Sicilian inspired sheet pan pizza
I’ve been making Sicilian inspired pizzas for a while now. The first pizza I ever made was a sheet pan pizza and it was so easy to make so it became my favorite way to make it. For this recipe, I used King Arthur’s very famous recipe for the dough but with a few minor changes (read the notes below to see what I did differently).
There are many key elements that make this pizza my favorite thus far: The spicy yet slightly sweetened sauce is made using fresh cherry tomatoes mixed with canned fire roasted tomatoes, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, Dominican oregano, a little brown sugar, fresh figs(yes, figs) and some S+P. I used a combo of fresh Bocconcini Mozarella, Asiago and Parmesan along with Basil for an easy topping.
The key to this pizza is baking it on a sheet pan at the highest temperature until the crust becomes crisp and golden brown.
Sicilian inspired sheet pan pizza
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Bocconcini Mozarella
Grated Mozarella
Asiago cheese
Parmesan Cheese
1 28oz can of fire roasted tomatoes- must be fire roasted
Fresh Figs, chopped, around 4
Fresh Basil (for the sauce and pizza)
Fresh Thyme
Dominican oregano,
Red pepper flakes
smoked paprika
S+P
brown sugar, around 2 tsp
Instructions:
Follow the directions for the pizza dough and 3 hours before you’re ready to bake it, place it on a well oiled sheet pan (make sure you coat the entire dough with oil as well), . Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until dough has slackened and started to spread out toward the edges of the pan, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Carefully remove plastic wrap from pizza dough. Using oiled hands, and working as gently as possible to maintain air bubbles, push and stretch dough into the corners of the pan by pressing out from the center, lifting each corner and stretching it beyond the edge of the pan. It should pull back until pan is just filled with dough. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes while you make the sauce.
To make the sauce; Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, oregano, chopped figs and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the cherry tomatoes, the can of fire roasted tomatoes, the fresh basil and thyme. When the cherry tomatoes start popping, using an immersion blender on low, break up the tomatoes into fine chunks. Stir in sugar and bring to a bare simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
about 30 minutes before the pizza is done rising and the sauce has cooled, Turn the oven to 500 degrees and adjust your rack to the 2nd lowest position.
To Assemble and Bake: Spread mozzarella cheese evenly over surface of pizza. Spoon sauce on top of cheese and spread it around the pizza(you should have leftover sauce). Place the mozarella slices evenly around the pizza, add chopped basil all top it with Asiago cheese and more mozarella. Transfer to oven and bake until the cheese has melted and the bottom of pizza is golden brown about 10-15 minutes. Home ovens can vary a lot, so use the visual cues and your own preferences to gauge when you’ve achieved the perfect bake.
Remove the Pizza from the oven and Carefully run a knife between the edge of the pizza and side of the pan to prevent the cheese from sticking as it cools. Let the pizza slightly and carefully transfer it from the pan to a cooling rack or cutting surface. This will prevent the crust from becoming soggy. Top the pizza with Fresh basil, chopped rosemary and freshly grated parmesan.
Enjoy your hard work!
