Pizza Fritta (Fried Pizza)
plus, the cherry tomato butter sauce you'll be making all summer long
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Pizza is pretty much a perfect food. There aren’t many ways to improve it, except maybe frying. I’ve been wanting to make fried pizzas for a while now, because let’s be honest: fried food is delicious. These fried pizzas are crispy, chewy and a great recipe to make in the summer.
You don’t need to heat up a blazing hot oven or get a backyard pizza setup. Just a pan and some oil. Each pizza is shallow fried for a few minutes per side, and then topped up with whatever you like. They’re nice and small so you can make a bunch and top them with as many different flavor combos as you want.
Here, I made a few versions. One of my favorites was topped with mortadella, homemade stracciatella, and a chopped pistachio oil. (Inspired by one of my fave recipes—Pizza Bianca). I also made a classic version with tomato sauce and grated Pecorino Romano, and a summery twist on a classic Margherita pizza with stracciatella, cherry tomato butter sauce, and fresh basil. All so, SO good. Ok, now onto the recipe…
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Ingredients
For the Dough:
250 g flour (about 1¾ cups) – “00” or all-purpose
1 tsp kosher salt
200 g warm water (about ¾ cup)
½ tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp honey or sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
For Frying:
Neutral oil like sunflower or light olive oil – enough for ½ inch in the pan
Toppings (any combo you like):
Mortadella, Stracciatella, Chopped Pistachios and Olive Oil, Cherry Tomato Butter Sauce, Fresh Basil, Grated Pecorino Romano
Instructions
Make The Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together your flour and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the warm water, yeast, and honey (or sugar). Let sit for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast then stir in the olive oil.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until no dry patches remain. Cover and let the dough proof: Overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for ~5 hours.Shape The Dough
Punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal portions. Fold dough over on itself to create tight balls, pinching the bottom together. Arrange on a floured surface, pinched side down and let rise for 1 hour at room temp.Heat The Oil
Heat about 1/2” oil over medium heat. You’ll know it’s ready when: The surface shimmers, bubbles form around a wooden spoon handle, or, if using a thermometer, it reaches 325°F (165°C).Stretch and Fry Pizzas
Stretch each dough ball into a circle, about 1/2 – 1/4” thick. Gently place in oil (away from you) and fry for around 3 minutes per side until light golden in color. They will continue to brown once you take it out of the oil. Set on a rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining dough.Top It Up!
Once all your pizzas are fried, top it up with whatever you like and enjoy! Here are a few of my favorites:Mortadella, Stracciatella and Chopped Pistachio Oil
Stracciatella, Cherry Butter Tomato Sauce and Fresh Basil
Cherry Butter Tomato Sauce and Grated Pecorino Romano
Cherry Tomato Butter Sauce
This might be one of the simplest—and dare I say it, most delicious—pasta sauces there is.
Inspired by the iconic Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter by Marcella Hazan, this version swaps in cherry tomatoes (pomodorini) for their sweeter and more concentrated flavor.
With just three main ingredients and about 20 minutes on the stove, it’s the sauce you’ll find yourself making all summer. I used canned cherry tomatoes here, it’s what I had, but now that fresh ones are in season, use them—they’ll make the sauce even better.
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