Felice Anno Nuovo! Pizza Sfincione to greet the new year.

[Infoodel]

Infoodel,   
Thanks for saying you thought the pie was picture perfect.  I wanted to achieve something more light and airy, but the pie was still something different and also tasty.  I think I have to go about it differently.
I am also interested is what adding semolina or durum added with another flour would add.  Thanks for telling me how you think the longer ferment brings out the more buttery flavor..that is something I didn’t know.  What kind of pie were you making when you used the semolina?

Norma

I was just making regular loaves, not pizza. It was a prelude to making some pane di altamura (which uses a natural semolina starter which is a good way to achieve the best flavour from the flour, I suspect. You could probably achieve similar results from taking a regular white starter and feed it once, maybe twice with all semolina flour).
Unfortunately the flour I was using was regular semolina flour - true pane di altamura requires finer durum flour (actually re-milled: 'rimacinata')...so I gave up on the project.

[Matthew]

@Matthew Sounds like the makings of an excellent sfincione there. In my opinion, semolina doughs benefit from a long fermentation (I think it helps bring out some of their 'buttery' flavours). I tried a quick yeast 100% semolina dough a few months ago, just to bake as regular batards and was very dissatisfied with the results. Now if only I could find a reliable source of semolina or durum flour around here....

Did you use Semola or Semolina?  Semola (di grano duro) has the same texture as flour & is used for focacce & pizza where as semolina is hard & gritty & is used mainly for making pasta.  Using the latter of the two for pizza dough will not yield very good results.

Matt

[Matthew]

Matt,

I am interested in seeing how your sfincione turns out.  What kind of natural starter are you using, if you don’t mind me asking?  I think a two day fermentation, will also give you better results.  If you look back though bakerboy’s posts, you will get a clue of what  kind of natural starter he uses to make his dough.  I don’t think he uses a long ferment, although I could be wrong.  Since he is a professional baker, he does have a lot of experience with making his tomato pies.

Norma 

Norma,
I have somewhat neglected my Camoldoli in favor of my Ischia.  So I brought it back from dormancy to help me out with my sfincione.

Matt

[Jose L. Piedra]

Just wanted to say that anyone who's having trouble finding fine Semolina flour might try looking for it at Indian or Middle Eastern shops- I've seen several types, some of which were definitely as fine as regular wheat flour, under different Arabic-sounding brand names at some Lebanese grocery stores around here.

-JLP

[Infoodel]

@Matthew
I was using Semola which yes is a finer texture than the most gritty stuff - but it's still intended to be used as pasta flour. It hold a dough together fine (the coarser semolina would not).
However for Pane di Altamura  one requires  farina di grano duro semola rimacinata (I believe it's subject to some DOC/DOP legislation).
It's milled even finer than 'semola'. It's hard to find in this country (UK). I know of one place that stocks it in the US.

[norma427]

Infoodel,

Your regular loaves look great!  Thanks for the idea of the finer durum flour.

Norma

Matt,

Thanks for telling what kind of starter you are using.

Norma

JLP,

Thanks for the information about finding the flour.

Norma

[Matthew]

Sfincione dough after 40 hours of fermentation.

[norma427]

Matt,

Looks great!    I am excited to see the finished product.

Thanks,
Norma

[Matthew]

Matt,

Looks great!    I am excited to see the finished product.

Thanks,
Norma

Here it is.  My nonna is going to be proud!

[norma427]

Here it is.  My nonna is going to be proud!

Matt,

I am sure your nonna is going to be proud!  Your pie looks picture perfect!    Let us all know how it tastes.  Did you have any problems with getting the dough stretched onto the pan?  You did a great job!

Thanks,
Norma

[Infoodel]

Beautiful, Matthew! How did it taste...and where's my slice?

Toby

[Matthew]

Beautiful, Matthew! How did it taste...and where's my slice?

Toby

Hi Toby,
Thanks, it was awesome!  It's still warm, what's the quickest courier to London?

Matt

[norma427]

Hi Toby,
Thanks, it was awesome!  It's still warm, what's the quickest courier to London?

Matt

Matt,
Yes, I would like a slice, also. 

Thanks for sharing the experience with us!

Norma

[Matthew]

Matt,
Yes, I would like a slice, also. 

Thanks for sharing the experience with us!

Norma

Thanks for being my inspiration by starting this wonderful thread.

Matt

[norma427]

Matt,

Thanks, I learned a lot for you.  Since I can't taste your pie, I hope to get to bakerboy's bakery this week to taste his Tomato Pie.  His bakery isn't that far from me. 

Norma

[ninapizza23]

Matthew,
your sfincione dough came out excellent, what happened to the sfincione topping, meaning onions,bread crumbs, etc?

[Matthew]

Matthew,
your sfincione dough came out excellent, what happened to the sfincione topping, meaning onions,bread crumbs, etc?

Ciao Nina,
Everything was there....I cooked the onions with the anchovies & EVOO, then mixed in the tomatoes,oregano,salt, pepper & let it cook for about 1/2hour.  I then mixed in the bread crumbs that had been browned with EVOO in the sauce by accident.  The reason that I did this is because I was thinking of a video that was posted where the guy put the bread crumbs in the sauce.  Oh well, what can you do......that's what happens when you don't pay attention.   That's why the sauce was so thick & mealy.  I would of preferred them sprinkled on top but none the less it was still very good.

Ciao,
Matt

 

[ninapizza23]

Matt,
did you see the picture that I posted of the sfincione? There is no mozzarella in it, but small pieces of caciocavallo on it. If you like, try frying the diced onions lightly with oil until transparent, then you take the onions out and mix in toasted crumbs, salt,pepper,oregano, mix all and then spoon it on the sauce, then on top of all that, you position pieces of anchovies so that on every slice you will get a taste of the anchovies. it looks better too!

[Matthew]

Matt,
did you see the picture that I posted of the sfincione? There is no mozzarella in it, but small pieces of caciocavallo on it. If you like, try frying the diced onions lightly with oil until transparent, then you take the onions out and mix in toasted crumbs, salt,pepper,oregano, mix all and then spoon it on the sauce, then on top of all that, you position pieces of anchovies so that on every slice you will get a taste of the anchovies. it looks better too!

I did used caciocavallo, but I grated it instead.  The reason that I cooked out the anchovies is because of my kids.  I have a 4 year old & 2 year old & there's no way that they would eat the sfincione if they saw or tasted it.  Instead I cooked them down to extract the flavor into the onions.

Matt

[Jose L. Piedra]

Epic win Matt. It's starting to seem to me that using a starter, as you did, is the true ticket to the artisanal level with this type of pizza. What do you think ?