A Sicilian is a deep dish pie. We use our focaccia recipe for the dough. But even though it's a thick crust, this dough is light, airy and delicious. We like to think of our Sicilian pizza as the perfect Friday night meal: it's quick and easy, and it'll feed the whole family or a group of friends. Either way, you'll be happy you made it!
Note 1: a digital scale is imperative for bread and pizza making. It's a small investment, and we highly recommend it.
Note 2: If you'd like to make this recipe with a sourdough or poolish (see note below), use 100g of either and remove 50g each of the water and bread flour. It adds flavor, so if you can do it, go for it! Simply add the 100g of starter/poolish to the water along with the active dry yeast in the first step.
Pour the water into a medium. Add the active dry yeast (and poolish or starter, if using) to the water and stir vigorously. Allow to rest 5 minutes. The mixture will become foamy.
Add the flour, semolina, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix to blend all the ingredients.
Pour in the yeast mixture and the 3 tbsp Colavita Olive Oil
Mix on low speed for 8-10 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Oil a large bowl with a little Colavita EVOO. Place the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours.
Oil a 9x13 sheet pan or Sicilian pizza pan with Colavita Olive Oil. After 2 hours, punch the dough down (this is called degassing) and place the dough in the prepared pan, stretching it gently with your fingertips to take the shape of the pan. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of Colavita olive oil over the top of the dough, smoothing it over the surface with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat your oven to 450°F.
After 30 minutes is up, remove the plastic wrap. Press the dough very gently into the corners of the baking pan (if it doesn’t reach the edges of the pan, it’s ok).
Spoon the Colavita Crushed Tomatoes on top of the dough.
Place the anchovy pieces on top of the tomatoes, distributing them around the surface of the pizza.
Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle with another tbsp of Colavita Olive Oil over the top.
Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process.
Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh basil. Slice and Serve!
In a medium glass or plastic container, combine 50g warm (80°F) water, 50g flour and 1/8 tsp active dry yeast. Stir until the mixture resembles a batter. Cover loosely and allow to rest for 12 hours. After 12 hours, the mixture should be bubbly and ready to use.
Servings 6