Brunch Bliss: Fried Mozzarella Sandwich

Name: Fried Mozzarella Sandwich
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 slices white bread, crust removed; 1 piece smoked mozzarella; Tomato jam; Butter, softened; 1 egg yolk; Salt; 1 cup flour; 2 cups breadcrumbs; 6 eggs

Executive chef Adam Leonti of NYC’s Cucina Alba presents an eggy, cheesy breakfast sandwich inspired by a Neapolitan street food staple. Try it on the restaurant’s brunch menu or use the chef’s recipe to make your own Mozzarella in Carrozza at home!

By Adam Leonti and Appetito Editors

9:00 AM EDT on October 10, 2023

Mozzarella in Carrozza is like an Italian grilled cheese coated in egg batter and fried to golden perfection. It translates to "mozzarrella in a carriage," with the method of transport a crunchy, oozy comfort food treat.

At Cucina Alba, the “Vacation Italian” restaurant in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, Executive Chef Adam Leonti added this Neapolitan classic street food item to the new brunch menu, albeit with his own spin.

At the smartly designed restaurant, meant to evoke an Italian getaway, Leonti goes all out with ingredients, using Japanese milk bread, smoked mozzarella, and tomato marmellata (jam) for a luxurious mix of flavors and textures.

Here, he adapts the recipe for home use, though you can get creative with the white bread as well; if you can’t find milk bread, a local bakery should have a fresh loaf that will work.

Fried Mozzarella Sandwich

Recipe by Adam Leonti

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Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

2 slices 2 white bread, crust removed
1 piece 1 smoked mozzarella
Tomato jam
Butter, softened
1 1 egg yolk
Salt
1 cup 1 flour
2 cups 2 breadcrumbs
6 6 eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven or set the air fryer to 450°F
Cut a slice of mozzarella approximately 3⁄4" thick and the same size as the slices of bread. Make a hole in the middle of the cheese, roughly the diameter of a quarter. Set aside.
Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread, and spread tomato jam on one of them as well. Lightly sprinkle both slices of bread with salt, or any other seasonings you like.
Assemble the sandwich, placing the cheese between the two slices of bread and placing the egg yolk in the hole of the mozzarella.
Bread the sandwich. Begin by dusting the outside fully with flour, being careful to keep the sandwich in one piece. Make an egg wash by vigorously whisking the eggs with 1/4C of water. Submerge the sandwich in the egg wash, rotating if necessary to ensure full coverage. Finally, coat the whole thing in breadcrumbs.
Place the sandwich on a buttered metal tray and cook in an air fryer or convection oven at 450°F for 9-20 minutes. The outside should be golden brown, and the cheese should be melted and soft while the egg yolk should remain runny.