What are panzerotti? They are a small versions of the Calzone or closed pizza 🍕, but with a softer dough. Usually fried, this baked version is much more lightly and healthy! The most common filling is tomato and mozzarella, but you can fill them with whatever you like! Courgette, peppers, mushrooms, sweet corn.... or even with Nutella for a delicious dessert!
Ingredients for the dough:
220ml room temperature water
20g fresh yeast
1tsp sugar
200g strong white flour
200g all purpose flour
30ml olive oil
1tsp salt
Ingredients for the filling:
200-250g tomato passata
150-200g mozzarella
4-5 leaves basil
1 tsp dry oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Place water, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Add flour, salt and oil and mix until form a ball shape.
Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the ball in it.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size ( approx 1 hour).
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 3-4 mm thick.
With a pastry cutter (o 7 cm - I used a bowl) cut out discs.
Cover the discs with oiled cling film or a damp cloth to prevent the surface of the dough from drying out.
Now prepare the fillings. For the tomato 🍅 sauce:
in a bowl mix together all the ingredients (except for the mozzarella) and set apart (if you prefer you can cook the tomato sauce).
Cut mozzarella in small cubes and set apart.
Distribute one spoon of tomato sauce and a few mozzarella cubes in the middle of the dough (leaving a little room around the edge) and fold over each panzerotti to form a half-moon shape and with a fork press the edges.
Seal them properly and carefully.
Place the panzerotti on a baking tray with baking paper/reusable silicone mat and bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Enjoy!
📌Note:
Let them cool a bit before serving, the filling will be very hot! 🔥
It's very important to be careful not to pour the tomato on the edges of panzerotti, otherwise you won't be able to seal them properly!
🍑Note: Modify and cut food according to your children’s age to avoid chocking hazard