Sfincione Palermo Style

(“Sfincione alla Palermitana”)

When I was a teenager living in Palermo and going to senior high school, during the 15 minutes morning break, I would often eat a “pezzo”, a piece of sfincione that I would buy from the street vendor standing in front of my school, the Liceo Classico Umberto Primo.  

For unexplainable reasons the taste, the smell and the image of that sfincione, sold in front of my school, after over half century, remains astoundingly vivid in my mind and just thinking of it makes my mouth water.

Renato, the sfincione’s street vendor, bragged about the sfincione he was selling as the best in the city! And perhaps it was; he made sure that his hot plate was not too hot so the crust would not burn and the condiments would not become too dry. When he drizzled the few drops of oil on the sfincione, he made sure that it was just sufficient to enhance the taste of it but not enough to drip oil all over our clothes.

In my family, the sfincione was usually made on the eve of major holidays, especially if we had to go to a midnight Mass, and unfailingly for New Years Eve.  When living in Palermo, we did not have an oven in our kitchen and it was my responsibility to take the sfincione to the nearby bakery to cook it.
As usual, some of my friends would help me to carry the sfincione and they would later enjoy a piece of it as their reward.

Serves 6 to 8

For the Dough

• 1 ¼ lb. of flour (All purpose, or mix ½ semolina and ½ all purpose)
• 1 cup flour for dusting
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 envelopes active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

For the Condiments

• 5 tablespoons of oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 ½ cups peeled tomatoes, diced
• 3 anchovies
• 6 oz. caciocavallo fresco or provola cheese diced very small
• 2 oz. breadcrumbs
• Some olive oil to sprinkle on top of the Sfincione

 

Preparation

Making of the Dough
Pour warm water in a bowl, stir in the yeast, oil, sugar and salt. Add half of the flour and blend it in. Set the mixture aside in a warm place for a few minutes.
Put remaining flour on a flat surface, form a well and place the mixture in it. Start to blend the flour from the inside of the well, and keep incorporating the flour; add a little more water if needed, to moisten the flour.
Mixture should be soft and very malleable. Should it became too watery add more flour.
Using your hands, bring all the flour together to form a ball. Fold and press with the palms of your hands; if dough is sticky, add some more flour. When dough forms a single mass, set aside. Clean your hands and working surface and discard scraps.
Dust the working surface with flour and knead dough by pushing it down firmly to the center, than turn dough 90 degree and press down again: keep kneading until dough is elastic and has a silky consistency. Knead for 10 minutes, or until gluten develops.
Form a ball, and cut across the top to facilitate the leavening process. Cover and let rest for 25 minutes, in a warm place.
Punch dough down and place it covered in an oiled bowl. Refrigerate for a few hours. 

Making of the Condiments
Sauté sliced onion in 4 tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until it is a golden color. Set aside.

In a small pot heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the fried onions and add tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook on a medium heat for 2 minutes, lower the heat and then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Crush and mix anchovies in a dish with 3 tablespoons of oil, set aside.
   
Assembling The Sfincione
Dust the working surface with flour, place dough in the center and with a rolling pin, or by pressing with your hands, flatten it to about ½ inch thickness.
Place dough in an oiled pan 13 X 9 X 2 inches.
Set aside, covered in a warm place, until dough rises. About 20 minutes.
Press dough down and stretch it if necessary.
Sprinkle or use a brush to coat the surface of dough completely with the oil and anchovies mixture.
Spread ½ of the sauce and ½ of the fried onions over it.
Bake it at 425 degrees.

After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and cover the sfincione with remaining sauce, onions, diced cheese and the breadcrumbs. Drizzle sparingly with olive oil and continue baking at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until bottom crust is golden and crispy.