Rocky Maselli grew up as a West Coast kid, but his Italian roots and love of cooking, both inherited from his restaurateur mother, have led him to where he is today: A16 Rockridge in Oakland, California. As the restaurant’s executive chef, he re-creates Southern Italian specialties using seasonal Bay Area ingredients.

Maselli说：“在A16 Rockridge工作的一周后，我飞到那不勒斯去'披萨学校'。”他花了早晨从城市中最好的比萨饼（比萨饼大师）那里学习，下午在他们的比萨店学徒，晚上以“研究”的名义吃更多的比萨饼。他最喜欢的馅饼之一来自那不勒斯最古老，最受尊敬的比萨店比萨店（Pizzeria Starita A Materdei）。Maselli回忆说：“他们的标志性炸馅饼，蒙塔纳拉·斯塔利塔（Montanara Starita），把我吹走了。”在那不勒斯（Naples）被称为披萨馅饼（炸披萨），金黄色的炸面团为此馅饼闻名，上面撒上碎西红柿，熏制的马苏里拉奶酪和新鲜的罗勒。它进入了燃木烤箱，足以融化奶酪。Maselli说：“炸面团首先使它具有丰富而几乎焦糖的味道，它来自木烤箱酥脆而嫩。这是难忘的。”Maselli决定将Pizza Fritti带回他的新演出，从那以后，East Bay Diners一直对新命名的Montanara Rockridge Pie狂欢。

获取食谱：Fried Pizza with Burrata and Fresh Basil

The method is straightforward: Make pizza dough using 00 flour, a super-soft, high-protein flour that’s the hallmark of true Neapolitan pizza. Let it rise for a while for the best elasticity and flavor—24 hours is ideal—and then stretch the dough by hand. “You’ll never see a rolling pin in a Naples pizzeria,” says Maselli. “And you don’t need one if the dough has the right elasticity; it’ll stretch forever.” Then fry the dough until golden.

Back home, Maselli has made a few changes to the toppings. Instead of using smoked mozzarella, he lightly smokes his no-cook tomato sauce and uses burrata, a fresh cream-filled mozzarella, to top the fried crust. After baking, he finishes the pie with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse smoked sea salt. Delizioso!

Luckily, you don’t have to live in Oakland (or Naples) to enjoy this outrageously good pizza. Maselli adapted his recipe so that you can make it at home. 00 flour isn’t hard to get, and Maselli’s dough is a dream to work with, rising overnight on your counter without any help from you. You can fry the crust a few hours before topping and baking it, if you like, and the sauce is as simple as crushing good canned tomatoes in a bowl. You can top the fried crust as Maselli does, or use whatever other ingredients you like.

So come on, it’s fried pizza—you know you want some!

Dough Dos & Don’ts

• Do use 00 flour. In Italy, flour is classified as either 2, 1, 0, or 00 (doppio zero). The numbers refer to how finely the flour is ground. 00 flour is the most finely ground and powder-soft, but it also has high levels of protein and gluten, which give pizza dough a wonderful strength and elasticity. As any Neapolitan will tell you, it’s essential for great pizza dough.
• 不要冷却面团。冰箱中的湿度可以改变面团的质地，在冷时很难伸展。
• Don’t use a rolling pin. It would be very un-Neapolitan of you; also, there’s no need since Maselli’s supple dough easily stretches by hand.
• 在适当的温度下煎炸。低油温会太慢煮熟，导致硬裂面薄薄的外壳。375°F是最好的。使用深油光计监测温度。
• Do fry with the right oil. Rice bran oil, which has a high smoke point and good flavor, is ideal—Maselli swears by it—but you can use canola oil, too.
• Don’t overload the toppings. A light hand will keep the crispy fried crust from getting soggy.