Chris Decker shares a fried pizza dough recipe

This recipe is all about memories…

I have got to be honest; I have never really been one for dessert pizza. I like Nutella as much as the next person, but it is played out and everywhere now. I wanted to do something really different and give you guys something to be excited about.

I thought back to when I was a kid – when every summer, our church had a bazaar. The busiest tent every year sold fried pizza dough tossed in powdered sugar. They called it “pizza fritte.”

I channeled that memory when creating this concoction, but of course I had to dress it up for you. I wanted this treat to be super simple and customizable, so you could use whatever you have lying around your pizzeria. I whipped ricotta and even made my own powdered sugar from white sugar crystals that I put into our Vitamix blender on high speed to break down. I added some sour cherry jam that we use on our charcuterie board and chopped pistachios. The one thing I put on here that you may not have access to are these beautiful Sicilian oranges in heavy syrup and a quince syrup. My pantry at the restaurant is out of control, but you can use whatever toppings you want.

Fill a 12-inch frying pan with oil (or you can use your deep fryer at 350 degrees, whichever you prefer). Stretch your pizza dough to desired size and carefully – and I mean really carefully – lay your dough into the oil. Fry on one side for 2-3 minutes or until dough starts turning brown. Using tongs, carefully flip over dough and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes. When finished, carefully lift dough out of oil using tongs and lay on a wire rack to cool. Spread with whipped ricotta and desired toppings, then cut and eat!

I hope you enjoy this. It really brought me back to my childhood and, at the same time, showed me that I am now all grown up.

A note before you use this as inspiration or a jumping off point: For the whipped ricotta, I used sheep’s milk ricotta because I like the flavor. Add ricotta to a bowl and hand whisk.  In 3-4 minutes, it should loosen up and be really smooth.

Chris Decker is Founding Pizzaiolo & Partner at Truly Pizza, in Dana Point, California. @everythingbutanchovies on Instagram.