Classic Sicilian Pizza
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 27, 2022
Time
2¾ hours, plus 25 hours rising
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Italian Name:
Sfincione
Ingredients
Dough
2¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour 2 cups (12 ounces/340 grams) semolina flour 1 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast 1⅔ cups ice water 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon sugar 2¼ teaspoons saltSauce
2 onions, grated½ cup water 1 (14.5-ounce/411-gram) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced½ teaspoon dried oregano ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon saltPizza
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1 ounce (28 grams) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (½ cup)Pinch salt 8 ounces (227 grams) provolone cheese, sliced8 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced in half lengthwise (optional)¼ teaspoon dried oreganoBefore You Begin
This recipe requires refrigerating the dough for 24 to 48 hours before shaping it. King Arthur all-purpose flour and Bob's Red Mill semolina flour work best in this recipe. It is important to use ice water in the dough to prevent overheating during mixing.
Instructions
- Whisk all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Whisk water, oil, and sugar in 4-cup liquid measuring cup until sugar has dissolved. Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add water mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Add salt to dough and knead on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place dough seam side down in lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 2 days.
- Place onions and water in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Meanwhile, process tomatoes, oil, anchovies, oregano, pepper flakes, and salt in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add tomato puree to onion mixture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely before using.
- One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet (including rim) with vegetable oil spray, then coat bottom of sheet with ¼ cup oil. Press down on dough to deflate. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and dust with flour. Press and roll dough into 18 by 13-inch rectangle. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto prepared sheet, fitting dough into corners. Cover loosely with greased plastic, then place second rimmed baking sheet on top and let dough rise for 1 hour.
- Remove top sheet and plastic. Using your fingertips, gently press dough into corners of sheet. Stir panko, Parmigiano, salt, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil together in bowl. Spread provolone slices over dough in even layer. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread tomato sauce in thin layer on surface of dough, leaving ½-inch border. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over sauce and dough. Lay anchovy slices, if using, evenly over panko mixture and sprinkle with oregano.
- Place pizza in oven and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake until bottom crust is evenly browned and cheese is bubbly and partially browned, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let pizza cool in sheet on wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to cutting board with metal spatula. Cut into squares and serve.
for the dough
for the sauce
for the pizza
Time
2¾ hours, plus 25 hours risingYield
Serves 6 to 8Italian Name:
SfincioneIngredients
Dough
Sauce
Pizza
Ingredients
Dough
Sauce
Pizza
Ingredients
Dough
Sauce
Pizza
Why This Recipe Works
Walk among the street vendors in Palermo, and you'll see pizza that probably looks more like focaccia than pizza as you know it. But its thick, soft crust and restrained, perfectly balanced amount of big-flavor toppings will have you craving it just as avidly. Sold in bakeries, purchased on the street, and made at home, sfincione is famous for being prepared most often for New Year's celebrations. That's great, because it's probably the easiest pizza variety to pull off at home—no dough tossing talent or 900-degree oven required for stellar results. The rectangular pizza's thick base has a tight, even, cakelike crumb (sfincione loosely translates to “thick sponge”) and crisp bottom. The crust is pale yellow and has an almost creamy texture thanks to the semolina flour used in the dough. Semolina flour is made from durum wheat and is the same type used to make many Italian pastas, couscous, and a variety of Sicilian breads. Spread over the top of this crust is a concentrated, complex tomato sauce bolstered by plenty of onion; a modest layer of Sicilian caciocavallo cheese; anchovies; and a sprinkling of bread crumbs. To get a crust with the crumb we were looking for, we used a three-pronged approach: We incorporated a generous amount of olive oil into the dough to tenderize it; we let the dough slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight to let flavors develop without large bubbles forming; and then we rolled it out and weighed it down with another baking sheet during the second rise to keep the crumb even and tight. To approximate the flavor of caciocavallo, which can be at once sweet and sharp and spicy, we used a mixture of creamy provolone and sharp, nutty Parmigiano, which we stirred into the bread-crumb mixture we sprinkled on top.
Before You Begin
This recipe requires refrigerating the dough for 24 to 48 hours before shaping it. King Arthur all-purpose flour and Bob's Red Mill semolina flour work best in this recipe. It is important to use ice water in the dough to prevent overheating during mixing.
Instructions
- Whisk all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and yeast together in bowl of stand mixer. Whisk water, oil, and sugar in 4-cup liquid measuring cup until sugar has dissolved. Using dough hook on low speed, slowly add water mixture to flour mixture and mix until cohesive dough starts to form and no dry flour remains, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Add salt to dough and knead on medium-low speed until dough is smooth and elastic and clears sides of bowl, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form smooth, round ball, about 30 seconds. Place dough seam side down in lightly greased large bowl or container, cover tightly with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 2 days.
- Place onions and water in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour. Meanwhile, process tomatoes, oil, anchovies, oregano, pepper flakes, and salt in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add tomato puree to onion mixture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl and let cool completely before using.
- One hour before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet (including rim) with vegetable oil spray, then coat bottom of sheet with ¼ cup oil. Press down on dough to deflate. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and dust with flour. Press and roll dough into 18 by 13-inch rectangle. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto prepared sheet, fitting dough into corners. Cover loosely with greased plastic, then place second rimmed baking sheet on top and let dough rise for 1 hour.
- Remove top sheet and plastic. Using your fingertips, gently press dough into corners of sheet. Stir panko, Parmigiano, salt, and remaining 3 tablespoons oil together in bowl. Spread provolone slices over dough in even layer. Using back of spoon or ladle, spread tomato sauce in thin layer on surface of dough, leaving ½-inch border. Sprinkle panko mixture evenly over sauce and dough. Lay anchovy slices, if using, evenly over panko mixture and sprinkle with oregano.
- Place pizza in oven and reduce oven temperature to 450 degrees. Bake until bottom crust is evenly browned and cheese is bubbly and partially browned, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let pizza cool in sheet on wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to cutting board with metal spatula. Cut into squares and serve.
for the dough
for the sauce
for the pizza
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