Have you ever heard the saying “You can’t make everyone happy, you’re not pizza”? It couldn’t be more true…I mean who doesn’t LOVE pizza?! For many years it has been and still is the most common meal of choice for get togethers and celebrations! From toppings, crust styles and methods of baking, pizza comes in a plethora of different ways. Behind every good slice there’s a story to be told. Here’s mine…
This recipe for Sicilian style pizza comes from my Grandma Jo (my dads mom). When my dad was a kid it was tradition for my Grandma to make her pizza every Friday night. With homemade gravy and spicy Italian sausage it was a delicious meal to bring the family together.
As a little girl I can remember my grandma making pizza in her basement kitchen. I would sit on the edge of my seat taking in all of the amazing smells and anxiously waiting for my first bite. I loved watching her cook, especially around the holidays. No matter how many people were coming, she would always crank out a meal to feed an army from that tiny kitchen.
My dad carried on the tradition, making pizza along side my mom for many of their parties. Of course I then learned from them how to whip it up! Over the years it became famous amongst family and friends. Many of my childhood friends still rave about “The Salamone Pizza” (my maiden name) and ask me to make it whenever I throw get togethers.
How To: It starts off with the same dough I use for the Focaccia Bread. Activating the yeast is very important for a proper dough rise. I use active dry yeast, which must be dissolved in water. The key is to use room temperature water, and never go over 110°F, this will kill the yeast.
Mix water, yeast and sugar together, let sit for 10 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you see a bubbly layer at the top.
Next, mix flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle of the flour. When yeast is ready pour olive oil into the water, yeast and sugar mixture. Pour mixture into the well of flour.
Gently combine with a spatula until it becomes a slightly wet ball of dough. It will look messy at this point and won’t be a perfect ball, that means you’re doing it right. Flour your hands and working surface and knead the dough into a neat ball. Add more flour if the dough is too wet, be sure not to over mix.
Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a large bowl, coat the bowl in oil and spread up the sides. Set the dough in the bowl and drizzle olive oil over the top. Gently cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap (do not touch the towel/plastic to the dough). Let the dough rise for 1 hour in a warm place, preferably between 70°F and 80°F. If you get side tracked and your dough proofs for a little longer no worries, a little extra proofing makes for a good dough.
How to proof dough – Turn your oven into a proofer for the ultimate rise!
Once your dough is ready, remove from oven and preheat your oven to 450°F. Generously oil a jelly roll pan, make sure it spreads up the sides. Olive oil is the key for a crunchy crust and helps keep your pizza from sticking to the pan.
Pour dough into the pan and gently spread by hand until dough touches all sides. Do not make holes in the dough. Gently cover dough with a kitchen towel (it can lightly touch). Let it sit for 20 minutes to rise…again if you go a bit longer no problem!
Topping Your Pizza: After the dough has risen it’s time to top it! Typically I use homemade gravy for my pizza. However, I’ll admit when my stock pile of gravy in the freezer runs out, I use store bought sauce and it tastes just fine!
Ladle about 1 ¼ cups of gravy onto the dough, gently spreading with the bottom of the ladle. Leave about an ⅛” border of dough without sauce to avoid burning. Sprinkle about ¼ cup of Pecorino Romano cheese all over the sauce. Followed by about 3 cups of Mozzarella. I use freshly grated, low moisture part-skim mozzarella. If you prefer, whole milk mozzarella that works and pre-shredded is fine to save some time!
Finish off with your favorite toppings, I’m going with spicy Italian sausage this time.
Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes until edges are golden brown and cheese is nice and bubbly. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes in pan, remove from pan and slice on a cutting board. When removing from the pan, use a spatula to make sure the crust is not sticking to the sides or bottom.
Serve right away or store in the refrigerator up to 2 days in an airtight container. Pizza is best reheated in the oven for crispy crust!
Sicilian Style Pizza is the perfect party entree! Pick whatever toppings you want and impress your guests with homemade pizza!
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour (plus more for kneading)
- 1 ¾ cups warm water (not hotter than 110°F)
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more for pan and bowl)
For the Pizza
- 1 1/4 cup marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
- 3 cups low moisture part-skim mozzarella
- 1 hot Italian sausage link (2 if you like extra meat)
Instructions
For the Dough
- Whisk water, yeast and sugar together, let sit for 10 minutes.
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle of the flour. When yeast is ready pour olive oil into the water, yeast and sugar mixture. Pour mixture into the well of flour.
- Gently combine with a spatula until it becomes a slightly wet ball of dough. Flour your hands and working surface and knead the dough into a ball. Add more flour if the dough is too wet, do not over mix.
- Pour a generous amount of olive oil into a large bowl, coat the bowl in oil and spread up the sides. Set the dough in the bowl and drizzle olive oil over the top. Gently cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap (do not touch the towel to the dough). Let the dough rise for at least 1 hour in a warm place, preferably between 70°F and 80°F.
Assembling Pizza
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Oil a 15 by 10 inch jelly roll pan (size may vary, the larger the pan the thinner the crust). Be generous with the oil, make sure it spreads up the sides.
- Pour dough into the pan and gently spread by hand until dough touches all sides. Do not make holes in the dough. Gently cover dough with a kitchen towel (it can lightly touch). Let it sit for 20 minutes to rise.
- Meanwhile heat sauce in medium pan on low heat. Once the dough has risen, ladle about 1 ¼ cups of sauce onto the dough, gently spread sauce with the bottom of the ladle. Leave about an ⅛” border of dough without sauce to avoid burning.
- Sprinkle both cheese's starting with Pecorino Romano all over the sauce. Pull teaspoon size pieces of sausage out of the casing and gently press onto the pizza.
- Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and slice on a cutting board. When removing from the pan, use a spatula to make sure the crust is not sticking to the sides or bottom.
Storage: Serve right away or store in the refrigerator up to 2 days in an airtight container. Pizza is best reheated in the oven for crispy crust!
