Buenos Aires-Style Fugazzeta Rellena with Sweet Onions

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 8 slices (serves 4–6)
• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 22 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Quick Ingredients

• 500 g bread flour (about 4 cups + 2 tbsp)
• 330 g warm water (1 3/8 cups, 38°C/100°F)
• 7 g instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 10 g fine sea salt (1 3/4 tsp)
• 10 g sugar (2 tsp)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (dough) + 3 tbsp (pan) + 1 tbsp (finishing)
• 900 g onions (about 2 lb; 3 large), thinly sliced
• 1 tsp sugar + 1 tsp kosher salt (for onions)
• 2 tsp dried oregano, divided
• 600 g low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, grated or sliced
• 100 g provolone, optional
• Black pepper

Do This

• 1. Mix flour, yeast, sugar, water, salt, and 2 tbsp oil; knead 8–10 min until smooth.
• 2. Rise 75 min until doubled.
• 3. Sweat onions with 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tsp oregano, 10–12 min; cool.
• 4. Preheat oven to 260°C/500°F with stone or steel; oil a 30 cm/12 in round pan with 3 tbsp oil.
• 5. Divide dough 60/40; press larger piece into pan with a rim; mound cheeses; season.
• 6. Cap with smaller dough, seal edges, vent; blanket with onions and 1 tsp oregano; proof 20 min.
• 7. Bake 18–22 min until deep golden; rest 10 min; drizzle oil, slice, serve hot.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Authentic Buenos Aires bakery-pizza vibes: springy, tall crumb with a fried-in-olive-oil bottom.
• Molten cheese core that stretches beautifully with every slice.
• Sweet, tender onion mantle perfumed with oregano and a glossy olive oil finish.
• Home-oven friendly method with reliable timing and step-by-step guidance.

Grocery List

• Produce: 3 large onions, fresh oregano (optional for garnish)
• Dairy: Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella (600 g), provolone (optional, 100 g), Parmesan (optional, 2 tbsp)
• Pantry: Bread flour, instant yeast, sugar, fine sea salt, kosher salt, black pepper, dried oregano, olive oil

Full Ingredients

For the Dough

• 500 g bread flour (about 4 cups + 2 tbsp)
• 330 g warm water, 38°C/100°F (1 3/8 cups)
• 7 g instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp) or 8 g active dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
• 10 g fine sea salt (1 3/4 tsp)
• 10 g sugar (2 tsp)
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the Onion Mantle

• 900 g white or yellow onions (about 2 lb; 3 large), halved and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano

For the Cheesy Filling

• 600 g low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, coarsely grated or thickly sliced
• 100 g provolone, grated (optional but recommended)
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the Pan and Finish

• 3 tbsp olive oil, for the pan
• 1 tsp dried oregano, for topping (plus a pinch to finish)
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle after baking
• 2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan (optional, for a lightly savory finish)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Mix and knead a rich pan-pizza dough

In a large bowl, whisk flour, yeast, and sugar. Add the warm water, then salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix with a spoon until shaggy, then knead on a lightly oiled surface for 8–10 minutes (or in a stand mixer on medium-low for 6–7 minutes) until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.

If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm water with the sugar and let stand 5–7 minutes until foamy before mixing with the flour.

Step 2: First rise until airy

Lightly oil a bowl, add the dough, cover, and let rise at warm room temperature (24–27°C / 75–80°F) until doubled, about 60–75 minutes. The dough should feel pillowy and leave a slow spring-back when poked.

Step 3: Sweat the sweet onion mantle

While the dough rises, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp sugar. Cook, tossing often, until wilted, glossy, and sweet but not browned, 10–12 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp dried oregano. Transfer to a tray to cool completely. Cooling prevents steam from making the crust soggy.

Step 4: Heat the oven and oil the pan

Place a baking stone or steel on the lower rack and preheat the oven to 260°C/500°F for at least 30–45 minutes. Generously oil a 30 cm/12 in round, 5 cm/2 in-deep pizza or cake pan with 3 tbsp olive oil. The oil will shallow-fry the base for that signature Argentine “al molde” crust.

Step 5: Shape and build the stuffed pizza

Turn the risen dough onto a counter and divide it 60/40 (about 540 g for the base, 360 g for the lid). Press the larger piece into the oiled pan, pushing it up the sides about 2.5 cm/1 in to form a rim. Evenly distribute the mozzarella (and provolone, if using) over the base, all the way to the edge. Season lightly with black pepper.

Flatten the smaller piece of dough into a round just larger than the pan. Lay it over the cheese. Firmly pinch and roll the top and bottom dough together along the rim to seal. Use a skewer or the tip of a knife to poke 3–4 small vents in the top to release steam.

Step 6: Blanket with onions and proof briefly

Spread the cooled onions in an even, thick layer over the top dough, right to the edge. Sprinkle with 1 tsp dried oregano. Let the assembled fugazzeta proof, uncovered, for 20 minutes at room temperature to relax and puff slightly while the oven finishes preheating.

Step 7: Bake, rest, and serve

Set the pan directly on the preheated stone/steel and bake at 260°C/500°F for 18–22 minutes, until the onions show golden edges, the rim is deep golden-brown, and the bottom is crisp. If the top needs extra color, move to the upper rack or broil for 60–90 seconds, watching closely.

Remove, rest 10 minutes to set the molten cheese, then drizzle 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle a pinch more oregano and Parmesan if using. Loosen the edges with a thin spatula, slice into 8 wedges, and serve hot with plenty of napkins.

Pro Tips

• For the best melt with minimal leaking, use low-moisture mozzarella; if using fresh mozzarella, slice and blot dry, then chill before grating.
• Get that fried-bottom crust: do not skimp on the 3 tbsp oil in the pan and bake on a stone/steel in the lower third.
• Cool the onions fully before topping; hot onions create steam that can rupture the sealed dough.
• Seal and vent: crimp the rim well and poke 3–4 vents in the top to prevent blowouts.
• Rest 10 minutes before slicing so the molten cheese thickens just enough for clean, stretchy slices.

Variations

• Jamón y morrones: tuck 120 g sliced cooked ham and 1 roasted red pepper (strips) inside with the cheese.
• Provenzal finish: stir 1 minced garlic clove and 2 tbsp chopped parsley into the cooled onions for a garlicky, herby top.
• Fugazza (no relleno): skip the top dough and cheese layer; bake the base dough topped with onions and oregano only.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Refrigerate leftovers, well wrapped, for up to 3 days; reheat on a preheated sheet or skillet at 200°C/400°F for 8–10 minutes. Freeze slices up to 2 months; reheat from frozen at 200°C/400°F for 12–15 minutes. Make the dough up to 48–72 hours ahead: refrigerate after mixing, then bring to room temperature for 60–90 minutes before shaping. The sweated onions can be made 3 days in advance and refrigerated.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate per slice (1/8): 700 kcal; 36 g fat (16 g saturated); 58 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 3 g fiber; 6 g sugars; 980 mg sodium. Values will vary with cheese choices and oil absorption.