Sfincione (Palermo-Style Sicilian Pizza)

Palermo's tall, spongy pan pizza: cheese and anchovies pressed into the dough, a sweet onion and tomato sauce on top, and a crunchy blanket of oregano and toasted breadcrumbs.

Why it works the kitchen science

Step by step

1. Step 1

   Stir the yeast and malt syrup into the warm water. Add the flour, mix until shaggy, then knead in the 2 1/2 tbsp oil and finally the salt. Knead 10 minutes (8 in a stand mixer) until smooth and soft. Cover and let rise in a warm spot about 3 hours, until doubled.

2. Step 2

   While it rises, cook the onions with the 1 1/2 tbsp oil and the water in a wide pan over medium-low heat, covered, 10 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and simmer uncovered 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick. Let cool.

3. Step 3

   Oil a 16 x 13-inch rimmed pan (or an 18 x 13-inch half sheet pan, for a slightly thinner crust) with 2 tsp oil. Press the dough out to the corners with oiled fingers. Cover and rise 30 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Heat the oven to 390°F with a rack in the lower third. Toast the breadcrumbs in the 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a small skillet over medium heat, 3 minutes, until golden.

5. Step 5

   Press the caciocavallo cubes and anchovy pieces into the dough and scatter over the pecorino.

6. Step 6

   Spread the onion and tomato sauce over everything, right to the edges. Sprinkle with the oregano and the toasted breadcrumbs.

7. Step 7

   Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and the base is crisp when you lift a corner.

8. Step 8

   Rest 10 minutes, then cut into 12 squares. It is good hot or at room temperature.

Tips

• Make the dough the night before: let it rise in the fridge overnight, then sit 2 hours at room temperature before pressing it into the pan (Giallo Zafferano).
• For a chewier crumb, Dissapore swaps 100 g of the flour for semolina.
• If you can't find caciocavallo, use a sharp provolone, which is a close cousin.

The rules people argue about

What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.

• No mozzarella. Documented in the Palermo recipes (Giallo Zafferano; Dissapore; Scott's Pizza Tours).
• Cheese and anchovies under the sauce. Documented (Giallo Zafferano). Dissapore spreads the sauce first.
• Created by the nuns of San Vito. Folklore: repeated by Palermo writer Gaetano Basile (Balarm) and called the most likely story by Giallo Zafferano, but no primary evidence. Even the century is Disputed: Basile says the late 1700s, L'Italo-Americano says "according to some" the 1600s.
• The first sfincione had no tomato. Folklore: Basile describes an early version for nobles with no tomato; tomato arriving later is likely, but no document is cited.
• A Christmas food or a New Year's food. Disputed: Palermo sources tie it to the Immacolata and Christmas (Balarm); America's Test Kitchen says it is made most often for New Year's.
• Sfincione is the ancestor of the New York Sicilian slice. Folklore: Scott Wiener draws the comparison, but we found no source showing a New York pizzeria copied sfincione directly.