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Scachatta Pizza Recipe

Scachatta Pizza Recipe

Craving authentic thick Sicilian pizza straight from Palermo's street markets? This Scachatta Pizza Recipe delivers the famous spongy crust topped with rich onion-tomato sauce and crunchy breadcrumbs everyone raves about.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Course  Main Dish
Cuisine Main Dish
Servings 12
Calories 280 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups semolina flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups warm water 110°F
  • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions
 

Activate Yeast Properly

  • Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let sit 10 minutes until creamy foam forms.

Mix Dry Dough Ingredients

  • Combine semolina flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in large mixing bowl thoroughly.

Create Flour Well

  • Make deep well in center of flour mixture for wet ingredients.

Form Wet Dough

  • Pour yeast mixture and olive oil into flour well gradually.

Knead Elastic Dough

  • Mix until shaggy, then knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and springy.

First Dough Rise

  • Place dough in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with damp cloth 1.5 hours.

Caramelize Onions Slowly

  • Heat 1/4 cup olive oil. Cook sliced onions 15-20 minutes until deep golden.

Crush Tomatoes by Hand

  • Hand-crush whole tomatoes directly into caramelized onion mixture.

Simmer Rich Sauce

  • Season tomato-onion sauce. Simmer 20 minutes until thick and flavorful.

Chop Anchovies Fine

  • Mince anchovy fillets very small. Stir into cooled tomato sauce completely.

Oil Baking Sheet Well

  • Generously coat 13x9 baking sheet with olive oil (3 Tbsp minimum).

Stretch Dough Carefully

  • Gently stretch risen dough to fill baking sheet edges completely.

Second Proof in Pan

  • Cover dough loosely. Let rise 30 minutes until puffy and airy.

Distribute Anchovies Evenly

  • Scatter chopped anchovies across entire surface of risen dough evenly.

Layer Sauce Generously

  • Spoon thick tomato-onion sauce covering pizza completely edge to edge.

Add Cheese Layer

  • Sprinkle grated Pecorino Romano cheese evenly over sauce surface.

Create Crunchy Topping

  • Mix breadcrumbs, oregano, 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle thickly over cheese.

Bake High Heat

  • 425°F conventional oven 25-30 minutes until deeply golden bubbling.

Notes

  • Semolina flour creates essential spongy chew Sicilian pizza demands perfectly.
  • Slow onion caramelization builds deep sweet flavor base everyone notices.
  • Hand-crushed tomatoes preserve chunky authentic sauce texture completely.
  • Anchovies melt completely—only umami remains, no fishy taste detectable.
  • Skip cheese entirely for traditional dairy-free street food version everyone loves.
  • Layer thinly sliced potatoes between dough and sauce for Bagheria variation.
  • Sicilian oregano essential—imported regular oregano lacks same citrus intensity.
Keyword Scachatta Pizza Recipe