Sicilian Pan Pizza
Sicilian pizza is the opposite of thin Neapolitan: thick like focaccia, with an open crumb and a base that fries to a crunch in olive oil right in the pan. We lay the cheese directly on the dough and spoon the sauce on top in stripes, so the base never goes soggy and the sauce caramelises a little. One tin feeds eight.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 3 h 15 min
- Total
- 4 h 20 min
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 460 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
For the sauce
For the topping
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What to use instead
Parmesan can replace pecorino, and passata the crushed tomatoes; simmer the sauce 5 minutes longer.
Makes: 1 pizza (25 × 35 cm), 8 squares
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Mix the dough
Stir together the flour, yeast, salt, warm water and 2 tablespoons of oil for 2–3 minutes into a uniform, sticky dough. Cover and leave at room temperature for 2 hours, giving it a set of wet-handed folds after 30 and 60 minutes.
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Step 2: Stretch into the tin
Spread 4 tablespoons of oil over a 25 × 35 cm metal tin. Add the dough, flip it to coat in oil and stretch it into the corners; if it springs back, wait 10 minutes and try again.
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Step 3: Proof
Cover and leave for 60–75 minutes, until puffy and filling the tin completely. Heat the oven to 250 °C (480 °F) with a rack on the lowest shelf.
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Step 4: Cook the sauce
Warm the oil and garlic over medium heat for 1 minute without letting the garlic colour. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt and sugar and simmer for 15 minutes, until thick and jammy. Let it cool slightly.
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Step 5: Top the pizza
Press a few shallow dimples into the dough with your fingers. Scatter the mozzarella evenly right to the edges of the tin, then spoon the sauce over in wide stripes or dollops. Finish with the pecorino.
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Step 6: Bake
Bake on the lowest shelf for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese at the edges is dark golden and lacy. Lift a corner with a spatula: the base should be deeply browned and crisp.
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Step 7: Cut and serve
Let the pizza rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then slide it onto a board and cut into 8 squares.
Tips & variations
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Tip
A metal tin gives a far crisper base than glass or ceramic. If glass is all you have, add 5 minutes to the baking time.
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Variation
Add anchovies and thinly sliced onion for something closer to Sicily’s sfincione.
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Swap
Parmesan can replace pecorino, and passata the crushed tomatoes; simmer the sauce 5 minutes longer.
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Storage
Sicilian pizza is great cold. To reheat, put squares in a dry covered frying pan for 5–6 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 8 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 460 kcal | 3,680 kcal |
| Protein | 17 g | 136 g |
| Fat | 21 g | 168 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g | 400 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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