Have you ever heard of Scaccia Ragusana? Yeah, me neither – not until I took a Sicilian cooking class, that is. Now that I know about it and, more importantly, know how easy it is to make, I must ask: WHY THE HELL HAVE THE SICILIANS BEEN KEEPING IT FROM THE REST OF US FOR SO LONG?! When you discover the magic of the Scaccia, you too will understand my frustration.
Scaccia Ragusana [skAH-chah ra-gOO-sanah] is a traditional Sicilian cheese and tomato pie… well, it’s more of a roulade than a pie. It starts with a quick yeast-less dough that gets rolled out as thin as possible.
A simple tomato-basil sauce and grated cheese are spread on the surface and the dough is folded three times, getting a new coating of sauce and cheese each time.
The end result is a rustic-looking roulade with a crunchy outside and a soft, saucy inside. Fresh basil and garlic are the aromatics responsible for its intense flavor.
The dough
The sauce
The process
Traditional Scaccia Ragusana is made with Caciocavallo Ragusano cheese, which may be hard to find. If so, Pecorino Romano or freshly grated Parmesan make fine substitutes.
The pie puffs up quite a bit while baking but deflates as you cut into it. Scaccia Ragusana is best eaten warm out of the oven, and I would know since I greedily ate half of it as soon as this photo shoot was over…
Scaccia Ragusana (Sicilian tomato and cheese pie)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 90 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: about 10 slices 1x
- Category: Snack, Baking
- Cuisine: Sicilian
Description
Scaccia Ragusana is a traditional, rustic Sicilian tomato and cheese pie.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 ounces basil, torn
- Freshly ground black pepper
- About 1 cup grated Caciocavallo Ragusano, Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Whisk the flours together in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the salt and 2 tablespoons of the oil and rub the flour and oil together with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse peas.
- Start adding the water, about 2 tablespoons at first, and start kneading. Continue gradually adding water and kneading until the dough is soft, smooth and no longer sticky. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook until thickened and reduced a bit, about 10 minutes. Stir in the basil. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 500ºF.
- Cover a large work surface with a large sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle with a bit of flour to prevent sticking, and transfer the dough to the surface. Cover the dough with a second piece of parchment and roll into a large thin rectangle. Spread a thin layer of sauce all over the dough and lightly sprinkle with the cheese. Fold the left and right sides of the dough to meet in the middle and top with another thin layer of sauce and cheese. Then fold the top and bottom edges to meet in the center and top with more sauce and cheese. Lastly, fold the pie over into a roulade and transfer the pie with the bottom piece of parchment paper onto a baking sheet. (Save the remaining sauce for dipping.)
- Bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 400ºF and bake until the dough is cooked and lightly charred, about 50 minutes more. Cool before slicing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 253
Keywords: scaccia, ragusana, sicilian, tomato pie
dave gibson says
Can u use pizza dough that contains yeast?or will it puff up too much?
Alexandra says
Hi Dave. I would not use a yeasted dough here. I believe it would puff up too much and unroll the scaccia.
BETTY MILLER says
I noticed other recipes call for semolina flour instead. Have you tried the dough with that flour. If so, which do you like more?
Alexandra says
Hi Betty! Sorry, I haven’t made this with semolina 🙁
Tina M Doverspike says
My mother made a variety of scaccias. One of my favorites was tomato, onion and basil. She would make the sauce with lots of caramelized onion and basil. Also, she did not roll them, she just folded over and crimped the dough. Others were spinach, onion, garlic and lemon, broccoli, garlic and cheese, cauliflower, italian olives, garlic and tomato, At easter, she made one with lamb, garlic, tomato, onion and peas. I so miss her cooking. Both of my parents and my siblings were born in Sicily.
Alexandra says
Aw, all of these sound delicious! I had no idea there was more than one type.
Michele says
hello
my nonna made this ,,, she was from ragusa also
does this recipe make 2 scacce?? or 1 big one?
thanks
Michele
Alexandra says
Hi Michele! This recipe makes one big one.
Michele says
Thanks!
Andrea says
this was fun to make! My daughter had a snow day today and since we were held up at home i tried something new! Love it! Couldn’t wait for it to cool a little. I tasted it. Love the dough! next time i would put fresh basil for sure (I had only dried). It would be great with just about anything inside of it. The dough reminds me of toasted pita. Easy to make and yummy!
Alexandra says
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Agreed – fresh basil is a must.
jolo says
I just made this scaccia yesterday for the first time. it came our great. the only thing is I suggest not cooking it at 500 for 10 minutes. it gets to charred. maybe start at 450 for 5 minutes…then 400 for 60 minutes.don’t skimp on the cheeses. its been over 30 years since i ate this when my mother use to make it on a regular basis.i did not know the correct spelling of scaccia and could never find a recipe. now that i have this recipe i’,m in heaven.this is great stuff…much better than pizza.
barbara jane says
I tried another recipe for scaccia that used yeast and an egg – also delicious, but more like a soft bread. ALTHOUGH VERY DIFFERENT, both versions are fantastic, especially warm out of the oven!
Brenda Ziporlin says
my grandmother was from Ragusa, Sicily and I remember her making it. She put in a lot of garlic!!
KATHLEEN L TRAVIS says
is it possible to use a pizza dough?
Louise Cherico says
My family is from ragusa. Cheese is wrong. Its a sharp italian cheese. Cava…cant think of name at the moment. We biy ours on Arthur ave. In Bronx. First fold is right. Then use fork to poke holes in dough to get air out, press down. Add sauce on fold, then fold up and down. Not rolled. Bake on parchment paper so it wont stick to pan. Cook until browned.
Alexandra says
Hi Louise,
Thanks for stopping by and for clarifying. I got this recipe from a Sicilian chef and it’s really great. I’ll look into that other cheese! 🙂
francesco says
AT THE END OF OCTOBER 2017, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE SICILIAN CITY OF RAGUSA, WE GOT STARTED AT THE 1 ED. OF THE “FESTA RA SCACCIA” (SCACCIA PARTY). WE ARE ALREADY AT WORK TO ORGANIZE THE 2 ED. ON MAY 2018. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK HERE TO SEE THE ONE AND ONLY RAGUSANIAN SCACCIA.
https://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/FESTARASCACCIA/
PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE SOME IDEA, WE ARE OPEN TO NEW COLLABORATION, PARTNERSHIP AND TWINNING BETWEEN RAGUSA AND YOUR CITY OR RAGUSANIAN PEOPLE AND AMERICANS.
SOME OF YOU WISH TO BE THE PATRONESS OF OUR 2 EDITION?:)
phyllis says
just came from Scicily cooking school… the cheese is caciocavallo…. hard to find., but in NYC for sure.
good luck
KATHLEEN L TRAVIS says
wow I havent been to arthur ave in years,how is it?
Joe says
The cheese you are talking about is called Caciocavallo Ragusano. You can’t find it unless you livein the northeast or other Italian areas. My parents were both born in Ragusa and I still visit cousind there. My wife makes this a few times a year for us.
Annuzza says
Caciocavallo ragusano – DOP – Sicily; former name for the cheese now officially listed as Ragusano[
joe says
The correct name of the cheese is caciocavallo, and you are correct about Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, which by the way, was known as the Borough of Universities in my day!
Dana says
Cacciocavello raGusano is the correct cheese
Bec says
Oh my goodness – yes. SO making this 🙂 So simple yet epic flavours.
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says
This looks absolutely amazing! I can’t believe they’d keep something like this to themselves!
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
This looks amazing! Love Sicilian food- so good! Definitely got to give this recipe a go!
Mariana @The Candid Kitchen says
Such a hearty recipe! I am in love.