Panzerotto
The history of the panzarotto, or panzerotto, is very ancient. Historians think that it comes from the tradition of the poorest Apulian cuisine when, with the rest of the bread dough, these small crescents were cooked with pieces of cheese and tomatoes.
It is thought that the first panzerotto was born from the creativity of a baker from Salento who had some leftover bread and had the idea of forming a “small folded pizza”. Hence the name “panzerotto” which seems to derive from “panza” that is “belly” and refers to its characteristic swelling that is created during cooking. While in Bari they are called “panzerotti”, in Salento they are more commonly referred to as “calzoni”.
Their most typical recipe involves cooking them in sunflower oil. The batter of the fried calzones of the Salento recipe is made exclusively from durum wheat flour. No potatoes or other flours are added, as is commonly done in the making of Bari or Neapolitan panzerotti.
Panzerotto: what it is and its characteristics
Often trivialized as a “folded pizza”, the panzerotto has its own particularity and a preparation in its own right that determine its unmistakable characteristics.
Panzerotto is a gastronomic rotisserie product made with the same dough as the pizza and formed by a circle of dough filled with different fillings, then closed on itself to form a crescent and then fried or baked. Born in Southern Italy, it can be found from Lazio downwards.
While in Puglia and, more specifically, in Salento it is more commonly called “calzone”, in Naples its preparation is still very popular and is called “fried pizza”. Don’t get confused! In Naples, the “panzarotto” is more properly a potato croquette and the “calzone” is only the one cooked in the oven.
How to prepare the panzerotto:
Ingredients:
• lukewarm water to taste
• 500 g of flour
• half a stick of brewer’s yeast
• 8 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 10 g of coarse salt
• 5 g of sugar
• seed oil to taste
• 250 g of mozzarella
• 100 g of tomato puree
• salt up to taste
• oregano to taste
First of all let’s prepare the filling: cut the mozzarella into cubes and, in a bowl, mix the mozzarella and the tomato puree. Add salt and oregano.
At this point let’s dedicate ourselves to the dough. Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water and add the sugar. Add the flour and the dissolved yeast in a bowl. We take a bowl and add warm water. Melt the coarse salt inside.
At this point, pour the liquid over the flour. Start mixing all the ingredients together. Add the oil and knead again until the dough is smooth and soft.
Now you need to divide the dough into 10 parts and form small balls, place them on a pastry board and, covered with a cloth, wait for them to rise for at least 2 hours.
Once they have risen, take the frying pan and heat plenty of sunflower oil inside. Roll out the balls with a rolling pin and place a spoonful of filling in the center. Be careful not to overfill them otherwise when we close them the filling will come out. Once the half-moon panzerotti are closed, make sure the edges are tightly closed.
Cook the panzerotti in boiling oil. Turn them on both sides and, when they are golden, drain them on a paper towel.
We recommend serving them hot, freshly made!
The calzones are also delicious baked in the oven. This will make them lighter and just as tasty!
