Sfincione Palermitano

Ingredients

• 250g fine semolina flour
• 250g strong white bread flour
• 350ml lukewarm water
• 10g fresh yeast, or 4g instant dried yeast
• 12g fine salt
• 40ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tin
• 2 large white onions
• 400g tomato passata
• 8 anchovy fillets in oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 150g caciocavallo cheese
• 40g grated pecorino
• 80g coarse dry breadcrumbs
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Slice the onions very thinly.
• Cut the caciocavallo into small dice.
• Drain the anchovies and break them up with your fingers.
• Oil a 25cm by 35cm baking tin.

Steps

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water in a large bowl.
2. Add both flours and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Add the salt and 20ml of the olive oil, then knead for ten minutes until soft and elastic.
4. Cover the bowl and leave the dough to rise for 90 minutes, until doubled.
5. Warm two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan over a low heat.
6. Cook the sliced onions very gently for 20 minutes, until collapsed and sweet, adding a splash of water if they start to catch.
7. Add half the anchovies and stir until they melt into the onions.
8. Pour in the passata, season with pepper and a little salt, and simmer for 20 minutes until thick.
9. Take the sauce off the heat and leave it to cool completely.
10. Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry pan over a medium heat for three minutes, until sandy gold, then stir in a tablespoon of oil and the oregano.
11. Tip the risen dough into the oiled tin and press it out to the corners with oiled fingers.
12. Cover the tin and prove for one hour, until the dough is visibly puffed.
13. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
14. Push the diced caciocavallo and the remaining anchovy pieces down into the surface of the dough at regular intervals.
15. Spoon the cooled onion sauce over the top and spread it right to the edges.
16. Scatter over the grated pecorino.
17. Sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs evenly across the whole surface.
18. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the base is crisp underneath and the breadcrumb crust is deep gold.
19. Rest the sfincione in its tin for ten minutes, then cut it into thick squares and serve warm.