Pizza Fritta from Abruzzo, Italy is the best fried pizza you've likely never had (until now)! This utterly delicious golden-brown fried pizza dough is crispy outside and impossibly soft and airy inside.
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Pizza Fritta Video
To see the texture of this fried pizza (and how crispy, light, and airy it is) watch this super quick video!
What is Abruzzese Pizza Fritta?
Pizzonta frittelle or pizza fritta salata is a yeasted Italian fried dough (aka fried pizza). It's a typical street food with origins in Abruzzo, Italy, and much like the pizza fritta from Naples, it began as a way to use up leftovers and minimize waste.
It goes by many names (pizza unta, pizzonta frittella, pizza fritta, pizz'onta, pizz'onte, and pizzonte). In dialect it's called "pizz'onta which translates as "greasy pizza" and it's one of the best fried breads I've ever eaten!
Frying up leftover bread or pizza dough was, and still is, a perfect solution if you don't have a wood-fired oven at home.
3 Types of Fried Pizza
Like all fried pizza, it's uniquely delicious by itself, but as its name suggests, you can turn it into the base for a classic mini pizza or top it with sautéed vegetables, burrata cheese, tapenade, or prosciutto -- you can even stuff it and fry it like a calzone.
There are at least 3 kinds of pizzonte frittelle:
- Sweet ("dolce")
- Savory ("salata")
- Stuffed ("farcita" or "ripiena")
Every family or restaurant has their own recipe with some using lard, milk, and even mashed potatoes in the dough. All regions throughout Italy (including Naples in the Campagna region) have different versions of pizze fritte (fried pizzas) and this happens to be one of the best.
If you love this recipe, you might also enjoy this super delicious Whole Wheat Thin-Crust Pizza or my top-rated Ultimate Thin-Crust 00 Flour Pizza Recipe.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's an easy beginner's yeast dough to make
- Uses the most basic pantry ingredients
- Requires only 30 minutes of total hands-on time (including frying the pizzas)
- Easy pizza recipe for kid to help make
- Makes a perfect edible canvas for any antipasto or pizza toppings
- The dough can be made ahead 1 to 3 days in advance
- If you've failed at making homemade pizza, fried pizza changes Pizza Night forever
Ingredients
Shallow fried and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt, these mini pizzas can be topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella, or anything your heart desires! One fried pizza, endless options.
Hint
Using the gram measurements provided in the recipe card yields the most consistent results and makes this recipe very easy to pull together. But for anyone without a kitchen scale, I've also provided imperial measurements.
- Italian 00 flour *sub all-purpose flour
- yeast
- milk
- water
- extra virgin olive oil
- sugar
- salt
- oil for frying
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Fried Pizza (Step by Step)
Pizze fritte (the plural of "pizza fritta") is a really easy to make (even for kids). Just mix everything together, knead it, allow the dough to rise, shape it into portions, and let it rise again before frying it.
Find detailed instructions in recipe card.
Combine dough ingredients & knead. In a large mixing bowl combine the ingredients then knead the dough for 10-12 minutes.
Proof & portion the dough. Let the dough rise until doubled in size and divide it equally into 6 portions and roll them into uniform balls. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Shape the dough balls & let them rise. Working with one piece of dough at a time, press each ball down with the tips of your fingers to create a circle approximately 5 inches (13cm) in diameter.
Fry the pizza. Working with one or two dough rounds at a time, fry the dough in a preheated 350°F/176°C skillet with about 1 to 2 inches of oil for about 2 minutes on the first side. Flip it over and fry until golden brown. That's it!
Substitutions
- Italian 00 flour can be substituted with all-purpose flour or bread flour in a pinch
- Milk can be substituted with water
- Extra virgin olive oil can be substituted with vegetable oil or room temperature melted lard
Variations
- Sweet pizza fritta: Increase sugar to 1-2 tablespoons in the dough. After frying, sprinkle with sugar and top with Nutella, Peanut butter and strawberry jam, Biscoff cookie spread or a square of dark chocolate.
- Stuffed version: Fill the dough with cheese, cooked meat, or cooked vegetables before frying to make a pizza fritta calzone.
- Classic Pizza version: Add pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and classic pizza toppings after frying. Place the pizzas under a preheated oven broiler until the cheese is melted.
- Valentine's Day Pizza Fritta: Shape the dough into hearts before letting them rise the second time and fry! These
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Baking sheet
- Sustainable cling film
- Large skillet or frying pan
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer
Storage & Reheating
Store cooled pizza fritte in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in a preheated oven at 350°F/175°C for 5-10 minutes until crispy and warmed through.
Serving
Serve pizza fritta hot, sprinkled with Maldon sea salt for savory fried pizzas and sugar for sweet fried pizzas.
For the perfect antipasto, top pizzas with any of these delicious choices:
Prosciutto di Parma, speck di Asiago, Culatello, prosciutto cotto, spicy salami or ventricina, burrata, mozzarella, ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, black or green olives, grilled or pan seared vegetables, diced tomatoes with olive oil, roasted bell peppers (a local Abruzzese tradition).
For a mini pizza margherita, add tomato sauce, mozzarella and a basil leaf.
Top Tips
- Use gram measurements for more consistent and accurate results
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for the best texture (in fall and winter the oven with the light turned on works well)
- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying to maintain oil temperature
FAQ
Yes, you can make the dough 1 to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator and bring it to room temp before frying. *Fried pizza always tastes better when eaten soon after frying so it's best to make the dough ahead and fry when you're ready to serve it.
While Italian 00 flour is the gold standard you can substitute all-purpose or bread flour in a pinch.
The oil should be preheated to 350°F/176°C for the best evenly cooked fried pizzas. If you don't have a thermometer, you can test the temperature by dropping a small piece of dough into the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the surface, the oil is ready. Alternatively, place a wooden chopstick into the middle of the oil and if bubbles rise up around it, the oil is ready.
More Easy Pizza Recipes to Make
If you love pizza as much as we do, below are a few of reader favorite pizza recipes for you to try!
- Top-Rated 00 Flour Pizza
- Ultimate Bread Flour Pizza Dough
- Best Thick-Crust Pizza Dough
- No-Yeast St. Louis-Style Pizza
- The Best 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Fried Pizza From Abruzzo Italy (Abruzzese Pizza Fritta)
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 Fried Pizzas
Description
Pizza Fritta from Abruzzo, Italy is the best fried pizza you've likely never had (until now)! This utterly delicious golden-brown fried pizza dough is crispy outside, yet impossibly soft and airy inside. Shallow fried and sprinkled with Maldon sea salt, these mini pizzas can be topped with pizza sauce and mozzarella, or anything your heart desires! One fried pizza, endless options.
Ingredients
- 8 ¾ ounces (about 2 cups) Italian 00 flour (250g)*sub all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ teaspoon yeast (6g)
- 2 ⅞ ounces (5 ¾ tablespoons) lukewarm milk (80g)
- 4 tablespoons lukewarm water (60g)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (14g)
- ½ teaspoon sugar (2g)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (3g)
- oil for shallow frying
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, yeast, and sugar. Add olive oil and warm milk, stirring to incorporate. Gradually add enough warm water just until dough forms but isn't wet or sticky. Mix in salt and form into a ball.
- Knead the dough and let it rise. Knead dough on a work surface for 10-12 minutes until soft, smooth, and pliable. Add minimal flour if needed to prevent sticking. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in oven with light on for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
- Portion the dough and let it rest. Deflate dough, divide into 6 equal balls, cover with inverted bowl, and rest for 10 minutes.
- Shape the dough & let them rise. Press each dough ball into a 5-inch (13cm) circle using fingertips. Place on lightly floured sheet pan, cover loosely with cling film. Let rise in oven with light on for 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
- Fry the pizze fritte. Fry 1-2 dough rounds in 1-2 inches of oil at 350°F/176°C. Cook first side for 2 minutes, making a slight indentation in the center using a spoon. Flip and fry 1-2 minutes more until golden and puffy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle immediately with Maldon sea salt. Serve hot as mini pizzas or top with prosciutto, grilled vegetables, and cheese for antipasti. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add water gradually until the dough feels right – slightly tacky but not sticky. Flour absorption varies by brand and type, while ambient humidity affects moisture content. You may need slightly less or more than the recipe states.
- Salt can inhibit yeast activity, so add it last to ensure proper dough rising.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the pizza fritte to fry or they'll become greasy. Use a candy/deep-fry thermometer to make sure the oil is at 350°F/176°C. If you don't have one, see my alternative ways to check oil temp in the main post.
- To make classic fried pizzas add a spoonful of pizza sauce to the tops of the fried pizza, then top it with mozzarella, parm and any additional pizza toppings of your choice and pop it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rise or Proofing Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Shallow Fry
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 fried pizza
Made the Recipe? Tell Us What You Think!