I can’t tell you if this is officially a stromboli, calzone or panzerotti. But I can tell you these are little pockets of deliciousness.
Stromboli basically is a pizza rolled up into a loaf and baked. But rather than baking it, we’re frying it. Because, why not?
I like to fill mine with sweet pizza sauce then I add pepperoni, ham, ricotta cheese and lots of mozzarella cheese. Truthfully you could stuff this with just about anything and call it good. You could add sausage, mushrooms, peppers and onions. Anything your little heart desires, the sky is the limit my friends.
While we are going to start with my homemade pizza dough, you could always use a premade dough from the store. I do have to say though, this homemade pizza dough is what takes it over the top.
We had this stromboli for dinner last night. I would say next to a salad but let’s be honest here, no one was thinking of salads at that moment in time. Not much was said during dinner as we ate this saucy-crispy delight.
It’s always a go-to crowd pleaser.
Deep Fried Stromboli
Pepperoni and ham along with pizza sauce, ricotta and mozzarella is rolled up in homemade pizza dough and fried until golden perfection.
- 1 cup warm water (around 105°)
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tbs white sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbs lard
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- pizza sauce
- pepperoni
- sliced ham
- ricotta cheese
- mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- cooking oil (for frying)
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Combine water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of your Kitchen Aid. Give it a good mix and allow it to set for 10 minutes to bloom (the surface will look bubbly).
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In a separate bowl mix together the flour and salt.
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With the dough hook attached to your Kitchen Aid, turn it on the lowest speed. Add in the flour/salt mixture ½ cup at a time. Scrape the sides down when needed.
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Once the dough has come together, add in the lard. Continue mixing 5-6 minutes.
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Remove the bowl from your Kitchen Aid. If any flour remains on the bottom of your bowl, press the dough down into it to pick it up.
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Grease a separate mixing bowl well with lard. Transfer your dough to that bowl. Using your hands, grease the outside of the dough with lard. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot. Allow it to rise until doubled in size (around 1 hour).
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Once the dough has finished rising, punch the dough down and turn it on to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
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Roll the first piece of dough out to an 8" round circle. Working with one prepared dough at a time spread some of the pizza sauce on the dough, leaving a 1" border around the dough edges Begin layering in your desired toppings (pepperoni, ham, sausage, ricotta cheese, peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.). Top it all with a generous helping of mozzarella cheese.
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To close your stromboli, grab the edge furthest from you and bring it towards you. Lay this edge on top of the one closest to you. It should form a half-moon shape. To seal your edges together, press them together firmly. Then begin crimping by taking your thumb and index finger from one hand and make a v-shape with them with the opening of the fingers opening to the outside of the stromboli. Push the index finger from your opposing hand through the v-shape (going towards the center of the stromboli). Continue the crimp all the way around the edge. Having a sealed edge is very important! Otherwise the contents will leak out into the hot oil and create a wild popping mess.
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In a deep skillet, add cooking oil until it's 1 1/2" deep. Heat oil over medium heat until it reaches 350°. Carefully place the sealed stromboli in the center of the pan. Set it down easily, don't drop it in or the hot grease will splatter. Cook the stromboli on one side around 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip the stromboli carefully and cook another 3 minutes on that side. When it's done, it should be nice and golden brown all the way around.
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Repeat this process with all remaining dough pieces.
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Let the stromboli cool for a few minutes before serving.
