Simple Panuozzo
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Ingredients
Bread
- 8 ounces fresh pre-made pizza dough (more or less to your preference)
- Semolina flour
Ingredients for Salad
- 1 cup baby arugula
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced halved
Salad Dressing
- 3 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp chili flakes optional
Additional Toppings
- 10 slices prosciutto
- Mozzarella sliced
Instructions
- All ingredients ready? Let's begin!
Panuozzo Roll
- On a lightly floured surface, fold the dough and cut it into two portions. With your fingers lightly floured, form the dough into two balls.
- Cover the dough balls with a kitchen towel and let them proof at room temperature for about an hour and a half.
- Put some semolina flour in a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover the dough balls with the semolina flour.
- On the floured surface, flatten the dough balls into a loaf shape by slowly stretching. Transfer to a pizza pan or cookie sheet and bake until the dough puffs out and the crust is light brown – about 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool slightly before cutting in half.
Salad
- Combine the salad dressing ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Mix well, then toss in the arugula and tomatoes.
Assemble Sandwich
- Arrange the salad on one half of the pizza bread, then top with the prosciutto and mozzarella slices. Place the other half of the bread on top.
- Place the assembled sandwiches on a cookie sheet and bake for a few minutes to melt the cheese and blend the flavors.
- Serve warm with French fries or potato wedges.
Nutrition
Panuozzo, also known as a pizza sandwich, is a new addition to trendy pizza parlors across the country. Created in a small family restaurant near Naples in 1983, the sandwich’s name — panuozzo — was trademarked 13 years later.
Pizza dough cooked on its own creates an airy shell that’s sliced, filled with meat, veggies and cheese, it’s then lightly baked to toast the bread and melt the cheese.
Traditionally the pizza dough for panuozzo is made from scratch, but since most of us don’t have the time, our recipe includes ready-made pizza dough you can find in grocery stores or local bakeries.
As you read through this recipe, you may ask, why not use Italian bread or a ciabatta roll to make this? Well, if you don’t use pizza dough for the rolls, it’s not a panuozzo. It’s just a sandwich. Give it a try and see why panuozzo has so many fans.
Substitutions
- The bread for this sandwich is best eaten the day it’s made. You can prepare it several hours in advance before assembling the sandwich.
- Our recipe contains the “original” panuozzo fillings, but there are no limits to the fillings you can use. Substitute salami, ham or bacon for the prosciutto, any cheese and any variety of veggies.
- You can use frozen pizza dough – just follow the instructions for defrosting. And yes, you can use canned pizza dough, though the bread won’t be as fluffy as if made with fresh or frozen dough.
- French fries are a popular side, though some versions stuff the fries right in the sandwich.
