Italian Pizza Fritta Fried Dough

Italian Traditional Fried Feast Dough, Italian Pizza Fritta or well known as Zeppole!

A powdery wonderful Italian treat to make, we can never make enough of them!


 Just like at those old fashioned Italian feasts, oh yeah, back in Upstate NY all summer long you can enjoy these beauties at the local Catholic Church feasts. 


You can also enjoy them in your backyard in a cast iron skillet pan right on your own grill.


 There's nothing to it!

Here is a recipe, that has been passed down for many generations. 


Fried dough, Zeppole, pizza fritte, pizza fritta, doughnuts and the South call them fritters!  Whatever you want to call this, this dough is one of the finest addictions of all Italian treats! 


You can never have enough, and once you make it yourself, you will wonder how you lived so long without trying this wonder delicious dough fried with sugar. 


 It's so simple, but a life long memory and made by most Italians all over the world, especially in East Utica, N.Y. 


Growing up in N.Y. this was a specialty treat that was at every Italian feast.


People would be lined up to buy dozens at a time. 


They sometimes waited for hours in that line waiting for them to make them fresh right in front of you batch.


 They went fast. They put them in a paper bag with powdered sugar or regular sugar on them.


 Everyone knew it was worth the wait! But boy did it piss me off as they bought all of them in front of me before I got mine.


 I would have to wait so long!  But it was worth the wait.

Italian Pizza Fritte, Fritta ( Fried Dough)

4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour or bread flour
1 pk dry yeast dissolved in 2 cups luke warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil

Mix until dough forms a smooth dough and if still sticky add a little more flour by tablespoon at a time. Place in a bowl, cover with a towel that has been dampened and wait until double in size as it rises. Stretch out around a two tablespoons of dough into a circle poking a hole in the center like a doughnut. Place on a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper. In the meantime, heat the oil in a fry pan,  on medium low heat. Place a little piece of dough, (the size of a dime)  in the oil to see if it sizzles and it hot enough. Place the stretched out dough into the oil and fry on both sides until golden brown. Take out of oil when done, place on paper towels to drain oil. Sprinkle with regular white sugar, powdered sugar or flavored sugar such as cinnamon and sugar.

This is just a quick video of pizza fritta from homemade dough and how it's done, hope this helps you get an idea of how easy this is to make. 

Note: Living in Florida with great weather all year round, we cooked these outside on our grill with a side burner, in a heated cast iron skillet, these are so light, crisp and delicious.  Fried dough has been a special treat for years in our family and you will find them at Italian Feasts in Upstate NY to be very popular. Always a great treat. Over the years this one has been passed down from generation to generation and is always a favorite with the children. Of course if you aren't so lucky to have great weather to cook outside, just pour oil in a fry pan and fry your dough on both sides till nice and brown, add sugar and serve!