Sfincione Siciliano #BreadBakers

Sfincione Siciliano is a staple street food of Sicily, with a fluffy bread base topped with strong cheese and a rich onion anchovy tomato sauce, finished with breadcrumbs, more cheese and oregano.

 

Sfincione is pronounced sfeen-CHOH-neh (IPA: /sfin'tʃoːne/) in Italian. From what I can discern, it’s like if focaccia married cheese pizza with a little nod to Ligurian pissalandrea in the sauce but without the black olives. Yeah, a little mixed up maybe but the Sicilians are on to something! It’s delicious. 

I shared four pieces with my brother- and sister-in-law and when she sent me a thank you text, she called them pizza squares. Perfect name! If you can't say sfincione, just tell your family you are making pizza squares for dinner. 

Sfincione Siciliano 

The traditional cheese for this dish is called Siciliano Caciocavallo but the interwebs assure me that the best substitute is an aged provolone for both taste and texture. This recipe is adapted from one on Tavol Arte Gusto and makes one sfincione in a 12x17 in or 30x43cm pan. Start this recipe early in the day to allow for the three rising sessions. 

Ingredients

For the base:

1 teaspoon dried active yeast

1 ½ cups or 355ml warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

3 cups or 380g 00 Italian flour

2/3 cup or 100g re-milled durum wheat semolina

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing the pan

For the onion sauce:

3 medium-sized onions

2 tablespoons olive oil (use the oil from the anchovies and top up if needed)

2 anchovy fillets in olive oil

1 can (1 lb 12oz or 800g) peeled Italian tomatoes

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the toppings:

7 oz or 200g Sicilian Caciocavallo or Provolone Stravecchio

5 – 6 anchovy fillets in oil

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

2-3 sprigs fresh oregano

Method

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, along with the teaspoon of sugar. Within a few minutes, it should start to create bubbles and foam up. This is how you know your yeast has been activated.

Measure your 00 flour, semolina and salt into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, if using. 

Add the yeast dissolved in water, and knead until you’ve created a soft dough. 

Little by little, add the oil—continuing to knead throughout.

The dough should appear smooth and well-developed (forming a cohesive elastic mass.) Finally, shape the dough into a ball.

 Cover the bowl and let the dough to rise for at least 3 hours; it should quadruple in volume.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. First, thinly slice the onions.

 

Place them in a pot with the oil and anchovies. Let them heat through for 5–6 minutes over high heat.

Puree the tomatoes in a blender (or with a hand blender), then add them to the onion pot. 

 

Fill the tomato can up about a quarter with water to make sure you get all of the tomato out and add it to the pot as well. 

Bring to a low boil then the sauce over low heat for about 45 minutes.

The result should be a rich, thick sauce. Add the baking soda and salt and stir well. 

Remove from the heat and set aside and to cool.

Finally, take the risen dough and spread it out in a 12x17 in or 30x43cm baking pan lightly greased with oil. Spread the dough using your fingers, gently tapping it with your fingertips trying your best not to pop any air bubbles.

Add the anchovy fillets broken into bits.

At this point, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for another hour or so.

Cut most of the cheese into pieces and grate a little, about 3-4 tablespoons. Mix the grated cheese with the breadcrumbs.

After that rise in the pan, add the remaining toppings to the dough: first the pieces of cheese.

Followed by the sauce.

Then finish with the grated cheese/breadcrumbs, and a handful of fresh oregano leaves.

Finally, let it rise for another hour. Near the end of rising time, preheat your oven to 475°F or 246°C.

Bake the sfincione in the hot oven, on the lowest rack or, if possible, in direct contact with the oven floor for 10 minutes. Move the pan to the middle-upper rack, to bake for another 20 minutes or so. The topping should be dry and the base nice and puffy and golden.

Remove from the baking pan. 

Cut in squares to serve. Golden bottom! I was a bit concerned by the dark edges, but the bottom was lovely and crunchy.

So fluffy! 

Enjoy!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month which means it’s time for my Bread Baker group to share their recipes. Our theme this month is Italian bread. Many thanks to our host, Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories. Check out the links below.

• Cornetti Dolci (Italian Croissants) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Focaccia Bread Art from Making Miracles
• No-Knead Green Chutney Focaccia with Tofu from Cook with Renu
• No Knead Potato Focaccia from Sneha's Recipe
• Overnight Ciabatta from A Messy Kitchen
• Overnight Focaccia from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sfincione Siciliano from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Cherry Tomato Focaccia from Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Sfincione Siciliano!

.

Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers

Crunchy, flavorful and more-ish, these sprouted spelt everything bagel crackers are a lovely snack on their own or served with a spread or dip. 

I usually try to bake or cook well ahead of the publish date for Sunday FunDay posts because the hosts plan the theme months in advance. This week, it didn’t happen because I misread the theme! 

“Make a recipe using sprouts,” the title said. Sooooo, I duly bought some Brussels sprouts and got busy. Then just a couple of days ago, I read the whole description which was “Using sprouted grains / legumes.” Oh, no! Back to the drawing board. Fortunately, I already own sprouted spelt flour. 

After the debacle that was trying to get the big cracker off the pan once baked, I wasn’t sure I was even going to share this recipe. But I put the plate between my husband and me on the sofa yesterday and before I knew it, the plate was almost empty! These crackers are good, y’all. Follow my updated method and you’ll love them too! 

Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers

This recipe was adapted from one in the New York Times magazine from way back in 2008. That recipe itself was adapted from one created by Eli Winograd at Hungry Ghost Bread in Northampton, MA.

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup or 120ml cold water

1 1/2 cups or 180g sprouted spelt flour

Generous sprinkling everything bagel seasoning mix

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. 

In the measuring cup, dissolve the salt in the cold water. Add the water to the spelt flour and stir until combined. 

Knead the dough a few turns until a ball forms.

The original instructions said to flour an overturned 12-by-17-inch cookie sheet and use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough on top of it - using as much flour as needed to prevent sticking - until the dough covers the sheet from edge to edge. Which is what I did. (See below.) I am here to tell you that this is NOT A GOOD PLAN.

Never mind my photo. Here is what you REALLY NEED to do: Roll this dough out on a piece of nonstick baking parchment or a silicone pan liner. Otherwise, as I mentioned, the dough will stick to your pan and you will struggle to release the middle bits once it is baked. 

Using a spray bottle filled with water, spray the rolled dough to give it a glossy finish. If you want neater crackers, you can also score the dough into grids. Otherwise, we are just going to break this sucker apart into chaotic shards once crispy. 

Sprinkle with an elegant sufficiency of everything bagel seasoning mix. Some people prefer more, some less. For once, I won’t tell you how to live your life. 

Bake in the preheated oven until the big cracker is crisp and golden and snaps apart, 20 to 25 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through. Check frequently to make sure it doesn’t overcook and burn. Ovens heat unevenly and these crackers are thin! 

Since you did the right thing and rolled the dough out onto a nonstick sheet of baking parchment or a silicone pan liner, the only thing left is to break into pieces and serve. I promise, the crackers will disappear in no time.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes using sprouted grains or legumes. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. Check out the links below. 

• Stir-fried Cilantro with Bean Sprouts and Shrimp from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Egg Foo Young from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sprouted Moong Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Sprouted Oat Blender Waffles from A Messy Kitchen
• Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers from Food Lust People Love
• Sprouted Vaalachi Bhaji With Fresh Coconut from Sneha’s Recipe
• Vegetarian Ramen Bowls from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Sprouted Spelt Everything Bagel Crackers!

.

Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese

This Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese is the perfect schmear for your bagels, a little bit spicy, a little bit fishy and a whole lot of creamy!

This recipe was created when I had several blistered Padron peppers leftover after a snacky lunch and some cooked salmon leftover from dinner the night before. 

Making a schmear for bagels probably wouldn’t have occurred to me but I had just come across bagels in my nearby supermarket (in the Channel Islands, no less) that claimed to be the real deal. Boiled then baked for that genuine New York chewiness. You know I had to buy a bag if only to say, nope, these are not good; at least I tried.

I don’t know if it’s that I’d been overseas for too many months or if the bagels were really boiled then baked but they were pretty good! And they were excellent with this schmear. 

I am sharing this recipe today because it would be perfect for an Easter weekend brunch and it is better made ahead so the ingredients have time to meld. 

Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese

I give the amounts I used below but you can use them as a guideline. Have a few more peppers or a little less salmon? The combo will still be delicious. Likewise, this recipe is easily doubled or trebled. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 oz or 70g blistered Padron peppers (I used about 7)

4 1/2 oz or 126g cream cheese

2 1/2 oz or 70g cooked salmon (Mine was pan-fried)

Fine sea salt to taste

Method

Sear the peppers in a hot nonstick skillet until they are blistered. Toss or stir frequently. (This was all the peppers I blistered as part of our snacky lunch. As above in the ingredient list, I used seven for this recipe.) Set aside to cool. 

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and leave to come to room temperature. 

Remove any bones or skin from the salmon and break it into flakes with your clean hands.

Remove the stems and chop the Padron peppers well. 

Add them to the cream cheese and stir until well combined. 

Fold the salmon into the peppery cream cheese.

Add a sprinkle of salt, if needed.

Serve with fresh bagels. Or with crackers. If you don't eat it with a spoon. 

Enjoy! 

Happy Easter to all who celebrate! It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for Easter that can be made ahead. Many thanks to our host, Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Apple Crisp Sweet Strata from A Messy Kitchen
• Asian Pear Slaw from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Blistered Padron Pepper Salmon Cream Cheese from Food Lust People Love
• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Lime Pound Cake from Making Miracles
• Pork Tikka Masala from Sneha's Recipe

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this Blistered Padron Pepper
Salmon Cream Cheese!

.