Sfincione
Sfincione is loosely translated into sponge…which is precisely what it does when soaking up the delicious topping ingredients.
The original Sicilian version uses a thick and spongy dough – similar in many respects to focaccia. It is traditionally topped with a zesty tomato sauce, tons of dried oregano, breadcrumbs and often some grated Sicilian caciocavallo cheese. Some Palermo bakers like to include dried anchovies to lend a certain saltiness to the bread.
This thick square pizza bread eventually made its way to New York, turning it into the classic New York-style pizza – a thick spongy base, baked square and
Subscription Required For This Content
Sfincione is loosely translated into sponge…which is precisely what it does when soaking up the delicious topping ingredients.
The original Sicilian version uses a thick and spongy dough – similar in many respects to focaccia. It is traditionally topped with a zesty tomato sauce, tons of dried oregano, breadcrumbs and often some grated Sicilian caciocavallo cheese. Some Palermo bakers like to include dried anchovies to lend a certain saltiness to the bread.
This thick square pizza bread eventually made its way to New York, turning it into the classic New York-style pizza – a thick spongy base, baked square and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella.
My vegan version is made with a delicious zesty tomato sauce, chopped capers, a bit of nutritional yeast, tons of dried oregano and breadcrumbs. Together, the topping ingredients give this bread a nice crunchy top! I made my version by using my focaccia bread dough instead of the more traditional pizza dough – an improvement, in my opinion!
It’s helpful to use a stand mixer to make the dough. It is possible to mix and knead the dough by hand if you prefer – add a few extra minutes to the kneading process and avoid adding flour to the dough if you think it’s too sticky.
Overall, this recipe takes a few hours to prepare, but most of the time is unattended.
Difficulty: Moderate
Yield: Makes about 6-8 servings