If you’ve never heard of pan-fried Sicilian pizza, you probably don’t live in Northeast Pennsylvania (NEPA).
Most of us know about Sicilian pizza and perhaps have gotten it confused with the Grandma style a time or two. But old-school pizza makers in the NEPA region do things a little differently. And the twist is right there in the name. This Sicilian pizza is fried…in the pan.
Until a few years ago, it was nearly impossible to find the size and style of pans needed to create this regional culinary curiosity. Lloyd Pans’ 14×14 inch Sicilian pans have a 2-inch wall that allows for maximum rise in all of your Sicilian pies, Grandma pizzas, even Detroit styles the size of Michigan itself. Here’s how to make your own pan-fried Sicilian pizza:
Dough Ingredients (makes a 780g dough ball):
1360g all-purpose flour (100%)
870.4g water, 70°F (%64)
9.5g active dry yeast (%.70)
14g diastatic malt powder or sugar (%1)
27g fine salt (%2)
54g olive oil (%4)
Sauce Ingredients:
1360g whole peeled tomatoes (%100)
17g salt (%1.26)
8g black pepper (.63%)
5g garlic powder (.38%)
You’ll also need:
Lloyd Pans 14”x14” Sicilian Pizza Pan
¼-¾ c. peanut oil (or another high-smoke-point oil for frying)
6 oz. sweet onions (roughly chopped)
12 oz. sliced white cheddar (or mozz)
Directions:
While a lot of dough recipes can work with this style, the keys here are process, patience and time. Once the dough starts to gas up, it will need a gentler hand while forming it to the pan. And only time will get you that rise as well as the flavor you want. The dough-proofing process itself can take up to four hours from fridge to oven.
Mixing your dough: Remember to do this about 30 hours before you actually need dough. Add your yeast to the water to activate it. When the yeast is activated, add all the water, flour, malt powder and oil to the bowl and mix on low until a semi-cohesive dough ball forms, then allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Once relaxed and closer to full hydration, mix again on low speed and slowly add your salt. Once the salt is completely incorporated, mix on medium for about 7 minutes. Once you finished mixing, cover your dough and let it rest for another 30 minutes. Then you can portion your dough balls and refrigerate them for 24 hours. You’ll need about 750-780g to fill your pan nicely.
Prepping the sauce: This goes a lot quicker, so don’t worry. Basically, open your tomatoes, drain them, crush them with your bare hands, then throw in your salt, pepper, garlic powder, and mix thoroughly. Now….we wait.
30 hours later…
Now our dough is ready to start down the path to its pan-fried destiny. Let’s hasten its journey, shall we? Pull the dough out of the cooler and allow it to get to room temperature for about an hour or so. First off, we’re going to use the “panning cheat code” suggested by Jim Mirabelli of NEPA Pizza Review and dab some lard in the corners. This will aid the dough in sticking while stretching. While this isn’t necessary, it can be useful.
Next, add your peanut oil to the center of your pan, staying clear of the corners. Once the dough has warmed up, take it out of your tray and give it a pre-stretch before you put it in the pan. Form the square or rectangular shape of your pan and let it sit for about 3 minutes.
Next, gently pick up your dough and place it in your pan. Allow it to sit for an hour, then lightly stipple the dough with your fingertips, gently working the thick parts of the dough outward towards the corners. Let it rest one more hour, then stipple again. After the third hour of resting in the pan, you should be ready to go.
Next, add a light layer of sauce to the pie. Sicilian sauce can be chunky, so avoid large pile-ups and make sure to leave about a ½” crust around the edge. Add your sweet onions, then parbake your pizza at 550° for 6 minutes to start that fry and get some rise out of your dough.
After the parbake, remove your pizza from the oven and add a little more sauce, then add your cheddar slices to cover the pie. Pro Tip from Jim Mirabelli: To be like the OGs of pan-fried Sicilian, you should use sliced Land ‘O’ Lakes White Cheddar. But he says any hand-sliced white cheddar should work. Even a nice melting mozzarella will do in a pinch.
Place your pie back in the oven for about 5-6 minutes, or until the cheese is just starting to brown and the crust is thoroughly fried. You should be able to hear some sizzling whenever you open the oven. When your pie is finished, pull it out and set it on a cooling rack. There should be a good bit of drippage if fried just right. Finally, cut, serve and demolish.
Make sure you check out Lloydpans.com for these and other great products for your pizzeria. They’re always ready to work with you to fill all your pizza baking needs, whatever style you serve.
