Also known as Scaccia Ragusana, this Scaccia Sicilian Pizza Bread is soft & chewy on the inside with a rustic blistery crust. Absolutely delicious.
The technique is not nearly as difficult as you would think. And totally worth every minute of your time and effort. Let’s start at the beginning.
What you need to make the dough for your Scaccia Sicilian Pizza Bread…
- Granulated sugar
- Active dry yeast
- Lukewarm water
- Semolina flour
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
Can we take just a moment to talk about the flour?
This exceptional Caputo semolina flour is imported from Italy. Far superior to what is offered in your local food store. It’s the real deal and the most importantly non-GMO and Glyphosate-free. It’s sometimes available in Whole Foods but I usually just order it on Amazon.
- In a large bowl, whisk 1⁄4 teaspoon sugar and the yeast with 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water.
- Let it stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the semolina flour, one tablespoon olive oil, and the half teaspoon salt until the dough comes together.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about eight minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap.
- Let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, about two hours.
Time to gather the rest of the ingredients…
- Prepared tomato sauce – use your favorite marinara or follow the guidelines included in the recipe to make a homemade tomato sauce
- Caciocavallo cheese or aged provolone – use a sharp knife or mandolin to slice very thin
Caciocavallo cheese is not widely available but can be found at some specialty shops. I’ve seen it offered at a few locations of Eataly, the amazing Italian marketplace.
Most of us don’t live near a large metropolitan area where this unusual item can be found. No worries. You can use a good-quality aged provolone as a substitute, which I’ve done here.
- Heat the oven to 450°.
- Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly-floured large work surface.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a 1⁄16-inch-thick, 24-by-18-inch rectangle.
- Position the rectangle so that a long side is nearest to you.
- Lightly score the dough into 18” x 6” quarters; don’t cut all the way through, just mark it.
- Spread about half the tomato sauce over the middle two quarters of the rectangle, then sprinkle the sauce with half of the caciocavallo slices.
- Fold the two plain sides of the dough over so their edges slightly overlap in the middle of the rectangle.
- You’ll now have a rectangle that’s about 18” x 12”.
- Lightly score the dough into four 4 1/2″ x 12” sections.
- Spread a scant 2/3 cup of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the center two sections.
- Then top with about two-thirds of the remaining cheese.
- Fold the two uncovered sections into the center, overlapping them slightly where they meet.
- You’ll now have a rectangle that’s about 9” x 12”.
- Lightly score the dough into three 9” x 4” sections.
- Spread the remaining sauce over the right two sections and top with the remaining cheese.
- Fold the left (un-sauced) section over the center section.
- Then fold the right (sauce-covered) section over both, like you’d fold a letter.
- Transfer the loaf seam-side up to the prepared pan.
- You’ll find that using a bench scraper or large flat spatula is helpful.
- Pierce the top with a fork about a dozen times.
- Bake the loaf for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is dark and blistered in places.
- A digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf should read 212°F.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.
- Allow the scaccia to cool slightly (for about 10 minutes) before cutting it into thick slices.
Serve your Scaccia Sicilian Pizza Bread warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftover scaccia, well wrapped, for 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
- Freeze for longer storage.
- Toast slices or reheat to serve.
scaccia sicilian pizza bread
Based on a classic recipe from Saveur
A gooey-cheese-filled lasagna-like loaf encased in a not-quite-burnt blistery crust. Pure deliciousness.
Ingredients
Scaccia Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water (140 grams)
- 2 cups durum wheat semolina flour (300 grams)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups prepared tomato sauce
- 8 ounces caciocavallo cheese, thinly sliced or shredded (or provolone cheese)
Homemade Tomato Sauce
- 2 cups whole canned tomatoes in juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Scaccia Sicilian Pizza Bread
-
In a large bowl, whisk 1⁄4 teaspoon sugar and the yeast with 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the semolina flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and the 1⁄2 teaspoon salt until the dough comes together. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
-
Heat the oven to 450°. Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
-
Scrape the dough onto a lightly-floured large work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a 1⁄16-inch-thick, 24-by-18-inch rectangle, and position the rectangle so that a long side is nearest to you.
-
Lightly score the dough into 18” x 6” quarters; don’t cut all the way through, just mark it. Spread about half the tomato sauce over the middle two quarters of the rectangle, then sprinkle the sauce with half of the caciocavallo slices. Fold the two plain sides of the dough over so their edges slightly overlap in the middle of the rectangle. You’ll now have a rectangle that’s about 18” x 12”.
-
Lightly score the dough into four 4 1/2" x 12” sections. Spread a scant 2/3 cup of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the center two sections and top with about two-thirds of the remaining cheese. Fold the two uncovered sections into the center, overlapping them slightly where they meet. You’ll now have a rectangle that’s about 9” x 12”.
-
Lightly score the dough into three 9” x 4” sections. Spread the remaining sauce over the right two sections and top with the remaining cheese. Fold the left (un-sauced) section over the center section and then fold the right (sauce-covered) section over both, like you'd fold a letter.
-
Transfer the loaf seam-side up to the prepared pan and pierce the top with a fork about a dozen times.
-
Bake the loaf for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is dark and blistered in places; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf will read 212°F. Remove the loaf from the oven and turn it out of the pan onto a rack.
-
Allow the scaccia to cool slightly (for about 10 minutes) before cutting it into thick slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
-
Store leftover scaccia, well wrapped, for 2 to 3 days at room temperature; freeze for longer storage. Toast slices or reheat to serve.
Homemade Tomato Sauce
-
Pour the tomatoes and their juice into a blender and purée until smooth. In a small saucepan, warm the tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and barely beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan along with the teaspoon of sugar, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the basil, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
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Love pizza? More amazing snacks to try…
Do you think I could use a favorite gluten-free soft white bread dough or even the gluten-free pizza crust dough of Zoe Francois for this? Looks far, far better than pizza even and I’d love to try it ASAP!
Katie, that’s a tough one. This recipe uses semolina flour which is actually very high in gluten. The dough is hearty, making it easy to work with when stretching it into the very large rectangular shape. I have some experience working with Zoe’s gf pizza crust dough and in comparison, it is considerably more tender. But it could possibly work …perhaps with a somewhat smaller base. You would then have maybe one less fold but the end result could be similar. I hope you’re able to make it work for you!