Sfincione Palermitano
Sfinciuni·(sfin-CHOO-nee)
Friday Night Street Food: Palermo in a Sheet Pan
Walk through the ancient, chaotic markets of Palermo—like Ballarò or the Vucciria—and you won’t smell standard pizza. You will smell sfincione. The street vendors weave through the crowds shouting humble brags about their wares being scarce in oil and full of dust. It is the ultimate working-class street food. Sfincione is fundamentally a thick, highly hydrated sponge built to absorb a sweet, savory stew of melting onions and tomatoes. This isn't the sanitized Hollywood version of Italian cooking; this is the loud, proud food of the old neighborhood, smartly adapted for a Friday night in the Midwest. The cheese and anchovies are buried deep into the dough to create hidden pockets of flavor, and the whole thing is buried under a toasted blanket of breadcrumbs.
Ingredients
- bread flour2 1/4 cup
- fine semolina flour2 cup
- kosher salt2 tsp
- active dry yeast1 tsp
- sugar2 tsp
- warm water1 3/4 cup
- extra virgin olive oil3/4 cup
- white or yellow onions3 large
- anchovy fillets packed in oil8
- crushed tomatoes28 oz
- aged provolone or caciocavallo cheese8 oz
- pecorino romano cheese1/4 cup
- coarse breadcrumbs1 1/2 cup
- dried oregano1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Mix the dough the night before.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour, semolina flour, salt, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Pour in the warm water and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix aggressively until a shaggy, wet, and highly sticky dough forms. Do not add more flour; that wetness is the secret to the sponge. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator for 18 to 24 hours to develop that old-world bakery flavor.
- 02
Make the onion stew.
This is not a raw pizza sauce; it is a rich stew. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are incredibly soft, collapsed, and translucent, about 20 to 25 minutes. If they begin to brown too quickly, add a splash of water.
- 03
Build the tomato sauce.
Once the onions are soft, add the 4 whole anchovy fillets, stirring until they dissolve into the onions. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 30 minutes until the sauce is thick and dark red. A watery sauce will ruin your dough. Remove from heat and let it cool.
- 04
Prepare the muddica atturrata.
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add your fresh, coarse breadcrumbs. Toast them, stirring constantly, until they are deeply golden brown and smell nutty, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, and toss with the dried oregano.
- 05
Stretch the sponge.
Three hours before you want to eat, pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into a standard 13x18-inch rimmed half-sheet pan, using your fingers to coat the bottom and sides thoroughly. Scrape the cold dough into the center of the pan and gently press it out. If it springs back, walk away for 15 minutes to let the gluten relax, then press again until it reaches the edges. Cover with a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, until puffy, aerated, and doubled in height.
- 06
Bury the cheese and anchovies.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Uncover the puffed dough. Using oiled fingers, press deep dimples all over the dough, just like you would for focaccia. Take your cheese cubes and the torn pieces of the remaining 4 anchovies and push them deep into the dimples. This creates hidden, molten flavor pockets and prevents the cheese from burning during the long bake.
- 07
Assemble the sfincione.
Ladle the cooled, thick onion and tomato sauce evenly over the top of the dough. Sprinkle the grated Pecorino Romano over the sauce. Finally, blanket the entire pan with a generous layer of the toasted breadcrumbs. Drizzle the top with one final, light pass of olive oil.
- 08
Bake and rest.
Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 45 minutes. You are looking for the edges of the dough to pull away from the pan and turn a deep, crispy golden brown, while the breadcrumbs form a beautiful, fragrant crust. Remove from the oven and let it rest in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Sfincione is traditionally eaten warm or at room temperature, never piping hot.
Notes
Do not insult your ancestors with bad breadcrumbs.
Sicilians call toasted breadcrumbs 'the cheese of the poor.' Do not use fine, dry breadcrumbs from a cardboard canister. Take a few slices of slightly stale supermarket Italian or sourdough bread, pulse them into coarse crumbs, and toast them yourself. It provides an incredible crunch and acts as a thermal shield, preventing the sauce from drying out in the oven.
Embrace the anchovy.
Do not skip the anchovies in the dimples or the sauce. They melt completely into the hot dough and onions, leaving behind an essential, deep umami flavor rather than a distinctly fishy taste.