Sfincione palermitano
Palermo's thick, spongy street pizza: soft dough under a sauce of slow-cooked onions, tomato and anchovies, with caciocavallo, toasted breadcrumbs and oregano.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Rest
- 3 hr
- Total
- 4 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Sfincione is Palermo's pizza, and it looks nothing like a Neapolitan one. The dough is soft, thick and spongy, made with durum semolina and baked in an oiled tray. The topping is a sauce of onions sliced and stewed slowly in olive oil until sweet, then cooked with tomato and anchovies until thick. Small cubes of caciocavallo are pressed into the dough, the sauce is spread over generously, and the top is covered with toasted breadcrumbs mixed with grated cheese and oregano. There is no mozzarella. Let the dough rise in the tray until it is puffy, so it bakes up light. Done is a tall, golden-edged square of soft, open bread under a dark red, sweet-and-savoury onion sauce and a crunchy, cheesy crumb, eaten warm or at room temperature.
What you'll need
13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Dough
- Topping
Ingredients
Dough
Topping
- Onion, thinly sliced3 medium
- Plum tomatoes, tinned peeled, crushed400 g
- Anchovy fillet, salted, rinsed, chopped6
- Caciocavallo, 100 g in small cubes, 50 g grated150 g
- Breadcrumbs, dry, toasted golden in a dry pan60 g
- Oregano, dried9.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Mix in the semolina and flour, then the salt and 2 tbsp oil, and knead 10 minutes into a soft, sticky dough. Cover and rise 2 hours, until doubled.
15 min
Step 2
Meanwhile cook the onions slowly in 3 tbsp oil with a pinch of salt for 20 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the anchovies and stir until they melt, then the tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes until thick, and season with pepper.
40 min
Step 3
Oil a 30 × 40 cm tray well and stretch the dough into it with oiled hands. Press the caciocavallo cubes into the dough, cover and rise 1 hour more.
5 min
Step 4
Heat the oven to 220°C. Spread the sauce over the dough. Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated caciocavallo and oregano, scatter thickly over the top and drizzle with the remaining oil.
5 min
Step 5
Bake 25–30 minutes until the edges are golden and the crumb on top is crisp. Rest 10 minutes, then cut into squares.
30 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 388 kcal
- Protein
- 12.8 g
- Carbs
- 40.9 g
- Fat
- 19.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 5.5 g
- Fibre
- 3.5 g
- Sugar
- 4.6 g
- Sodium
- 754 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Wheat
- Milk
- Fish
- Pescatarian
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 November.
Substitutions
Caciocavallo → Aged provolone
The nearest southern Italian cheese for both cubes and crumb.
Tips
- Be generous with the onions: they are the heart of the sauce.
- It is as good at room temperature as hot, and reheats well.
History & culture
In Palermo it is street food, sold from three-wheeled vans whose drivers call out through loudspeakers, and from every bakery. Families bake it at home for Christmas Eve and for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. The town of Bagheria nearby makes a white version with ricotta and no tomato.
The name is usually traced to the Latin 'spongia' and Arabic 'isfanj', both meaning sponge, for its soft crumb. Palermo tradition credits the nuns of the monastery of San Vito with a festive version filled with meat, and the poorer tomato, onion and anchovy sfincione became the city's everyday pizza.
Traditional — Semolina dough, onion and tomato sauce with anchovies, caciocavallo, toasted breadcrumbs and oregano. No mozzarella.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Sfincione palermitano take?
4 hr 40 min all in — 40 min prep, 1 hr cook, 3 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 8 squares. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk, Fish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Saucepan, Baking tray, Oven.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 10 g.
What can I use instead?
Caciocavallo → Aged provolone. The nearest southern Italian cheese for both cubes and crumb.
Any tips from this recipe?
Be generous with the onions: they are the heart of the sauce. It is as good at room temperature as hot, and reheats well.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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