This is the authentic Panzerotti Pugliesi recipe: deep-fried dough pockets filled with tomato, mozzarella, and ham—a beloved Italian street food from Puglia.
What Are Panzerotti?
Panzerotti Pugliesi are stuffed bread dough pockets, typically deep-fried but sometimes baked. They’re a traditional street food of Puglia and can be eaten as a snack, an aperitivo, or a casual meal on the go.
The classic filling is simple: tomato sauce and mozzarella. But in Puglia, you’ll find dozens of delicious variations—lately, I even heard of a carbonara panzerotto!
Honestly, any excuse is a good excuse to enjoy one.
When Do We Eat Panzerotti in Italy?
When we go to Taranto, my husband’s hometown, we have a couple-tradition: a stop at a bar on the main street for aperitivo. This means sitting alfresco and waiting for a joyful parade of bites: sweet fruit-based drinks, olives, almonds, chips, peanuts, taralli, mozzarelline, stuffed croissants, friselle, pizzette, and my favorite—panzerotti.
I got this authentic Panzerotti Pugliesi recipe from my Apulian mother-in-law. And now, I’m sharing it with you. Enjoy!
Panzerotti Pugliesi Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 17.5 oz 500g 00 flour
- 1 cube fresh baker's yeast 0.9 oz / 25g
- 3.5 oz milk, room temperature 100 ml
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 oz extra virgin olive oil 60g
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling & Frying
- 1 cup tomato passata puree
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 mozzarella diced
- 3.5 oz ham or prosciutto cotto – optional 100g
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
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Dissolve the yeast in the milk with the sugar. After about five minutes, look for bubbling (even just on the edges). If none appears, start again with new yeast.
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In a bowl or stand mixer, combine all dough ingredients including the yeast mixture. Knead until a soft ball forms, adding a few teaspoons of water only if needed.
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Continue kneading for 10 minutes in the mixer or 20 minutes by hand. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
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Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm spot for 2 hours. Set a timer, then sink into the pages of Taranto’s Simposio.You’ll feel like you’re cooking in a quiet kitchen in a coastal Italian town. Get your copy on Amazon.
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Season the passata with salt and olive oil. Julienne the ham and dice the mozzarella.
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Once risen, divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape into small balls (3 inches / 6–7 cm).
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Roll each ball into a flat round (0.25 inches / 0.5 cm thick). Use a cutter or mug if needed.
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Add a teaspoon of tomato sauce, 2–3 cubes of mozzarella, and ½ tsp of ham in the center.
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Lightly brush the dough edges with water, then fold over into a crescent and seal firmly with your fingers.
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Heat the oil and fry each panzerotto for less than a minute per side, until lightly golden. Serve hot.
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While they fry, you might want to browse the Simposio cookbooks—and find the one that tastes like your next trip to Italy.
From the Italian Colors Newsletter
“Trulli are stone-made ancient Puglia constructions, originally meant as shelters for farmers.
With time, they evolved into residential spaces—separate units for kitchen, bedroom, etc.
In Alberobello (Bari), the Trulli capital, you’ll find a whole pedestrian city of them.
Yes, mysteries! Historians still debate their origins—you’ll see similar buildings in Sardinia, France, Turkey, Africa, and Spain…”
BRING THE FLAVORS OF PUGLIA INTO YOUR KITCHEN!
That’s it—for now. But there’s much more to taste and discover.
Get your copy of Taranto’s Simposio, a slow travel cookbook from Puglia,
right here on Amazon.
Enjoy your panzerotti!
Claudia