Fried Pizzelle

Round, fried and inviting just by looking at them... Fried pizzelle will be tempting for everyone! Also known as Montanare, they are fragrant discs of pizza dough and are part of the culinary tradition of Campania.

INGREDIENTS

Flour 700 g

Water at room temperature 500 Ml

Fresh brewer's yeast 4 g

Salt up to 20 g

TO SEASON THE PIZZELLE

San Marzano peeled tomatoes 720 g

Basil 25 leaves

Oregano to taste

Fine salt to taste

Garlic 1 segment

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Grana Padano to be grated 70 g

FOR FRYING

Peanut oil to taste 

PREPARATION

To prepare the fried pizzelle, start making the dough, first pour a little of the indicated amount of water (at room temperature) into a small jug. Add the crumbled fresh brewer's yeast and stir with a teaspoon until it dissolves completely. Let the yeast rest and in the meantime place about 30% of the flour on one side of the cupboard. The sideboard is a wooden container, which can withstand the temperature of the dough well and allows it not to stick to the edges. If you don't have one, you can use a wooden container or a glass bowl. Then pour the water into the other half of the cupboard, avoiding pouring it directly over the flour. Then add the salt to the water and dissolve it, stirring gently with your hands. As soon as you don't feel any grains anymore, start mixing the flour as well. Pour in a little more flour and gradually with your hands, making a rotating movement, mix it with the water. When you have added about 50% of the flour, add the previously dissolved yeast to the dough. Continue by adding a little more flour and continue to knead until you have incorporated it all: making the dough by hand allows you to better adjust the consistency of the dough and understand if you need to add a little more flour. At this point, continue to knead the dough inside the cupboard, or bowl, for 10-15 minutes until it is smooth and homogeneous. Then let the dough rise inside the cupboard and gently cover it in contact with a clean, slightly damp cloth. Let it rise in a place away from drafts or hot-cold temperature changes. Let it rest for at least 4 hours at room temperature, away from drafts. After this time, take the dough and transfer it, using a tarot, to a lightly floured surface. Still using the tarot, divide it into portions of 50 g each. With these doses, you'll get about 25 servings. With the help of a little flour, give each portion folds to form a ball, placing the flaps underneath and gradually place them on a lightly floured tray (the part of the flaps taken up and brought back to the center with the folds will come into contact with the base). Cover with a dry towel this time and let it rest for at least another 2 hours, always in a place away from drafts. In the meantime, take care of the sauce; Transfer the San Marzano tomatoes to a glass bowl and shred them with your hands; Alternatively, you can use a fork. Then pour a drizzle of oil into a pan, add a previously crushed clove of garlic and let it fry until golden brown; then delete it. Then add the tomato to the pan and season with salt; Then add the oregano and let it simmer for at least half an hour, turning it often, until it has shrunk. After 2 hours of leavening of the balls, put a large pan with peanut oil on the stove to bring to a maximum temperature of 180°C (check with a kitchen thermometer). Using a tarot card, help yourself to detach one portion at a time from the tray and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Using your fingertips, roll out your first pizza, spreading it gently. Then, using the tip of the tarot, lightly prick the dough; In this way, it will not swell too much during cooking. As soon as the oil has reached the indicated temperature, dip the pizzella, squeezing it in the middle with a spoon, in order to prevent it from swelling excessively and to create a central cavity that, once the pizzella is cooked, will collect to contain the sauce. When it is golden brown, drain the pizzella with a sciumarola and place it on a sheet of frying paper. Continue to cook the others as well. As soon as they are cooked, you can season them: pour a tablespoon of tomato sauce into the cavity of each pizzella then a little grated cheese. Finish with fresh basil leaves and serve your pizzelle still warm!

PRESERVATION

I recommend eating fried pizzelle while still hot. Alternatively, you can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to a day, or freeze it before the second rising.