Pizza tacos

Name: Pizza tacos
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Type 0 flour (W 300) 8 cups; Water 1 ¾ cup; Fresh brewer's yeast 0.7 tsp; Water 1.1 cups; Fine salt 5 tsp; Mortadella 1.1 lbs; Eggplant 10.5 oz; Stracciatella cheese 1 ¼ cup; Basil 12 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 10 min
Makes: 6
Cost: Low
Note + rising times (30 h total)

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Vincenzo Capuano

Pizza tacos fold a soft, elastic, well-aerated dough — the kind that carries the tradition of Neapolitan pizza — into a half-moon shape you can fill with almost anything. Also called pizza pieghina, this is Italian street food at its most practical: handheld, generous, and built for sharing with friends and family. The dough follows contemporary Neapolitan standards, which means it has real structure and an open crumb, so the fold holds its shape without turning dense or bready around the edges. This version pairs mortadella with smoked eggplant and stracciatella, the last of which adds just enough creaminess to pull the whole filling together.

Mortadella and stracciatella is a combination that shows up across Italy's folded and fried pizza family — you'll find similar instincts in pizza e mortazza and pizza a portafoglio — but the smoked eggplant here gives the filling a slightly earthy depth that keeps things interesting bite after bite. Once you have the dough down, the filling is yours to rework entirely: cured meats, roasted vegetables, cheese, or seafood all fit the format well. Think of the half-moon shape as the anchor and everything inside as a starting point rather than a fixed rule.

INGREDIENTS

For the Preferment (for 6 pizza tacos): Type 0 flour 8 cups (1 kg) - (W 300); Water 1 ¾ cup (440 g); Fresh brewer's yeast 0.7 tsp (3 g)

For the Dough: Water 1.1 cups (260 g); Fine salt 5 tsp (30 g)

For the Filling: Mortadella 1.1 lbs (480 g); Eggplant 10.5 oz (300 g); Stracciatella cheese 1 ¼ cup (300 g); Basil 12 leaves; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (30 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Pizza tacos

To prepare the pizza tacos, first take care of the preferment: in a mixer with a hook attachment, combine the flour, the crumbled yeast 1, and the water 2. Start the machine at a high speed for 2-3 minutes, just enough time to absorb the water; you should obtain a coarse and unbound dough 3.

Break the mixture into pieces with your hands 4 and place it in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap 5 and let it rest first for an hour at room temperature and then for 34 hours in the refrigerator at 39°F. After this time, remove the preferment from the fridge and let it come back to room temperature for about an hour, then divide it into small pieces 6.

Transfer the preferment to the mixer and add about three-quarters of the water planned for the dough 7, then start at the lowest speed. As soon as the dough starts to come together, add the salt 8 and the rest of the water, pouring it in a stream. Work until you obtain a smooth and well-bound dough 9.

Grease your hands with a little olive oil 10 and cut the dough into 6 pieces, each weighing about 9 oz 11, then work them by pulling the dough downwards, then squeeze it between your index finger and thumb 12 and "cut it off," as you do with mozzarella. Alternatively, you can round the dough balls.

Place the dough balls inside a proofing box 13, close with a lid 14, and let them rise for 4 hours at room temperature. After the rising time, sprinkle the surface of the dough balls with semolina 15.

Transfer a dough ball onto a work surface with a dusting of semolina, then spread it with your fingertips by pressing on the entire surface 16. Drizzle with olive oil and gently fold the dough 17 to form a half-moon 18, ensuring that the inside is evenly oiled. Bake in a static oven at 482°F for about 5-6 minutes, preferably on a pre-heated baking stone.

Move on to the filling: cut the eggplants into slices about 0.4 inches thick 19, then grill them for 3-4 minutes on each side 20. Season with oil 21, basil, salt, and pepper.

Remove the pizza tacos from the oven and open them gently. Fill the inside with mortadella 22, grilled eggplants, and stracciatella 23. Your pizza tacos are ready to be enjoyed 34!