Panuozzo con Crocché e Cotto (Senza Glutine)

The panuozzo is a Neapolitan street-food sandwich that originated in Gragnano, Italy, as a portable alternative to pizza. Unlike a traditional pizza, the dough is baked twice: first as a flatbread, then split and re-crisped after filling, yielding a crackling crust that holds up to hearty ingredients. The gluten-free version at Mascolo in Gragnano, highlighted by creator *Jana Food Porn*, demonstrates that this technique translates successfully to alternative flours without sacrificing texture.

A great panuozzo relies on a light, airy interior with a shattering exterior. The classic filling—crocchè (creamy mashed-potato croquettes, often seasoned with parsley and black pepper) and cotto (cooked ham)—creates a contrast of crisp, creamy, and savory. In Mascolo’s rendition, the gluten-free dough is handled with particular care to avoid density, ensuring the bread remains pliable yet sturdy enough to contain the molten crocchè.

Regional variations abound: in Naples proper, the panuozzo might be stuffed with friarielli (wild broccoli) and salsiccia, while coastal versions add fresh mozzarella or anchovies. The gluten-free adaptation, though less common, has gained traction in Gragnano, where Mascolo’s version has been praised for maintaining the dish’s essential character. Whether classic or contemporary, the panuozzo’s defining feature remains its dual-baked, sandwich-friendly form—a testament to Neapolitan ingenuity.