Sfincione Palermitano (Sicilian Street-Style Focaccia Pizza)

La storia di questo piatto

Sfincione is Palermo's street pizza, born in the lanes and markets of Sicily's capital, where it is carried home warm in paper and eaten standing up. It belongs to the city's corners and vendors, a soft, tall, generous bread that has always been food for everyone.

Ingredienti

• 500 g Type 00 flour
• 330 ml Lukewarm water
• 10 g Fresh brewer's yeast
• 10 g Fine salt
• 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 600 g White onions
• 80 g Salt-cured anchovies
• 250 g Smoked caciocavallo cheese
• 80 g Breadcrumbs
• 3 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 g Dried oregano

Preparazione

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, never hot, otherwise you kill it instead of waking it up: it should be lukewarm like milk for a baby. Then pour the flour into a mound, add the salt on one side, away from the yeast, and begin mixing from the center outward until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough: sfincione wants a well-hydrated dough.
2. Work the dough energetically, folding it over itself and pressing it with the palm for about ten minutes. Halfway through kneading, gradually incorporate 40 ml of the oil (out of 120 ml total), a little at a time, waiting for it to be absorbed: you will feel the dough become increasingly elastic and silky under your hands.
3. Shape it into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl (using a film of the remaining oil), cover with a clean cloth and leave it in a warm place away from drafts, perhaps in the turned-off oven with only the light on: after two hours it should have doubled, be puffed up and full of air.
4. While the dough rises, prepare the toppings. Rinse the 80 g of salt-cured anchovies under running water to remove the surface salt, then soak them in cold water for 10 minutes (passive time) and drain. Open them like a book with your fingers, remove the central bone, detach the fins and rinse the fillets again; dry them well with kitchen paper. You should get about 50 g of clean fillets: set aside 30 g for the onions and keep 20 g whole for the topping.
5. Slice the onions very thinly and place them in a pan with 40 ml of oil, very low heat and a very small pinch of salt (fine salt to taste, from the dough salt or pantry; the anchovies are already salty, so you may omit it if you prefer). Let them cook gently, stirring occasionally, until golden, very soft and sweet like jam: if they dry out too much, add a splash of water. At the end of cooking, melt the 30 g of reserved anchovy fillets into them, mashing them with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and let the onions cool to room temperature so they don't shock the dough.
6. Put the breadcrumbs in a dry pan, without oil, and heat them, stirring often with a wooden spoon: they must keep moving so they don't burn in one spot. When they turn hazelnut-colored and give off a toasty aroma, immediately turn off the heat and season them with the freshly ground black pepper, the oregano and 20 ml of raw oil.
7. Grease the baking pan well with 20 ml of oil (the last part of the 120 ml), using your fingers so no areas are left bare, and spread the dough with your hands, pressing from the center toward the edges until it forms a layer about two fingers thick. Cover and let it rise again for 75 minutes: it should swell and become soft and airy, for a cloud-like crumb.
8. Once risen, gently spread the now-cold onions evenly over the entire surface with a spoon, reaching all the way to the edges. Add the 20 g of clean anchovy fillets, whole or cut into pieces, the caciocavallo cut into small cubes and finally a generous sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs, which will form a golden crust during baking.
9. Bake in a well-preheated static oven at 220°C, on the lower rack, for 25–30 minutes, until the surface is golden with some darker spots on the edges of the onions. To check doneness, lift one corner with a spatula: the bottom should be golden and dry, and the edge should release easily from the pan.
10. Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes outside the oven: this gives the flavors time to settle and the dough time to hold together when cut. Cut it into generous squares with a well-sharpened knife and serve it hot or warm, as is customary at village festivals: it is good either way. Variation: some Palermo recipes use fresh caciocavallo or tuma instead of the smoked version, and a little lard in place of part of the oil.