Sicilian pizza, with its thick, focaccia-like crust and generous toppings, is a satisfying and flavorful variation of pizza that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. If you’ve ever wondered What Is Sicilian Pizza and how it differs from other styles, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know. From its unique history and defining characteristics to a step-by-step recipe, you’ll be making delicious Sicilian-style pizza in no time.
Ever since the rise in popularity of Detroit-style pizza, many have been eager to explore other regional pizza variations, especially Sicilian-style pizza. If you’re familiar with Detroit-style, you’ll recognize the similarities in the focaccia-like crust, but Sicilian pizza offers its own distinct appeal.
Detroit-style pizza often requires strict adherence to rules: cheese first, spread to the edges for that coveted frico crust, sauce in racing stripes, and baked in a blue steel pan. Sicilian pizza offers more freedom. The defining characteristic is a focaccia-like crust, topped like a pizza, and baked on a sheet pan.
Early attempts to replicate Sicilian pizza by simply topping focaccia dough with sauce and cheese often resulted in a soggy, underwhelming experience. The high-hydration crust couldn’t handle the weight of the toppings, leading to slumped slices. Baking it longer led to overcooked cheese and toppings.
Experimentation with different dough recipes yielded a sturdier crust but sacrificed the light, airy texture of focaccia. The cheese still often ended up overcooked.
The breakthrough came from Peter Reinhart’s Perfect Pan Pizza, which highlighted a crucial step: parbaking the crust.
“The Sicilian-style pizza is the only one in this book whose crust is partially baked in advance. Once the crust is baked, it becomes very stable and won’t buckle under the weight of sauce and toppings.”
The parbake stabilizes the focaccia-like crust, preventing it from becoming soggy under the weight of toppings, and it also ensures the toppings cook perfectly without overcooking. Dimpling the dough before parbaking helps it bake evenly.
The parbake is a game-changer, streamlining meal prep because it can be done up to 24 hours in advance. If you can make focaccia, you can master Sicilian-style pizza.
Defining Sicilian Pizza: More Than Just a Thick Crust
While variations abound, the original Sicilian pizza, or sfincione, features a focaccia-like dough topped with onions, bread crumbs, and caciocavallo cheese, traditionally enjoyed on New Year’s Eve.
Today, modern Sicilian pizza often maintains the focaccia-like base of sfincione but incorporates a wider range of toppings, mirroring the diversity found in typical pizzerias. Sicilian-style pizza, according to Peter Reinhart’s Perfect Pan Pizza, is actually an American invention that emerged in communities like Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.
Prior to research, some may mistake it for Grandma pie. A grandma pie is baked once, whereas a Sicilian-style pizza is baked twice: once without any toppings (or partially topped) and then again with more toppings. The key element is a crust closely resembling focaccia.
Key Tips for Perfect Homemade Sicilian Pizza
Achieving pizza perfection at home requires finesse. Here are five tips for creating exceptional Sicilian pizza:
- High-Hydration Dough: Use a high-hydration, focaccia-like dough for a light and airy crust.
- Invest in a Pan: Using a Lloyd blue steel pan browns and crisps the bottom crust, but a standard sheet pan can work too.
- Butter and Oil: Butter the baking pan before adding olive oil prevents sticking and promotes even browning.
- Strategic Dimpling: Dimple only the center of the dough, avoiding the perimeter, to ensure an even parbake.
- Parbake Perfection: Parbake at 500ºF (260ºC) on a preheated Baking Steel or pizza stone for 11-12 minutes, then lower to 475ºF (246ºC) for the final bake.
Sicilian Pizza Topping Ideas: Go Bold!
Sicilian pizza welcomes generous toppings. Here are some favorite combinations:
- 12 ounces of cheese (whole milk, low-moisture mozzarella, or a mix)
- 1 heaping cup of tomato sauce
Additional Topping Combinations:
- 6 ounces of pepperoni + crushed red pepper flakes
- Sautéed vegetables (mushrooms, onions, and peppers)
- Pepperoni + sautéed vegetables
- Pickled jalapeños + pepperoni + hot honey
Some recipes suggest the “upside-down” method, with cheese under the sauce. Parbaking negates the need to protect against sogginess, but keep it in mind for experimentation.
This Vermont Smoke & Cure pepperoni has a rich, smoky flavor.
Pre-shredded cheese saves time, especially the Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggi or Tillamook Mozzarella.
Step-by-Step Guide: Making Sicilian Pizza Dough
Gather these ingredients to start: 4 cups (512 g) all-purpose or bread flour, 2 teaspoons (12 g) salt, 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast (SAF is recommended), 2 cups lukewarm (454 g) water:
First, whisk together the flour, salt, and yeast:
Add water:
Use a spatula to combine.
Coat the dough with olive oil:
Cover tightly. Refrigerate for 18 hours or longer—up to 2-3 days for a lighter crust.
Uncover:
Deflate the dough. With oiled hands, stretch a portion up and towards the center. Turn the bowl and repeat until a rough ball forms.
Butter and oil your pan. A Lloyd Sicilian-Style Pizza Pan is ideal.
Transfer dough to the pan, coating with oil.
Let rest for 2.5-3 hours.
Dimple and stretch the dough to fit. Let rest 30 minutes if it resists.
Stretch again to fit. Cover with plastic wrap if resting longer. Dimple the center before parbaking.
Parbake for 11-12 minutes at 500ºF (260ºC) on a Baking Steel or pizza stone.
Then, top with homemade tomato sauce.
Add cheese:
Then pepperoni, vegetables, or sausage:
Bake for another 10 minutes. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a board.
Add pepper flakes:
Cut into squares and serve.
Sautéed vegetable + pepperoni:
With its distinctive crust and endless topping possibilities, Sicilian pizza is a rewarding culinary adventure. Mastering the parbake technique unlocks the door to creating a pizza that’s both structurally sound and bursting with flavor. Now that you know what is Sicilian pizza, grab your ingredients, follow these tips, and enjoy the delicious results!
