All About Sicilian Pizza

When it comes to making the best pizza, I am a big believer in authentic style pies. One of my favorite authentic pizzas is the classic Sicilian Pizza. I mean, I love pizzas of all kinds, deep dish crust, thin crust, regular, and even crust free pizza! Yes, I’m a bit of a pizza enthusiast. Back to my all time favorite, the authentic Sicilian style pizza.

I’ve recently come to learn that many people are unfamiliar with Sicilian pizza. There are so many people out there that dial up a number and a pizza shows up at their door and they think nothing more of it. Pizza is so much more than just that though. Pizza is diverse, pizza is complex, pizza is delicious. Before we talk about how to make a delicious Sicilian Pizza, let’s chat a little bit about the history of Sicilian pizza.

All About Sicilian Pizza

While there is the ever popular Sicilian Pizza that people have come to know and recognize as a New York Style Pizza, the original Sicilian Pizza is a little bit different.

Hailing from Palermo, Sicily, Italy this classic dish (called sfincione) is made on a thick, sponge-like bread (Focaccia bread is a popular choice for this pizza), which is topped with a meatless sauce square crust and is topped with delicious sauce (made with tomatoes, herbs, anchovies, and onions), covered in breadcrumbs and hard cheese. Of course, Italian milk does not come from cows, so mozzarella was not an option in the original.

Sfincione is traditionally served during the Christmas season, but that doesn’t mean that it is the only time it is enjoyed. This tradition became very popular in the mid-1800s.The popular dish was first brought to the United States from Sicilian immigrants in the early 20th century.

Interesting Facts About Sicilian Pizza

• Once the Sicilian immigrants came to the U.S., they discovered that mozzarella was very inexpensive therefore a new topping was born.
• After mozzarella was added, any dish served where bread was topped with cheese was called pizza.
• Sicilian pizza was served hot during the cold months and served at room temperature during the warmer months.
• The popularity of Sicilian Pizza skyrocketed with the return of WW2 soldiers who had been stationed in Italy during the war.
• Most styles of pizza can be traced back to Sicilian pizza

Sicilian Pizza Ingredients

In addition to the spongy dough, Sicilian pizza includes ingredients such as olive oil, tomatoes, red peppers, anchovies, and other herbs and spices!

Since the dough is baked in a dish with olive oil, it remains spongy and soft.

Making Sicilian Pizza

If you want to make the most delicious, best tasting Sicilian Pizza, you need to have the right tools. I highly recommend using the following Sassafras products.

superstone® sicilian pizza stone - this stone's shape and depth is perfect for rustic and sicilian style pizzas. also try breads, pretzels, cookies, and other dough-based treats. unglazed stoneware with glazed rim and silicone handle grips. recipe booklet included. measures 15.75" long x 10.75" wide .75" deep plus handles.

Pizza Cutter - Let’s be real here, you simply cannot get as good of a cut in your pizza if you are using a knife (even a big one). Plus, I cannot tell you how many times I have burned myself while trying to slice pizza with a knife!

pizza spatula - when it comes to serving up the perfect slice of Sicilian Pizza, you need to use a pizza spatula. It helps you to serve up the right amount of pizza, while again, not burning yourself.

How to Enjoy Sicilian Pizza

Who am I kidding? I always enjoy pizza, Sicilian or otherwise, but my favorite ways to enjoy Sicilian pizza is preparing it using this recipe and pairing it with a nice glass of wine, while visiting with my favorite people. I also love to make it an outdoor meal. We have a really lovely outdoor table set outside and when I have people over, I always make sure to add some decorative flairs like table covers and my favorite Damascato napkins. 

One of my favorite things about the warmer months is the ability to enjoy delicious meals outside while enjoying the sunshine and relaxing in my outdoor space. This summer that is more true than ever. Lucky for us, meals like this Sicilian pizza are the perfect light lunch for enjoying outside while visiting with friends or sitting in peace.