Browse All Recipes

Tomato and anchovy sfinciuni

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for tomato and anchovy sfinciuni.

By Emma Knowles
  • 30 mins preparation
  • 1 hr 10 mins cooking plus cooling, proving, standing
  • Serves 10
  • Print
    Print
Tomato and anchovy sfinciuni
Our version of the Sicilian flatbread sfinciuni takes the form of a pie filled with the traditional anchovies and breadcrumbs.

Ingredients

  • 30 gm coarse fresh breadcrumbs (¼ cup)
  • 3 large ripe Roma tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 sprig each thyme, basil and oregano
  • 6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
  • 330 gm pizza flour (see note)
  • 1½ tsp dried yeast
  • ¼ tsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • For dusting: polenta or semolina
  • 80 gm Montasio cheese, diced (see note)
  • For drizzling: extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main
  • 1
    Preheat oven to 150C. Spread bread­crumbs on an oven tray and cook until dried but not coloured (2-3 minutes). Set aside.
  • 2
    Increase oven to 220C and place a heavy oven tray in to heat. Squeeze seeds from tomatoes (discard), coarsely chop and set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until golden (8-10 minutes). Add tomato and herbs and stir occasionally until mixture is thick and pulpy (10-15 minutes). Remove herbs (discard), stir in anchovies, cook for another minute, season to taste, then cool to room temperature.
  • 3
    Combine flour, yeast, sugar and 1 tsp sea salt in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Combine milk, oil and 180ml lukewarm water in a jug, then, mixing on low speed, gradually add to flour mixture. Increase speed to medium and knead until smooth and elastic (4-5 minutes). Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap and stand until doubled in size (30-40 minutes).
  • 4
    Knock down dough, divide in half and roll out one piece on a polenta-dusted piece of baking paper to a 28cm-diameter round. Scatter with half the breadcrumbs, leaving a 1cm border, then spread with tomato mixture. Scatter with cheese, then with remaining breadcrumbs, then brush edges with water.
  • 5
    Roll out remaining dough on a lightly floured surface to a 28cm-diameter round, place over tomato mixture, pinch edges together, then roll up edges and pleat to seal. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season and transfer, on baking paper, to preheated oven tray. Bake until puffed and golden brown (40-45 minutes), remove from oven and stand for 15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot.

Notes

Pizza flour is a strong baker’s flour. It’s available from select supermarkets and delicatessens. If it’s unavailable, substitute another strong flour. Montasio, a cow’s milk cheese from the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions, is available fresh, semi-aged and aged from select delicatessens; we used fresh. If it’s unavailable, substitute Fontina or stracchino.
This recipe is from the March 2013 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: An Aperol spritz. Drink suggestion by Max Allen

SHAREPIN
  • undefined: Emma Knowles