Sweet Fried Pizza Dough Balls – Recipe

Italians are crazy about pizza and, when it comes to Carnival time, also about frying pretty much everything. Each single area in Italy has its own recipe for making fried stuff at Carnival but some of the best recipes are the spontaneous ones like the Sweet Fried Pizza Dough Balls you can easily make with your leftover scraps of pizza dough.

Near naples the “pizza fritta” or deep fried pizza is one of the best dishes ever and it’s really easy to replicate the same recipe for making sweet treats; this recipe requires a little bit of effort but the result is so satisfying you will repeat it again and again.

Sweet Fried Pizza Dough: ingredients for a medium bowl

250 grams of strong flour
250 grams of white flour
350 grams of warm water
15 grams of yeast
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Frying oil
Caster sugar
Ground cinnamon (optional)

Sweet Fried Pizza Dough: recipe

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a bowl.
2. Gradually pour the flour by kneading the mixture as you add the flour. If you’re mixing using the planetary remember to mix at a lower speed to prevent the dough from sticking.
3. When the dough is workable and smooth add the oil and mix everything thoroughly with your hands or at a medium-high speed with the mixer. You have to work for 15 minutes if knead with the hands while the planetary will only take 5 minutes at high speed. You will get a mixture quite runny but not liquid.
4. Put the dough to rise for about 2 hours then resume and mix it quickly. Heat the oil.
5. When the oil is hot, take a tablespoon or a teaspoon of dough at a time and “drop it” in the pan with the help of your index finger to form a ball (if the dough slides just help with the index to give the round shape). Allow to brown on all sides then drain with a slotted spoon, remove the excess oil on paper towel and sprinkle with sugar and possibly cinnamon.

Preparation time: 3 hours

The secrets for a perfect Deep Fried Pizza

• The frying oil should be hot (but not burned, at about 170-180 Celsius Degrees) otherwise the dough will get filled with oil and it won’t cook properly on the inside.
• The dry yeast doesn’t work in a good way. Always try to use the fresh one for a better result.
• The tradition says you have to use extra virgin olive oil for frying as well. The taste is different and the result as well…

[Pic by Giuseppe]