Best Sicilian Bread Recipes

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• To a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, and chopped garlic. When the garlic speaks by sizzling in oil add bread crumbs. Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color. Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each. Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve.
• Return skillet to heat and add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan. Add sardines and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute over medium heat 2 or 3 minutes. Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines. Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture. Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

SICILIAN-STYLE PIZZA DOUGH (BREAD MACHINE)

Steps:

• Place all ingredients into the bread machine in the order listed or as suggested by manufacturer. Set the bread machine to the "dough" setting.
• After dough cycle is complete, remove dough from the bread machine and place it on a lightly floured cutting board (dough will be very sticky). Cover with a piece of saran wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.
• Punch down dough and form crust on baking sheets, pizza pans, or pizza stone. Top with your favorite sauce, cheese and toppings. For thick crust pizza, allow dough to rise for 10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings.
• Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes.

SICILIAN BREAD

Steps:

• For the pre-ferment:.
• Stir together the flours, salt, and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer.
• Add 3/4 cup water, stirring until everything comes together and makes a coarse ball (you can mix it with the paddle attachment -- I think it is easier to do it by hand). Adjust the flour or water as needed; the dough shouldn't be too sticky or stiff.
• Flour your work surface and transfer the dough. Knead for 4-6 minutes (or mix with the dough hook for 4 minutes), or until the dough is soft and pliable, "tacky but not sticky.".
• Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl and roll it around to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for one hour, or until it swells to 1 1/2 times its original size.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, knead lightly to degas, and return it to the bowl, covered with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to three days or freeze in an air-tight plastic bag for up to three months.
• Bread:.
• Remove the pre-ferment from the icebox and cut into 10 small pieces (I use kitchen shears). Let it sit an hour, covered with plastic wrap, to take off the chill.
• Stir together the bread flour, semolina flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl or bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add the pre-ferment pieces, oil, honey, and 1 1/4 cups water. Stir until the dough forms a ball, or use the paddle attachment at low speed. Add water in dribbles as necessary to achieve a soft and pliable dough.
• Lightly flour your work surface and knead your dough (or use a dough hook at low speed), adding flour as needed to achieve a soft but not sticky dough, for about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, lightly oil a large bowl, and roll the dough around in the bowl to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• At this point I refrigerate the dough overnight. Mr. Reinhart, instead, ferments the dough at room temperature for 2 hours or until it doubles, divides the dough gently in three pieces, shapes the dough (see below), taking care not to degas it too much, places the dough on a baking pan (or pans) lined with parchment, sprinkles with sesame seeds (see below), covers with plastic wrap, and refrigerates overnight. As explained in the preamble, in my hands the dough over-rose in the refrigerator, lost its shape, and wouldn't rise in the oven. And thus I divide, shape and bake the loaves the next day as explained below. It gives me more control of the proofing process.
• The next morning take the dough from the refrigerator (it will have grown) and divide it gently into 3 pieces. Gently shape as you wish, taking care to degas as little as possible. To achieve the S shape shown in the photograph, extend each dough piece to about 24 inches. Working from each end simultaneously, coil the dough (in opposite directions) towards the center. Place the shaped doughs on parchment-lined pans, mist with water, sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired, mist with vegetable oil spray, and cover with plastic wrap. Proof the dough for an hour or two; it is ready for the oven when it stays dimpled when poked. The loaves should be about twice as large as when first shaped, but DON'T let them over-rise.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F (my oven is too rickety to get that hot; I have to use the convection option). Uncover the doughs and place in the oven; Pour 1 cup of water in the steam pan. Mr. Reinhart also sprays the oven walls with water three times at 30 second intervals, and then reduces the heat to 450°F.
• Bake for about 15 minutes and then rotate the pans 180 degrees. Gently separate the loaves if they are touching. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes to achieve a rich golden brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be about 200-205°F.
• Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and cool for at least 45 minutes.
• To freeze, when cooled, wrap each loaf in a freezer bag and close with a wire twist.

PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS AND ANCHOVIES, SICILIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Place olive oil and garlic in a heavy skillet and gently cook the garlic over medium heat until golden. Discard garlic. Add the red-pepper flakes and anchovies and mash to a puree with the back of a wooden spoon over very low heat, about one minute. Remove from heat. Do not allow oil to get very hot. Can be prepared in advance to this point.
• Cook the spaghettini in boiling, salted water until cooked al dente. While the pasta is cooking, transfer three tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the anchovy-oil mixture in order to stretch the sauce; reheat carefully. Drain pasta, then transfer it to the skillet and toss with the hot sauce. Divide evenly on four heated dishes, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once. Pass the bread crumbs.
• Toast the bread crumbs in olive oil

STUFFED SICILIAN BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Remove top of bread loaf to create a long boat-shaped loaf. Pull out much of the soft bread to form a shell inside the crust. Reserve chunks of bread and break into evenly sized medium pieces.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir shallots until softened, 3 or 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Transfer reserved bread pieces to skillet. Add salt and pepper. Cook and stir until bread has absorbed some of the olive oil, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place ricotta, mozzarella, 4 ounces Parmesan, and Romano cheeses in a mixing bowl. Add basil and parsley; mix well. Transfer bread mixture to bowl. Stir in burgundy olives, kalamata olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, and red pepper strips. Add a pinch of pepper. Mix well.
• Place bread shell on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle inside with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Fill with the cheese mixture. Top with 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven until loaf begins to get crisp and filling is bubbly, 20 to 30 minutes.

SICILIAN-STYLE SARDINE PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS

Steps:

• To a large skillet preheated over medium heat, add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 turns of the pan, and chopped garlic. When the garlic speaks by sizzling in oil add bread crumbs. Stir bread crumbs until deeply golden in color. Add parsley and a liberal amount of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of each. Transfer bread crumbs to a dish and reserve. Return skillet to heat and add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan. Add sardines and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute over medium heat 2 or 3 minutes. Add hot, cooked pasta to the skillet and toss with sardines. Add bread crumbs to the pot and toss thoroughly to combine and evenly distribute the mixture. Taste, to adjust seasonings, and serve.

PASTA WITH BREAD CRUMBS AND ANCHOVIES, SICILIAN STYLE

Steps:

• Place olive oil and garlic in a heavy skillet and gently cook the garlic over medium heat until golden. Discard garlic. Add the red-pepper flakes and anchovies and mash to a puree with the back of a wooden spoon over very low heat, about one minute. Remove from heat. Do not allow oil to get very hot. Can be prepared in advance to this point.
• Cook the spaghettini in boiling, salted water until cooked al dente. While the pasta is cooking, transfer three tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the anchovy-oil mixture in order to stretch the sauce; reheat carefully. Drain pasta, then transfer it to the skillet and toss with the hot sauce. Divide evenly on four heated dishes, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once. Pass the bread crumbs.

PUPA CU L'OVA (SICILIAN EASTER BREAD)

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl mix 1 1/4 c. lukewarm milk and 1 pkg active dry yeast. Dissolve yeast add 1 c. all purpose flour mix well, cover, and allow to raise approximately 1 hour until double in size. 2. In large mixing bowl mix 1/2 c. sugar, 1/4 pound butter cream together. 3.To sugar mixture add 2 eggs - one at a time, add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp mace (and cinnamon/almond extract) and dry fruit to mixture - mix well and set aside. 4. When yeast mixture is double, add to sugar mixture. Mix well, add 1 1/2 C flour, knead lightly onto board into large roll. Place into greased mixing bowl to raise approximately 1 hour, til double in size (be sure to cover with greased cover). 5. When done take small portions at a time and mold well into "little" cakes. 6. Place hard boiled colorful egg into center of well, make small strips to criss-cross over egg. 7. Brush small cake with egg/milk mixture, add sprinkles, bake in oven on greased cookie sheet at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.

SICILIAN EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, mahlepi, sugar, and salt.
• Mix eggs, olive oil, milk and vanilla.
• Beat into flour mixture with spoon until satiny.
• Pour batter into 9" greased pie plate or cake pan.
• Top with egg wash and almonds or sprinkles.
• Press egg or eggs in center.
• Bake 55 minutes or so until skewer comes out dry.
• Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes and unmold.