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Scaccia ragusana
Rolled tomato and cheese flatbread
Scaccia ragusana: Ragusa's layered, rolled flatbread with tomato and caciocavallo
In Ragusa and Modica in south-east Sicily, scaccia is what families bake for Christmas and Easter and for every picnic in between: a semolina dough rolled out paper-thin, spread with tomato sauce and grated caciocavallo, then folded over and over into a flat, layered loaf. Cut across, it shows thin stripes of dough and filling. It is eaten warm or at room temperature, often for the evening "passeggiata" snack. Caciocavallo is usually made with animal rennet; a vegetarian melting cheese works. Chef's tip: roll the dough really thin, almost see-through; thick dough makes stodgy layers.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
- 14 oz passata
- 1 clove garliccrushed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 5 ½ oz caciocavallo or a vegetarian melting cheesegrated
- ½ tsp salt
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz re-milled durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata), 1 cup warm water, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, ¼ oz fine salt and 2 tbsp olive oil and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave for 1½ hours, until doubled.
100 minStep 2: Cook 14 oz passata with 1 clove garlic, half of 1 ½ tbsp olive oil, 6 basil leaves and ½ tsp salt for 15 minutes, until thick. Leave to cool.
15 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). On an oiled worktop, roll the dough into a very thin rectangle about 50 × 35 cm.
Step 4: Spread the middle third with some sauce and 5 ½ oz caciocavallo or a vegetarian melting cheese. Fold one side over, spread with sauce and cheese again, then fold the other side over it. Spread the top with sauce and cheese, then fold the ends in thirds the same way, to make a flat layered loaf. Common mistake: too much sauce; it leaks out and makes the layers soggy.
Step 5: Put it on a baking tray lined with paper, prick the top and brush with the rest of the oil.
Step 6: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden and crisp. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into slices across the layers.
40 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does scaccia ragusana take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of passata?
- Chopped tomatoes, blended smooth.
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