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Prep time
2 hours 30 minutes
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Cook time
35 minutes
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makes
2 breads
Author Notes
This stuffed flatbread is quite well known in Sicily, specifically Ragusa and Siracusa, hence the name. I like to call this bread stromboli’s thin cousin because Scaccia Ragusana begins with a delicate semolina dough rolled out thin and filled with tomato sauce, paper-thin onion slices, and, traditionally, caciocavallo cheese (which translates to "cheese on horseback"). Thinly sliced provolone rounds are a perfectly acceptable substitute, as are different fillings, as some Sicilians add ricotta and eggplant. Consider this delicious dough a blank canvas for you to fill with whatever you choose.
Once all the delicious flavors are layered, the bread is folded on itself, then pleated at each end before a quick bake in the oven. Slice it up once cooled for the perfect afternoon snack. —Anna Francese Gass
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Ingredients
- Dough
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1 1/4 cups
warm water, divided
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1 teaspoon
honey
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2 1/4 teaspoons
(1 packet) active dry yeast
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2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
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2 cups
durum wheat (semolina) flour
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1 1/4 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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1 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- Filling
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1 cup
prepared tomato sauce
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1 cup
white onion, sliced very thinly
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6
thin slices caciocavallo or provolone cheese
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5
fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
Directions
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Add 1/4 cup warm water to a measuring cup, add the honey, and stir until honey dissolves. Add the yeast, whisk to combine, and allow to sit for 10 minutes while the yeast blooms.
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Add semolina and all-purpose flours to a food processor and pulse to combine.
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Add oil and salt to the yeast. Turn on the processor, and slowly pour the oil mixture into the flour.
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Once combined, slowly add the rest of the water 1/4 cup at a time. Stop adding water once a ball of dough has formed, and is tacky but not sticky. You may only need 3/4 cup of the water.
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Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes to smooth it out and form a neat ball. It will feel a bit grainy from the semolina.
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Place the dough in a clean bowl and drizzle a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Cover the oiled dough with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to sit for 2 hours. It will rise in volume and take on a spongy texture.
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Cut the dough in half, and turn out one half onto a floured surface. Cover the remainder with the kitchen towel.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F, then roll the dough out into a 17 x 8-inch rectangle.
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Spread the tomato sauce onto the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border around all of the sides, and sprinkle half of the chopped basil on top. Evenly distribute the thinly sliced white onion on top of the basil.
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Lay 3 slices of the caciocavallo or provolone down the middle of the rectangle, parallel to the long sides of the dough rectangle.
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Lift up one of the long sides, and lay halfway over the filling, using the cheese slices as your guide.
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Lift the other long side, and lay it on top of the other folded dough so you can no longer see the filling (about ¾- inch over).
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Lift each short end so they meet in the middle of the Scaccia, then press down to seal the bread. Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and lay the scaccia on top, seal side-down.
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Repeat the process with the remaining dough and ingredients.
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When both scaccias are on the baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
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Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, then flip over each loaf and cook for 8 more minutes to achieve a crust on the bottom and top.
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Allow to cool for 10 minutes, slice to preferred size, and serve.
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