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Sicilian-Style Pizza Recipe: How to Make Sfincione

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Mar 13, 2023 • 3 min read

If you love thick-crust pizza, you’ll want to memorize this Sicilian-style pizza recipe. The dough comes together with just a few pantry staples, and baking it in a sheet pan gives the pie a spongy crust with a crispy bottom.

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What Is Sicilian Pizza?

Sicilian pizza, also known as sfincione (“thick sponge” in Italian), is a thick-crust, rectangular pizza that is similar to focaccia bread. The thick, spongy crust distinguishes the pizza from thin-crust Neapolitan pizza, Roman pizza, and New York–style pizza. Sicilian-style pies are said to have influenced deep-dish Chicago-style pizza and Detroit-style pizza (pan pizza). The process for making sfincione is almost identical to making focaccia, including a final proof in the baking sheet before topping to get a high rise on the crust, but the pizza sauce and toppings are what make this dish a pizza.

6 Toppings Ideas for Sicilian Pizza

Take your pie to new heights with these flavorful topping combinations.

  1. 1. Pizza bianca: For a classic white pizza, skip the tomato sauce and top your pie with garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.
  2. 2. Margherita: Top this Neapolitan favorite with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
  3. 3. Calabrese: For heat, try a combination of chiles, soppressata, tomato, and caciocavallo cheese.
  4. 4. Cacio e pepe: Take the flavors of cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper”) pasta to a pizza with olive oil, black pepper, and pecorino romano cheese.
  5. 5. Sausage and kale: Try crumbled sausage, kale, tomato, and mozzarella cheese for a hearty and pleasantly bitter pizza.
  6. 6. Puttanesca: For a pizza that’s tangy and packed with umami, try olives, anchovies, tomato, crushed red pepper, oregano, and pecorino.

3 Tips for Making Sicilian-Style Pizza at Home

Here’s how to make the best Sicilian-style pizza.

  1. 1. Use quality ingredients. Pizza is a fairly minimalist dish. You can taste each ingredient as you eat it, so the quality of those ingredients really makes a difference. Look for fresh cheeses, herbs, meats, and tomatoes at local Italian delis for the ultimate ode to Sicily.
  2. 2. Make your own dough. Premade pizza crust might save you time, but it won’t have the same airy fluffiness of homemade pizza dough. Making dough from scratch is a key to success for this recipe.
  3. 3. Let dough proof in the pan before topping. Like focaccia, this dough requires a final rise in the sheet pan before the toppings are added. This step fills the dough with air bubbles that won’t collapse under the weight of the toppings. The result is a spongy interior with crusty edges.

Sicilian Pizza Recipe

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15 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

1 pizza

prep time

15 min

total time

2 hr 40 min

cook time

25 min

Ingredients

For the dough:

To assemble:

Note that the total time includes 2 hours of rising time.

  1. 1

    Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine water and yeast and whisk vigorously. Let sit until frothy, about 4–5 minutes.

  2. 2

    Stir in olive oil, flour, and salt, and mix with a wooden spoon. Continue mixing until you have a shaggy dough with no dry spots of flour. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment.)

  3. 3

    Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 5–6 minutes.

  4. 4

    Grease a large bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough into the bowl, flipping once to coat the whole mass in olive oil.

  5. 5

    Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

  6. 6

    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

  7. 7

    Generously grease a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

  8. 8

    Tip the dough into the baking sheet and use your hands to stretch it from the center outward until it reaches the edges.

  9. 9

    Cover the dough again and let rise in a warm place until bubbly and tall, another 30 minutes.

  10. 10

    Coat fingertips lightly with olive oil and gently dimple the dough all over by pressing fingertips down to the bottom of the pan.

  11. 11

    Top dough with desired toppings and bake until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

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