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Sfincione
Sfincione palermitano: Palermo's thick, spongy pizza with onion, tomato and breadcrumbs
ItalianSfincione is Palermo's own pizza: a tall, airy slab baked in a tray, its soft crumb soaked with a sweet sauce of slow-cooked onions and tomato, dotted with caciocavallo and covered in oregano-scented toasted breadcrumbs. Street sellers cruise the city in three-wheeled vans calling 'sfinciuni!' through loudspeakers, and families bake it at home for Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. The traditional topping includes anchovies; this version leaves them out and keeps all the onion sweetness. Chef's tip: the dough should be wet and bubbly, about 2 cm deep in the tray; it is closer to focaccia than to a thin pizza.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
For the sauce
For the topping
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Stir ¼ oz dried yeast and 1 tsp sugar into 1 ½ cups lukewarm water and leave for 5 minutes, until foamy.
5 minStep 2: Mix 9 oz semola rimacinata (fine durum wheat semolina) and 9 oz 00 flour or strong white flour in a large bowl, pour in the yeast water and stir to a sticky dough. Add ⅓ oz salt and 2 tablespoons of 1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil and beat with a wooden spoon or your hand for 8 minutes, until it is smooth, stretchy and very soft.
8 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until more than doubled and full of bubbles.
90 minStep 4: Meanwhile cook 14 oz white onions in 3 tbsp olive oil in a covered pan over a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and sweet but not browned. Add a splash of water if they start to catch.
15 minStep 5: Add 14 oz tinned chopped tomatoes, ½ tsp sugar, ¾ tsp salt and 1 tsp dried oregano. Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, until thick enough to hold a line drawn with a spoon. Cool.
18 minStep 6: Toast 2 ⅛ oz fine dry breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until golden. Take off the heat and mix with the grated part of 1 oz caciocavallo, the rest of 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tablespoon of 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
3 minStep 7: Spread the rest of 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over a 30 × 40 cm baking tray. Tip in the dough and press it gently towards the corners with oiled fingers; leave it 10 minutes if it shrinks back, then press again. Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan).
10 minStep 8: Push the cubes of 4 oz caciocavallo into the dough, then spread the onion sauce thickly over the top, right to the edges. Common mistake: a thin smear of sauce as on a Neapolitan pizza; sfincione needs a generous layer that soaks into the crumb.
Step 9: Scatter the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the sauce and leave to rise for 15 minutes more.
15 minStep 10: Bake on a low shelf for 30–35 minutes, until the edges are deep golden, the crumbs are crisp and the base is browned when you lift a corner.
32 minStep 11: Rest for 10 minutes, then cut into squares. Sfincione is eaten warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sfincione take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 115 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of white onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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