Panzerotto
Photo: GastRomagna · CC0

History

The panzerotto is the Pugliese street snack adopted by Milan when the Luini family opened their counter on Via Santa Radegonda steps from the Duomo in 1949. The half-moon dough pocket, stuffed with tomato sugo and fior di latte mozzarella, deep-fried for two minutes in seed oil, is now the canonical Milan lunch-on-the-feet for under 5 euros. Luini sells more than 4,000 panzerotti a day at the counter; Forno e Pasticceria Princi runs a competing version at Via Speronari. The dough is a soft pizza-bianca lievitato that puffs and crisps in the fryer.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 8Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g 00 flour
  • 240ml lukewarm water
  • 5g fresh yeast (or 2g dry)
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 8g sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • For the filling: 200g passata di pomodoro reduced to a thick sauce, 250g fior di latte mozzarella drained and finely diced, oregano, salt
  • 1 litre neutral seed oil, for deep-frying

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Pour into the flour. Add the salt and olive oil. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  2. Cover and prove at room temperature for 2 hours until doubled.
  3. Drain the diced mozzarella on kitchen paper to remove excess moisture. Cool the tomato sauce.
  4. Divide the dough into 8 balls (90g each). Roll each into a 15cm disc, slightly thicker in the middle.
  5. Place a heaped tablespoon of tomato sauce and a heaped tablespoon of mozzarella on one half of each disc. Add a pinch of oregano.
  6. Fold over into a half-moon. Seal the edges firmly by pressing with a fork or finger-pinching tight. No filling can escape during the fry.
  7. Heat the oil to 180C. Fry the panzerotti in batches of 2 or 3 for 2 minutes, turning halfway. They puff and turn deep gold.
  8. Drain briefly on kitchen paper. Serve immediately; the centre is molten.

Tip from the editors. Drain the mozzarella aggressively. Wet mozzarella turns the dough soggy from the inside; a panzerotto that bursts in the fryer is the most common home failure.

Where to eat panzerotto

Panzerotto in Milan

Luini ★ 4.8

€ ItalianCentro Storico

Luini near the Duomo has served fried panzerotti at under 3 euros since 1949. The tomato-and-mozzarella half-moon is the definitive Milanese street lunch.

TryPanzerotto fritto

Directions

Princi ★ 4.5

€ BakeryPizza al taglio, focaccia, michetta, pastryCentro StoricoWalk-in only

Princi at Via Speronari near the Duomo has set the Milan bakery standard since 1986, the flagship of the Rocco Princi-designed forno group. Family-friendly.

Worth the queuePizza bianca al rosmarino

Directions

Pizzeria Spontini ★ 4.8

€€ PizzeriaCentro StoricoUntil 01:00 daily

Pizzeria Spontini on Via Santa Radegonda stays open until 01:00 and has been the late-night pizza counter since 1953. Located in Centro Storico.

TryThick-crust pizza al taglio by the slice

Directions

De Santis Paninoteca ★ 4.4

€€ ItalianCentro StoricoUntil 04:00 daily

De Santis on Corso Magenta is Milan's late-night institution, open until 04:00 with over 200 sandwich varieties on michetta and ciabatta. At Corso Magenta 9.

TryGourmet panini on michetta

Directions

Mercato Centrale Milano ★ 4.0

€€ Food hallPorta VeneziaUntil 00:00 daily

Mercato Centrale at Stazione Centrale stays open until midnight every day, the only full food-hall late option in Milan. Located in Porta Venezia.

TryMulti-artisan food hall open until midnight

Directions

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