life-changing crispy fried pizzas
- author: lindsay
- prep time: 1 hour
- cook time: 20 minutes
- total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- yield: 6 pizzas 1x
DESCRIPTION
Crispy fried pizzas that are light, airy, and the perfect combination of crispy/chewy. It is the ABSOLUTE BEST way to make amazing, restaurant-level pizza at home!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 package of pizza dough (we use DeLallo! it is THE best.)
- oil for frying (vegetable or canola is best)
- tomato sauce of choice
- fresh mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil and/or pesto
- red pepper flakes
- Parmesan cheese
- any other toppings you like
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the dough: Make the pizza dough according to package directions. Let the dough rise (for DeLallo pizza dough, the rise time is 45 minutes).
- Shape the dough: Divide the pizza dough into 6 sections. Roll each into a ball and flatten into a pizza shape (mine were about 6-8 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick around the outside).
- Prep the oil: Heat a large cast iron skillet with oil (about 1 inch deep). Turn the heat to medium/low. Test the oil by dropping a speck of water in it – when it sizzles or bubbles, then the oil is ready.
- Fry the pizza dough: Working one at a time, gently place the pizzas into the oil and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute until light golden brown. Flip with tongs and repeat on the other side. Transfer to a paper towel lined pan to cool.
- Finish in the oven: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spread each pizza with sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you want. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil, pesto, or anything else you want and serve warm. And then enjoy those puffy, crispy, personal-pan-sized bites of pizza crust! YUMMMMM.
NOTES
As the oil got hotter, I found that the middle of the dough wanted to puff up. I just used a slotted spoon to gently press in the center while frying and that helped to keep the shape generally flat. You can also try poking holes in the pizza crust to help with this.
If your pizza dough is turning deep golden brown, your oil is too hot. Turn it down and let it cool for a few minutes before frying your next one!
The pizza dough should be fully cooked when it comes out of the oil, so if you cannot resist the golden crispy hot fried bread thing going on (I could not), you might enjoy sacrificing one or two fried pizza crusts to dip in sauce as an appetizer. YUM.
