U Sfinciuni
U Sfinciuni
Onion and Tomato Flatbread
Palermo’s iconic flatbread is topped with a savory tomato, onion, and anchovy sauce and finished with bread crumbs. (In Sicily, bakers have no problem putting bread on bread.) It’s a delicious treat, and one that’s super quick and easy to make. There’s plenty of honey to feed the yeast, so the dough ferments quickly. You can be slicing your sfinciuni in around 4 hours from when you start mixing! Reheat leftovers in a dry, unoiled skillet to rejuvenate the crust, which will become damp when stored due to the toppings.
Ingredients (10)
Ingredients (10)
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the room-temperature water and flour. Mix on medium-low speed until there is no dry flour left in the bowl, about 3 minutes.
When mixing water and flour (or really, most wet and dry ingredients), always put the water in the bowl first, then add the flour. This prevents the flour from sticking and clumping at the bottom of the bowl and leads to more efficient mixing.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes to let the flour hydrate.
Meanwhile, combine the warm water and yeast in a small bowl or ramekin and set aside to bloom for 10 minutes.
Uncover the bowl and return it to the mixer. Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium-low speed until the liquid is incorporated, about 2 minutes.
With the mixer running, add the honey. Once absorbed, sprinkle in the salt.
Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes more.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes to let the dough relax.
Uncover the bowl and return it to the mixer. With the mixer running on medium-low speed, slowly add the olive oil, then mix until it is incorporated, about 5 minutes more.
Mix on medium-high speed for 1 minute more, or until the dough forms around the hook in a compact mass and there are no stray dough bits in the bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise at room temperature until the dough is slightly puffed up, 75 to 90 minutes.
Invert the bowl over a lightly floured surface, allowing the dough to gently detach itself from the bowl. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the dough into two equal pieces weighing about 900 grams each.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, take the four corners and pull and fold them into the center to attach. Do not flatten. Flip the dough seam-side down on a lightly floured part of your work surface. The dough surface should be taut and smooth. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Cover both with a clean kitchen towel to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Remove the kitchen towel and lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Using your fingertips, gently dimple one piece of dough from top to bottom. Using flat fingers, stretch the dough from below, gently pulling it into a rectangle roughly the size of a half sheet pan.
Transfer the shaped dough to a lightly greased half sheet pan, supporting it from below so it doesn’t tear. Using greased fingertips, carefully push and stretch the dough into the shape of the pan, taking care not to tear it. Press the dough into the edges of the pan.
If the dough doesn’t hold the shape of the pan, set aside, covered with a clean kitchen towel, for 15 minutes and allow it to relax before trying again.
Set aside, covered with a clean kitchen towel, at warm room temperature (about 72°F) to proof for 1 hour. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475°F
Uncover the trays. Dust the top of the sfinciuni with 100 grams of the caciocavallo, distributing evenly.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Midway through baking, when you add the topping and return the pans to the oven, invert the position of the pans: Place the pan that was on the bottom rack on the top rack instead and put the pan that was on the top rack on the bottom rack. This will ensure a more even bake.
Remove from the oven and divide and spread the sfinciuni topping evenly over the dough. Sprinkle over the bread crumbs, distributing evenly, followed by the remaining cheese and bake until the bottom is evenly cooked, 10 to 12 minutes more.
This recipe is part of the Food of the Italian Islands digital cookbook, and is only available once you've purchased the cookbook.
Purchase ($25.00)
