Pizza Fritta, also known as Pizza Montanara, is a small disc of fried pizza, often munched on in the streets of Naples, Italy. Except for today, they'll be transported straight to your kitchen.
Simple and easy to make, this dish will be ready in just 15 minutes, and no baking is needed. Perfect for lunch, snack or light dinner. Serve with Homemade Cream Cheese as a side dish!
For more pizza recipes, check Spinach Mushroom Pizza and Roasted Vegetable Pizza.
Be prepared to impress some guests as we share the recipe to make this delectable food at home. You'll require all the ingredients that you usually need to make a pizza. Although, instead of using an oven, we'll be frying our pizza base to reveal a crisp bottom.
Topped with tomato sauce, stringy mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves, these Pizza Fritte make for great appetizers. These appetizers are so good you'll have to think of a great main course to top them off!
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What Is Pizza Fritta?
Pizza Fritta means "fried pizza"; they are classic Neapolitan street food that is so simple and easy to make. They look like small miniature pizzas, except they take much less time and effort to cook up. Generally, you knead the pizza dough, then roll it and prepare the topping.
Pizza Fritte on the other hand, are simply rolled into small disc shapes and fried. Then they're topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil leaves. They're pretty straightforward to make and a saviour in case you're having pizza cravings. Oh, and as a twist, they're a lot crispier than pizza too.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Delicious, classic Neapolitan street food that is so popular in Italian restaurants.
- Easy homemade pizza for lunch or dinner, no baking is needed!
- This is a versatile recipe; you can make a sweet version of these mini pizzas.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: To make the base of the pizza.
- Lukewarm water: Just what you use in your cooking.
Dried active yeast: Before frying, we're still going to wait for the base to rise. - Granulated sugar: For moisture in the dough.
- Salt: To taste.
- Sunflower oil: Or use vegetable oil, olive oil, whatever you'd like your Fritte to be fried in.
- Pizza sauce: Whichever you prefer, home-made or store-bought.
- Mozzarella cheese: Grated.
- Basil leaves: For a garden-fresh topping.
“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”
Variations & Substitutions
Traditionally, Pizza Fritte is topped with tomato sauce, cheese and basil leaves. However, that doesn't mean that they always have to be! This pizza base is a versatile piece of fried bread that can be devoured in so many different ways. Here are some of our suggestions:
- Top this Italian Pizza Fritta with pistachio pesto, some garlic and homemade ricotta cheese for a mouthful of flavour.
- You can add diced onion, garlic, bell peppers, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. Take the extra mile and add some black olives too.
- You can also mix your choice of protein into the tomato sauce and spread it on top of the Fritta. Chicken, meat, and cottage cheese taste delightful on this crisp Fritta.
- You don't have to make your Pizza Fritta savoury. You can also turn it into a dessert. Add a spoonful of Nutella alongside some soft fruit, such as bananas or strawberries, for a sweet treat.
How To Make The Pizza Fritta?
Making Pizza Fritta requires two main steps; making the pizza base and then topping it.
One - Make the pizza dough: In a small bowl, mix together yeast, lukewarm water and sugar. Set aside in a warm place for 8-10 minutes or until bubbles form (photo 1).
Two: Now, take out a second bowl that is larger in size. In this large mixing bowl, add flour, salt and the dried active yeast mixture and knead for 9-10 minutes until it is smooth (photo 2).
Three: Once you are done kneading and a soft dough is formed, transfer it to an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it set in a warm place to rise and double in size (photo 3 & 4).
Four: After the dough has risen to a considerable size, divide it into eight equal portions, and form them into small balls (photo 5).
Five: Using a rolling pin, roll the ball into a 5-inch circle. You can also gently press the ball with your fingers to form the circle if you don't have a rolling pin on hand (photo 6).
Six - Fry the pizza dough: Heat the oil of your choice in a large frying pan. Then, fry the small pizzas in the hot oil until golden brown and drain them on paper towel (photo 7).
Seven - Top the pizza: After draining them on paper towels, place them on a serving plate and spread spoonfuls of pizza sauce, followed by mozzarella cheese. Finally, garnish the pizza with 3-4 fresh basil leaves (photo 8).
Voila! An exotic dish, straight from the streets of Naples, is ready to excite some guests!
Expert Tips!
- Dust your hands and the kitchen counter with some flour whilst working with the dough. While kneading it, or forming it into small circles, the dusted flour will prevent your hands from sticking to it.
- Either use a large frying pan to fry the pizza base or fry them one at a time. This way, they get plenty of room to rise, and their shape won't be ruined.
- A good trick to test if the oil is ready for frying is to insert any of your wooden kitchen utensils into the oil. If the wooden spoon/utensil has bubbles formed around it, then the oil is ready for frying.
- You may place the Pizza Fritta in the oven for a couple of minutes to allow the cheese to melt, although it's completely optional.
Pizza Fritta Vs Calzone
Both are the same thing, You can add all of the toppings mentioned above to the Pizza base and turn it into a Pizza Calzone. All you have to do is, place the toppings into the uncooked dough circle and fold it in half.
Next, fry it in oil, just like you would a Pizza Fritte. When you take it out of the frying pan, drain it as usual. That's it! That's how you can close up your Pizza Fritte and turn it into a Calzone.
Serving Suggestions
These Pizza Frittas are commonly served as appetizers before a scrumptious meal. But we suggest you plate this with a herby protein salad such as Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad, Italian Shrimp Pasta Salad or Greek Chicken Salad Recipe. and make it a whole meal of its own!
Whip up a fresh salad, suggestively, with some iceberg lettuce, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and protein of your choice. Don't forget to spice with some chilli or black pepper.
Ta-duh! A perfect afternoon brunch is ready to go, serve with Melon Ice Cream, Red Bean Ice Cream or Black Raspberry Ice Cream.
Recipe FAQs
First off, we only add a little sugar. Secondly, sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs and retains moisture. Sugar added to bread tends to extend its shelf life, as it prevents it from drying out sooner. Adding sugar also helps create a finer crumb and allows the dough to rise faster. Sugar also helps the bread brown more quickly.
Mozzarella cheese has a lower melting point than other cheeses. So, when you place the cheese on the Fritta while it is still hot, it'll cause the mozzarella to melt. If your cheese isn't as melted as you'd like it to be, you can always give the Fritta a few minutes in the oven.
You don't need a lot of oil to make your Fritte. Less is more. However, the amount of oil you should pour into the frying pan depends on the size of your utensil. Generally, 0.5cm of depth should be fine. Remember, you can always add more. However, if you have too much oil in the pan, you'll have to figure out what to do with it later. So, save yourself the trouble and pour little oil, to begin with.
Easy Pizza Recipes
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Recipe Card
Pizza Fritta (Fried Pizza)
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried active yeast
- ½ sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Make the pizza dough: In a small bowl, mix together yeast, warm water and sugar. Set aside in a warm place for 8-10 minutes or until bubbles form.1 ¼ cups lukewarm water, 1 ½ teaspoon dried active yeast, ½ sugar
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt and the active yeast mixture and knead for 9-10 minutes until smooth.3 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it set in a warm place to rise and double in size.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, and form them into balls.
- Roll each ball into a 5 inch circle, or just press it with your fingers to form the circle.
- Fry the pizza dough: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and then fry the pizzas until golden brown, then drain on paper towels.⅓ cup sunflower oil
- Add the toppings: Put them on a serving plate and spread them with spoonfuls of pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves.½ cup pizza sauce, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, fresh basil leaves
Notes
- Dust your hands and the kitchen counter with some flour whilst working with the dough. While kneading it, or forming it into small circles, the dusted flour will prevent your hands from sticking to it.
- A good trick to test if the oil is ready for frying is to insert any of your wooden kitchen utensils into the oil. If the wooden spoon/utensil has bubbles formed around it, then the oil is ready for frying.
- You may place the Fritta in the oven for a couple of minutes to allow the cheese to melt, although it's completely optional.
- Either use a large frying pan to fry the pizza base or fry them one at a time. This way, they get plenty of room to rise, and their shape won't be ruined.
- Top this Italian Pizza with pistachio pesto, some garlic and ricotta cheese for a mouthful of flavour.
- You can add diced onion, garlic, bell peppers, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. Take the extra mile and add some black olives too.
- You can also mix your choice of protein into the tomato sauce and spread it on top. Chicken, meat, and cottage cheese taste delightful on this crisp Fritta.
- You don't have to make your it savoury. You can also turn it into a dessert. Add a spoonful of Nutella alongside some soft fruit, such as bananas or strawberries, for a sweet treat.
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