Panzerotti are little pockets of heaven. Also known as ‘calzone’ wildly popular from Lazio to Sicily but everyone knows the best ones are made in Puglia. Simply filled with tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil or origano they are typical Italian street food but also very easy to make at home! You can definitely fancy them up by adding ham, salami, olives, spinach and even eggplants!! Make them and let me know!
Recipe makes 10 panzerotti
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups strong bread flour
- 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the tomato sauce:
- 5 medium sized ripe tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
- 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tsp dried origano
- A generous glug of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
To assemble:
- 150-200 gr mozzarella, cut into small cubes
- Fresh basil leaves
- Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
For the dough:
- In a medium bowl add the water and sugar. Stir to dissolve. Now add the instant yeast, give it a gentle stir and set aside to proof. Around 5 minutes
- In a big bowl add all purpose flour, bread flour, salt and stir to combine.
- Now add to the flour the proofed yeast and olive oil and knead until a soft dough forms. Flour your working surface, tip the dough and continue kneading till soft and elastic. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover loosely with cling film and kitchen towel and leave to rise till doubled in size, around 1.5 hours.
For the sauce:
- In a medium size saucepan add olive oil and garlic. Turn on the heat and gently cook garlic till fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, salt and origano and let cook for about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Assemble:
- Divide the dough in 10 equal parts and using a rolling pin shape them into disks around 3 mm thick.
- In the center place some tomato sauce, top with few mozzarella cubes and a basil leaf.
- Close it by folding your dough in a crescent moon shape making sure to seal the ends carefully. Trim the edge with a smooth wheel or use a fork.
- Heat the vegetable oil and fry the panzerotti in batches till they are golden and crispy. Serve immediately.
Buon Appetito!!!