Sfincione: Palermo Focaccia {ModBak}

December 7, 2010 at 11:06 pm (Bread Baking, Breads, Modern Baker Challenge, Nick Malgieri, The Modern Baker)
Tags: Anchovies, Focaccia, Focaccia dough, Modern Baker, Modern Baker Challenge, Nick Malgieri, Palermo, Pizza dough, Sicilian cooking, Sicilian food, Sicily

Having discovered the simple and delicious Pizza and Focaccia Dough recipe in The Modern Baker, I was ready to make some focaccia.  I decided to start with the first recipe following the dough recipe in the book, Sfincione (page 115). This is a focaccia traditionally made in Palermo, Sicily, and contains ingredients often found in Sicilian cooking: tomatoes, anchovies, and bread crumbs.

While the dough was on its second rise, I made the topping. I started by sautéing onion in olive oil.

When the onion had begun to soften, I added chopped anchovies.

I stirred in tomato purée, and cooked it down for a few minutes.

I seasoned the mixture with pepper but held off on adding any salt, as the anchovies were plenty salty. I scraped the sauce mixture onto a plate and put it in the refrigerator while I gathered the remaining ingredients and prepared the crust.

I preheated the oven to 425°F. Then I dimpled the top of the dough with my fingertips. I got the sauce out of the fridge, tasted it for seasoning, and spread it evenly over the dough. I sprinkled the dough with Pecorino Romano cheese, dusted the cheese with dried oregano, and then covered the whole thing with bread crumbs. Finally, I drizzled the top of the focaccia with olive oil.

I baked the focaccia for 30 minutes, until the top was well browned.

I allowed the focaccia to cool on a pan for a few minutes, then removed it to a cutting board. I used a pizza wheel to cut the focaccia into slices.

It looked like a crumb bun, but you’d never confuse this focaccia with a sweet breakfast treat. It is savory, salty, a little fishy, and absolutely delicious. If you don’t like anchovies, this is not the dish that will make a lover out of you. But if you’re a fan of those salty little fishies, you’ll really enjoy this focaccia.

Knowing my family’s aversion to anchovies, I figured I would be eating this focaccia by myself. But that was fine with me. It just meant I didn’t have to share it with anyone.