Description

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The base of this recipe is this overnight, refrigerator focaccia dough. If would like to make a sourdough version, follow the recipe for this simple sourdough focaccia bread recipe through step 5; then proceed with the recipe.

Notes:

As always, for best results, use a digital scale to measure the flour and water.
As with the focaccia recipe, a long ferment is best. I often let the dough sit in the fridge for 2 days before proceeding.
You’ll need a 12″ x 18″ sheet pan for this recipe.
- I highly recommend investing in something like this Winco Sicilian Pizza Pan (also available on Amazon), which conducts heat better than a traditional sheet pan and will therefore brown the bottom more evenly.
- Lloyd makes a Sicilian-style pizza pan, but it’s a little smaller than the Winco one mentioned above. If you would like to use the Lloyd pan, I recommend scaling the dough recipe slightly. See measurements below the recipe box.
- If you have a Lloyd Detroit-style pan and would prefer to use that here, see the notes below the recipe for scaling the dough recipe to fit that size pan.
I love SAF instant yeast. I buy it in bulk, transfer it to a quart storage container, and store it in my fridge for months. You can store it in the freezer also.
If you are using active-dry yeast, simply sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water and let it stand for 15 minutes or until it gets foamy; then proceed with the recipe.
Flour: You can use all-purpose or bread flour here with great results. If you live in a humid environment, I would suggest using bread flour. If you are in Canada or the UK, also consider using bread flour or consider holding back some of the water. Reference the video for how the texture of the bread should look; then add water back as needed.
Cheese: I know the idea of using grated cheese for some of you may be off-putting, but there are a few brands I like, and it saves some time using them: Trader Joe’s sells a Quattro Formaggi blend that’s great, and Tillamook sells a large-grate mozzarella that I also really love.

Ingredients

For the dough:

4 cups (512 g) all-purpose flour or bread flour, see notes above
2 teaspoons (12 g) kosher salt
2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, see notes above if using active dry
2 cups (455 g) lukewarm water, made by combining 1/2 cup boiling water with 1 1/2 cups cold water
olive oil

For the pizza:

butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces of grated cheese, such as whole milk mozzarella or a mix of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella, see notes above
1 cup (+ a few spoonfuls) tomato sauce, such as this one or this one, or your favorite jarred sauce

For a veggie pizza:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 green (or other) bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

For a pepperoni pizza:

6 ounces pepperoni, I love Vermont Smoke & Cure, sliced as thinly as possible — if you want the pizza to be really loaded with pepperoni, you’ll need more like 12 ounces
crushed red pepper flakes

For a pickled jalapeño & pepperoni pizza:

1 cup pickled jalapeños
6 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced
hot honey, optional

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Instructions

To make the dough:

Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. If your bowl has a lid, cover the bowl. Alternatively, transfer the dough to a vessel with a lid or cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to ensure the dough doesn’t dry out in the fridge.
Transfer dough to the fridge for at least 18 hours but ideally longer: 24 to 48 hours. Longer is fine, too: I’ve kept the dough in the fridge for 3 days before proceeding.

Prepare the pan for baking:

Grease a 12″ x 18″ sheet pan with butter. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the center of the pan. (Note: This greasing step may seem excessive, but with some pans, it is imperative to do so to prevent sticking. Moreover, it adds flavor and helps brown the bottom crust perfectly.)

Prepare the pizza for baking:

Remove the dough from the fridge and use lightly oiled hands to release it from the sides of the bowl. Then, again with oiled hands, grab an edge of dough and pull up and to the center. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat until you’ve shaped the dough into a rough ball.
Place the dough ball in the pan and turn to coat. (Note: You do not need to cover the dough here. The coating of oil should be sufficient to prevent the dough from drying out.) Let rest for 3 hours. With lightly oiled hands, stretch the dough to fit the pan — tent your hands, and use your fingers to dimple and stretch. You will likely not be able to get the dough to stretch all the way to the edges. When the dough resists, let it rest again for 30 minutes; then stretch it again using the same technique.
At this point, the dough can hang out in the pan for a couple of hours (if your kitchen is on the cool side). I’ve baked it 30 minutes after this point, and I’ve baked it two hours later. If the dough is going to hang out for a while, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap.

Bake and Top the Pizza:

If you have a Baking Steel or pizza stone, place it on a rack in the middle or lower third of your oven, and heat your oven to 500ºF.
Using oiled hand, dimple the dough one last time with the exception of the perimeter — this is important. It will help the dough bake more evenly.
Transfer pan to the oven and place on heated Baking Steel or pizza stone for about 10 to 11 minutes or until evenly golden.
Remove pan from oven and lower the oven to 475ºF. (Note: my oven doesn’t change temperature so quickly, so I actually turn the oven off during this period. Just before I return the pan to the oven, I turn the oven back on to 475ºF. Also: You can do this parbake hours ahead of time or even a day ahead of time.)
Spread the sauce evenly over the dough. Top with the grated cheese. Then top as you wish:
- For the veggie pizza: In a large skillet over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When it shimmers, add the mushrooms and let cook undisturbed for about a minute. Season with salt; then stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are beginning to brown. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet; then add the peppers and mushrooms. Cook for 1 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Season with salt; then transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust with salt as needed. Spread this mixture over the cheese. Add some sliced pepperoni if you wish.
- For the pepperoni pizza: Arrange the sliced pepperoni over the cheese.
- For the pepperoni + pickled jalapeño pizza: Arrange the sliced pepperoni and pickled jalapeños over the cheese.
Transfer pan to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown in spots.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the pizza rest for 5 minutes in the pan. If you are making a pepperoni pizza and are using the crushed red pepper flakes, sprinkle some of the pepper flakes over the top. If you are using the hot honey for the pickled jalapeño pizza, drizzle some over the top.
Run a knife or spatula around the pan’s edges. Then, carefully remove the entire pizza from the pan, transferring it to a cutting board. I like to use a serrated knife to cut this pizza. You can cut the pizza into however many pieces you wish. I’ve been doing 20 squares.

Notes

To Scale the Dough for a Lloyd Sicilian-Style Pan, Use These Proportions (and please use a scale!):

488 g (3 3/4 cups) flour
11 g (2 teaspoons) salt
8 g (2 teaspoons) yeast
432 g (1.75 cups + 2 tablespoons) water

To Scale the Dough for a Lloyd Detroit-Style Pan, Use These Proportions (and please use a scale!):

277 g flour (2 cups + 2 tablespoons)
8 g salt (1.5 teaspoons)
6 g yeast (1.5 teaspoons)
245 g water (1 cup + 1 tablespoon)

Note: My calculations lead me to think that a Detroit-style pan needs about 532 grams of dough. So another way to do it would be to make the recipe as written, use 532 grams of it for the Detroit-Style pan and use the remainder for something else — pizza, mini rolls, etc.

Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Pizza
Method: oven
Cuisine: American, Sicilian

Homemade Sicilian-Style Pizza