Pizza Today - May 2021 - 45

If you wish to offer Sicilian style pizza in your pizzeria,
all it takes is a few hardware pieces, and plenty of patience

F

By John Gutekanst
Photos Josh Keown

or over 3,000 years
the island of Sicily
has experienced a
steady stream
of naval powers,
raids, invasions
and occupations.
Because the sea has
cut off Sicily from
her neighbors, the island has been able
to preserve the ancient Roman culinary
traditions that was not possible on the
mainland. Native Sicilian and World
Pizza Champion Luciano Carciotto says,
" Sicily, since Roman times, was already
considered the personal mill of ancient
Rome. " The Romans referred to Sicily as
'The blessing of Ceres, a paradise where
grain, olives and grape vines flourished.'
Eventually, the land and wheat led to
some great flatbread and pizza traditions.
Master Pizzaiolo Matteo Ruvolo
from Catania, Italy, who now lives in
Miami, has been bringing interest back
in the ancient grains of Sicily. " Grains
like Maiorca, Tumminia, Perciassacchi
and Scavuzzo have been grown for
centuries in arid and marginal soils as
well as the mountainous areas of Sicily
and are making a comeback. " Mr. Ruvolo
is an advocate of Sicilian products like
Pecorino Siciliano, Bronte Pistachio,
Modica Chocolate, Trapani salt, Prickly
Pear and Cherries from Etna and the
Pachino tomato from Ragusa.

Introducing Sicilian Style in your
Menu Mix
If you wish to offer Sicilian style pizza
in your pizzeria, all it takes is a few
hardware pieces, and plenty of patience.
Like most focaccias and thick crusted
pizzas, time and temperature will decide
your perfect Sicilian pizza rise. Here are
some quick foundations.
Sicilian Pizza dough is mixed and
formed to your chosen specifications of
yeast, pre-ferment, hydration and protein
level. Please remember that the goal of
most Italian pizza is to make the dough

044_PIZ_0521_IKsicilian.indd 45

as digestible as possible. This entails long
holding times for direct method doughs
or the use of pre-ferments such as biga,
poolish and Pasta Fermentata, (Pate
Fermentee in French or old dough.)
Sicilian Pans: There are some great
pans on the market. Choose one that
is large enough to accommodate your
dough without buckling under higher
heat. Many companies are now selling
pans that are specifically made for Sicilian
pizzas. Do not balk at what may seem a
high price for pans, they will be with you
forever. Be sure to always season your
pans to prevent sticking.
Flour: Much is said about using
Neapolitan " 00 " flour or just bread flour
or a combination of both. Some pizza
makers love the tight cake-like crumb
of a traditional Sicilian fine semolina
pizza dough while others prefer higher
protein in the form of Manitoba wheat.
The higher gluten of a 12- to 14-percent
flour is more forgiving for high-volume
operations and produces an open crumb
but left unchecked (or in amateur hands)
it may blow up in the center of the
Sicilian pan like Mt. Etna. Then after the
par-bake, the cheese will flow...off the
pan.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Over the years,
I have seen many chefs and pizza makers
choose the most expensive cheeses and
toppings but then buy oils that are rancid
and oxidized with no provenance as to
where they were made or how old they
are. I recommend blanketing your Sicilian
in fresh Extra Virgin and not any other
oil that may be old and oxidated. New
data* shows that extra-virgin is more
chemically stable than mixed oils even
when baked past its smoke point of
350 F-410 F. With fresh oils in oxygenfree containers, your crust will embody
the nutty, non-greasy flavor of fresh
olive juice and exhibit a beautiful golden
crunch.
Cheese: Never skimp on cheese for
Sicilian pizza. Your customers will
notice if you have crappy cheese and/
or are not putting enough on your pizza.
Your customers may like the taste of a
mozzarella/provolone mix to counter the

strong flavors of pepperoni and sausage
or just a great pull from a mozzarella loaf
like in Brooklyn-style Sicilian pizza.
Sauce: The best sauces are made with
tomatoes that go from the vine to the
can in under an hour. These may be more
expensive, but you cannot mix your way
to a great sauce using crummy second
grade tomatoes or purees. Because the
best Sicilian pizzas have the sauce on top
of the cheese, this will show that you care
about flavor over everything.
*U.S. News and World Reports. Why you should stop worrying

about olive oils smoke points, Sept 27, 2019

DIRECT METHOD SICILIAN
PEPPERONI PIZZA
In my pizzeria, we make both indirect
method dough (using pre-ferments and
old dough) and direct method doughs for
all our focaccia and Sicilian pizzas. We also
use a multitude of grains that accentuate
different tastes and textures to the thick
breading. This recipe uses just the basic
ingredients at 72-percent hydration to
form a great pizza crust and incorporates
time, temperature and patience. You
may want to keep it retarded under
refrigeration for another day for a more
dynamic crust and added digestibility.
590 grams high gluten flour (4 ¾ cups)
100 percent
7.9 grams active dry yeast (2.5
teaspoons)
425 grams lukewarm water (1 ¾ cups
plus 5 tablespoons) 72 percent
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
17 grams fine sea salt, (2 ½ teaspoons)
The Mix:
Add the flour, yeast and water to the
mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook
and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes
pausing to scrape the bowl if needed. Add
the salt and olive oil and mix on low for
10 more minutes. A chunk of dough will
form in the mixer. Using wet hands take
the dough ball out and place in a dough
box or oiled bowl and let rest at room
temperature for three hours.

4/7/21 9:49 AM
Pizza Today - May 2021

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