Traditional Sfincione Sicilian Pizza Recipe

Ingredients

If you’ve ever eaten sfincione, you’ll know that the toppings are really what makes it special, so be sure to use only high-quality and carefully chosen ingredients in order to make the perfect Sicilian pizza.

• All-purpose flour (3 ½ cups) – a good quality all-purpose flour that you would use to make regular pizza, focaccia or bread will work well.
• Active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp) – be sure to check the expiration date of your yeast before using it and also that it has been stored properly. The yeast should bubble and froth when activated by the sugar/honey and warm water, if it doesn’t you should use different yeast.
• Salt (1 tsp) – this is just regular fine table salt.
• Honey or sugar (1 Tbsp) – be sure to use one or the other, as the yeast needs to be activated by the honey or sugar in able to make the pizza dough rise properly.
• Warm water (1 cup) – tap water is fine, just make sure it is warm enough so that it activates the yeast properly.
• Extra virgin olive oil (2 Tbsp) – we like to use an olive oil from Southern Italy or Greece for this recipe, as it needs to be a denser olive oil to taste more like the original recipe.
• Red onions (3) – they should be thinly sliced, but not diced. You want the onion slices to show on the top of the Sicilian-style pizza.
• San Marzano tomatoes (42 oz) – either fresh, peeled tomatoes or canned peeled tomatoes will work for this recipe. Do be aware that the type of tomatoes you choose to use in the sauce can alter the taste dramatically, so we recommend San Marzano or plum tomatoes that are not too acidic or too sweet.
• Garlic (2 cloves) – should be chopped very finely. If you don’t like garlic, you can definitely leave it out.
• Anchovy fillets (8) – If you want to make the true, Sicilian sfincione, keep the fillets whole and place them randomly around the pizza! If you don’t like the idea of seeing the fillets on your pizza, but still want the salty anchovy taste, you can blend them into the sauce or chop them finely to distribute them more evenly to achieve a milder taste.
• Palermo Caciocavallo cheese (½ pound) – this is not the easiest cheese to find in the US, so you can look for another type of aged cow’s milk cheese that you can grate on the pizza. A good substitute that is easier to find in the US is aged provolone cheese or even a dry mozzarella cheese. If you can’t find a cow’s milk cheese, then you can use grated Pecorino Romano cheese, but be aware that as a sheep cheese it will have a stronger flavor.
• Oregano (1 Tbsp) – you can use either dried or fresh oregano.
• Breadcrumbs (1 ½ cups) – we like the slightly larger breadcrumbs as opposed to the very fine bread crumbs. You might even consider making your own so that the pizza topping has a nice toasty crunch to it.
• Red pepper flakes (as desired, optional) – if you love a spicy dish, consider adding a dash of red pepper flakes to your pizza, either before cooking or serve on the side, and let each person choose whether or not to sprinkle some on top.

How to make sfincione pizza step by step

Recipes for making the dough for this authentic Sicilian pizza may vary slightly depending on the sfincione recipe you use, but this recipe is sure to produce a light, airy pizza everyone is sure to love.

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes, the yeast should begin to froth and activate (photo 1).

Now add the flour and salt and stir until incorporated (photo 2).

Remove from the bowl and knead the dough on a lightly floured flat surface (photo 3), such as a cutting board, until the dough is smooth (photo 4).

Optional use of stand mixer: you can do step 2 using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook if desired, mixing the dough on medium for several minutes.

Place the dough back in the bowl (photo 5), cover with clean towels (photo 6), and set aside in a warm place to rise for three hours.

While the dough is rising, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onions until soft, stirring occasionally for about 5-8 minutes (photo 7). Set half the onions aside to use as toppings and keep the remaining onions in the pan (photo 8).

Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and cook for about 20 minutes (photo 9). Smash the tomatoes with a spatula to make into a thick sauce (photo 10). Add the dried oregano and remove it from the heat to cool.

Once the dough is ready, lightly press it into a rimmed sheet tray or baking sheet with sides that has been covered with a little olive oil. Preheat oven at this time to 450° F.

Place the anchovies on the dough then sprinkle the top with the cooked onions (photo 11).

Spoon sauce onto the pizza evenly until you have used all the sauce and then sprinkle on the grated cheese (photo 12).

Add the breadcrumbs over the entire surface of the pizza (photo 13) then place it in the preheated 450° F oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pizza dough has risen and the breadcrumbs are golden (photo 14).

Slice into large rectangle pieces, serve hot and enjoy!

Expert tips for making sfincione

Since the dough needs time to rise, it can take some time to prepare. It will not take longer than the typical pizza, so don’t be scared! You can opt to use a prepared pizza dough but it is so much more fun to make your own.

• Leave the dough to rise. Although it’s easy to start making shortcuts, don’t reduce the rising time for this dough. You need to leave it covered in a warm area for the full three hours so it can double in size and you get the spongy, airy Sicilian pizza.
• Don’t spread it too thin! You want the raw dough to be about an inch thick at least once it is pressed into the baking sheet with sides. This will ensure your pizza comes out with a thicker crust, we guarantee it will be your favorite pizza recipe.

Variations of Sfincione Toppings

While we absolutely love the combination of flavors on the original sfincione Sicilian-style pizza, we recognize that not everyone (especially kids) will be cheering about the anchovies or onions. The amazing thing about this recipe is that it works with pretty much any topping, you can experiment and get creative all you like!

• No anchovies and onions. You can easily leave out the anchovies and onions, even just on one half of the pizza, because the delicious tomato sauce and cheese work great together and the simpler it is the more popular it will probably be with the kids.
• No red sauce. If you want to skip the marinara sauce, it’s no big deal. You can make a “white” pizza. Instead of adding tomato sauce, simply drizzle a little more olive oil on the top and follow all the other directions as listed. It is one of the best pizzas ever!
• Add some meat and skip the fish. While we love the fact that this recipe has fish in it, some people might not agree. You can easily swap out the anchovies for 100 grams of Italian sausage, salami, or ham cut up into bite-sized pieces and spread over the top just like you would have done with the anchovies.