Pizza fritta is small pizza dough deep-fried and topped like a pizza. The authentic pizza fritta from Naples is a savory dough served with mozzarella, tomato sauce, basil, and freshly grated Parmesan. They are very popular as appetizers as they are simple to make and easy to serve at parties, as these fried pizzas are small and can be eaten by hand.
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Pizza fritta means fried pizza, a traditional dish originating after World War 2 in Naples.
As most wooden ovens were destroyed during the war, Neapolitans fried their pizza dough instead of baking it.
Traditionally they are topped with tomato and fresh mozzarella, but you can also top them with ham, prosciutto or grilled vegetables. For more pizza toppings, you can read the article: 10 vegetarian pizza toppings full of veggies.
Very popular are also fried Calzone Panzerotti, the filling is put inside the dough and then fried.
Another recipe made with fried pizza dough are Crispelle: an Italian appetizer served at Christmas.
It should not be confused with Italian fried donuts Graffe or Zeppole di Carnevale which are sweet yeast dough made with potatoes shaped round or like ribbons.
Making the dough
The deep-fried pizza dough is the same as regular pizza dough. You can make it from scratch, or you can use store-bought pizza dough.
You can easily make the pizza dough in a bread machine if you have one. You can find the instruction here: Authentic Italian pizza dough (bread machine)
The ingredients list
To make the pizza dough, you will need:
- 3 cups flour (450 gr)
- 1 cup lukewarm water (250 ml)
- 1.5 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Package of yeast (½ tbsp)
Tip: The best flour to use is All purpose in USA, Plain in UK, Type 0 in Italy, Type 55 in France.
How to activate the yeast
- Mix the yeast with ¼ cup of water.
- Make sure the water is lukewarm.
- Add ½ teaspoon of sugar
- Let it rest until it becomes foamy
Mixing the pizza dough
Once the yeast is activated, you can start making the dough:
- Strain the flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl, ensuring that they are completely mixed.
- Make a ‘well’ in the center of the flour mix
- Combine all the wet ingredients: water and the frothy yeast.
- Slowly pour them into the ‘well’ of the flour and mix them with the wet ingredients using your fingers.
- Once they are thoroughly mixed, you can either continue mixing the flour with your hands or put it into an electric mixer with a dough hook.
- Mix it until the dough becomes a smooth ball
- Shape it into a smooth ball and place it in an oiled bowl with a wet towel to rest. Let it rise for 1.5 hours.
- Let the dough rest overnight (or at least 8 hours) in the fridge covered with cling film before making your pizza
Hint: the pizza dough should rest overnight; if not, the pizza will keep rising in your stomach, making you bloated and thirsty!
Frying the pizza
- Make four balls with the dough.
- Cover them to rest for 30 minutes under a kitchen cloth.
- In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce with garlic and basil and let it simmer away.
- Flattens the balls into circles, with the center thinner than the sides.
- Place the pizza dough balls into the frying oil
- Turn the balls on each side for 2 minutes
- Remove them from the frying oil and put on a paper towel to absorb the oil
How to serve it
- Once cooked, lay the pizzas on a tray
- Season with the tomato sauce
- Place a slice of fresh mozzarella on top
- and a basil leaf
- Sprinkled them with fresh Parmesan cheese
They can be eaten immediately or warmed up before serving.
The advantage of the fried pizza
The advantage of frying the pizza is that it does not have to be eaten immediately, like a pizza cooked in a wooden oven.
The pizza dough is fried ahead, then topped with tomato and mozzarella.
You can warm up the pizza fritta in the oven before serving it.
In Naples, it is the perfect meal when the family is reunited to watch a football match.
They make it ahead of time, and it is warmed up and served during half-time.
FAQ
If you don't have an oven, you can fry your pizza dough and add the topping after. Shape them into small balls to make sure the dough is cooked uniformly. Traditionally fried pizza is deep fried.
Fried pizza in Italian is called pizza fritta and is made by deep frying pizza dough. Similar to fried pizza is Crispelle. They use the same type of pizza dough, but they are smaller in size and can be filled with anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, or ricotta. Crispelle filled with ricotta can also be served as a dessert covered with icing sugar. Zeppole are not fried pizza as its dough includes eggs and butter. Zeppole are not made with pizza dough.
Pizza Fritta started as street food in Naples after the second world war. Many houses were destroyed, and wooden ovens to cook traditional pizza were limited. Some women started lighting up fires on the streets with large pans of frying oil and fried pizza dough to earn extra money.
Zeppole are sweet, while fried dough is referred to the savory dough. There are two types of Zeppole: Zeppole di Carnevale and Zeppole di San Giuseppe. The dough of the Zeppole di Carnevale are made with flour and potatoes, and the Zeppole di San Giuseppe are made with choux pastry, also called puff pastry. Both Zeppole are sweet. Fried dough, instead, is a savory pizza dough served as an appetizer. It can be served as pizza fritta or crispelle
More of my favorite fried recipes
If you are craving fried food, you may want to check out these other recipes:
- Deep-Fried Eggplant Balls
- Deep fried mozzarella sticks and balls
- Fried Zucchini Flowers Recipe
- Homemade chicken nuggets recipe
- Pasta a Frittata: Italian Fried Pasta
- Classic Veal Milanese
- Rissole à la Dauphine
For more pizza recipes, check out the category: Pizza
- Pizzette Mini Pizza Bites
- Italian flatbread Piadina
- 10 Pizza with Fresh Vegetables
- Pissaladiere Nicoise
- Focaccia Pizza
- Pizza with Nutella
If you are making the Pizza Fritta Deep-Fried Dough, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.
📋 Italian Deep-fried Pizza (Pizza Fritta)
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cup Caputo flour 00 if you can find Manitoba, Type 55, All purpose, Plain, Type 0
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 package yeast 2 tsp
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon caster sugar to activate the yeast
- vegetable oil for frying
For the topping:
- 1 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 2 cup fresh mozzarella (fior di latte o bufala)
- 1 clove peeled garlic cloves
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 10 fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Equipment
Looking for kitchen gadget gifts?Instructions
Making the dough
- To activate the yeast, mix it with water. The water should be lukewarm or at room temperature. Add ½ teaspoon of sugar, and let it rest until it becomes foamy.1 cup lukewarm water, 1 package yeast, 0.5 teaspoon caster sugar
- In the meantime, strain the flour along with the sugar and the salt into a bowl, ensuring they are completely mixed. Make a ‘well’ in the centre of the flour mix.3 cup Caputo flour 00, 1.5 teaspoon salt
- Slowly pour the yeast and water mixture in the ‘well’ of the flour and mix it with the wet ingredients gradually, using your fingers.
- Once they are thoroughly mixed continue mixing the flour with your hands until the dough becomes a ball that comes away easily from the side of the bowl.
- Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a flat surface. Shape it into a smooth ball and place it into an oiled bowl covered with a wet towel to rest. Let it rise for 1.5 hours.
- For the best result, let the dough rest in the fridge overnight, well-floured and wrapped in a plastic bag, otherwise it will crawl all over the fridge.
- The next day, divide the dough into 8 balls. They should be around 60 gr each and let them rest for 30 minutes
Preparing the tomato sauce
- Stir fry the garlic clove with 2 tablespoon of olive oil1 clove peeled garlic cloves, 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add the tomato sauce and 2 leaves of basil, letting it simmer until it thickens1 cup homemade tomato sauce, 10 fresh basil leaves
Frying the pizza
- Flatten the balls into circles, with the centre thinner than the sides and deep fry them in hot oil (about 180 C)vegetable oil for frying
- Cook the pizzas for 2 minutes on each side, until the crust is golden.
- Remove from the frying oil and place it on a paper kitchen towel to absorb the oil.
To serve
- Slice the mozzarella2 cup fresh mozzarella
- Put a spoon of tomato sauce over each pizza, a slice of mozzarella, a basil leaf and sprinkle with parmesan and serve warm½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, 10 fresh basil leaves
Video
Notes
- the pizza dough should rest overnight
- They can be eaten immediately or warmed up before serving
Nutrition
Patty
Amazing recipe Laura, pinned it!
cookilicious
That is such a novel idea! Fried pizza!
Jonathan Dradford
I like how you presented the recipe and directions. Thanks for sharing this to us. I gotta try this out.
Carissa Shaw
Love this! Thank you for sharing the recipe! Fried dough pizza is so delicious, and I never thought of filling them with meat and cheese.
Laura
Yes, they are very nice. Thank you
Laura
Yes, they are very nice. Thanks
kim
Such a fun experience! When I have time, I love making my own pizza dough and your ideas are brilliant!
Laura
Thank you
Laura
Thank you, it is a classic in Naples
Kristen
I love the story of the history of this dish and what a great idea to fry the dough. That is simply genius!
Laura
Ah, ah, it is
Laura
Ah, ah, isn't it
Luci's Morsels
These look so tasty! We spent our honeymoon in Southern France when I learned (and tasted) the italian influence! These fried pizza doughs look perfect for a get together with friends and family!
Laura
Oh, that is nice
Laura
Nice, thank you. My boys love them
Julia
This reminds me of Hungarian langos! Can't wait to try it and compare 🙂
Laura
Oh, that is interesting. I need to check it out
Aleka
I saw these on FB and had to come and see for
Myself! They look so delicious and unique!!! I’d love to try these out! Wow.
Laura
Thank you Aleka, not well known around the world but really Italian. You will love them