate before eating.