Instructions

1. Add sugar and warm water in bowl
2. Sprinkle yeast on top
3. Allow to sit for 5 minutes
4. While yeast is sitting, mix flour, remaining sugar, salt
5. Add the water/yeast/sugar mixture and 2 Tbsp oil
6. Mix until well combined and then knead on a floured surface for a good 5 minutes until dough looks consistent.
7. Cut into 6 equal pieces. Should be about 2 ounces
8. Form each into round balls
9. Put on a lightly oiled baking pan and loosely cover in a warm spot (I use my oven with light on and a dish of hot water)
10. Let rise for 1.5 hours
11. While the dough is rising, mix filling tomatoes, cheese, salt, pepper, and oregano.
12. After 1.5 hours, stretch out each ball into 6-inch disks
13. Place 7 small pepperoni out and add 1-2 heaping tablespoons of filling on top.
14. Lightly brush edges of dough with water and fold the dough over to create a semi-circle
15. Using your thumb, crimp dough down evenly creating a sealed pocket. Go back through and perform a second crimping.
16. Set aside and repeat with each of the doughs.
17. Fill heavy frying pan (such as a cast iron) with 1 inch of oil and heat to 350 Farhenheit.
18. Add 2 panzerotti at a time and use tongs to flip every 45 seconds until crust on both sides is a golden brown. This should take about 3 minutes total.
19. Once golden brown, rest on a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat until all panzerotti are cooked.
20. Serve! Add extra tomato sauce to the side for dipping.