Sicilian-Style Thick Pan Pizza with Onion, Tomato and Crisp Crumbs
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
A soft, airy semolina dough topped with sweet, slowly cooked onion and tomato and finished with a crisp layer of pecorino breadcrumbs and oregano. Baked in a tin and cut into generous squares.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Mix and chill dough. Stir the yeast and semolina into the lukewarm water and leave for 5 minutes, until bubbly. Add the flour, salt and the 2 tbsp dough oil, then knead for 5 minutes until smooth and soft, adding only a little flour so it stays soft. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours; the cool rest makes the dough easier to handle and builds flavour.
- 2
Soften the onion. Heat the 2 tbsp topping oil in the frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until translucent. Pour in the 100ml water, turn up the heat and bubble for about 5 minutes, until the water has gone and the onion is very soft. Cooking it in water first makes it sweet and tender without browning.
- 3
Simmer the topping. Stir in the passata, salt, pepper and chilli and simmer for 10 minutes, until thick, then leave to cool. A thick, cool topping will not soak into the soft dough.
- 4
Mix the crumbs. Combine the breadcrumbs, pecorino, 1 tbsp oil and oregano. The oil coats the crumbs so they toast to a golden crunch in the oven.
- 5
Stretch into the tin. Oil the tin with 2 tbsp of the tin oil. Flatten the cold dough with the rolling pin into a small rectangle, lay it in the tin and press it out to the edges with your palms, resting it for 5 minutes if it springs back. Cover with the tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 30-45 minutes, until about doubled in thickness.
- 6
Preheat the oven. Heat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C), with the shelf in the middle, for at least 20 minutes before baking. A moderate oven cooks the thick dough right through before the topping over-browns.
- 7
Top the dough. Spread the cooled onion and tomato over the dough, leaving a 1cm border. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the top and drizzle with the last 1 tbsp tin oil.
- 8
Bake until crisp. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and the base is browned and crisp; lift a corner with the spatula to check and give it 5 minutes more if pale. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too fast. Rest for 5 minutes, then slide it out and cut into 8 squares, serving warm or at room temperature.
Storage
Cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot oven or a dry frying pan until piping hot (74°C).
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- 23 x 33 cm metal baking tin or rimmed tray
- frying pan
- rolling pin
- clean tea towel
- thin metal spatula
- foil
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 340 kcal |
| Protein | 8.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 41.2 g |
| of which sugars | 4.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.5 g |
| Fat | 16.1 g |
| of which saturates | 3.1 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Salt | 1.13 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
