Rustic Sicilian Pizzette
Rustic Sicilian Pizzette are small pizzas prepared with Sicilian rotisserie dough.
Little yeast and a dough that remains soft even when completely cold.
The format is the same as buffet pizzas, 10-12 cm maximum in diameter and a unique goodness: tomato sauce, mozzarella (even if tradition calls for caciocavallo) and oregano.
For those with a tasty palate, even anchovy fillets or grated cheese and breadcrumbs!
For me, these rustic pizzas are linked to wonderful memories.
In fact, when I was younger, I used to eat them for lunch at school.
They are soft as a cloud, tasty and very particular because they are different from classic bar (cafes) pizzas.
Making them at home is really easy and fun!
Let's find out together how to prepare them step by step.
Pizzette Rustiche
The ingredients
These so-called "rustic" pizzas are a homely extra step because you can really season them as you prefer, I used:
- Low-moisture mozzarella; this is essential for the good success of this recipe. Using a cheese with little liquid content is essential to have a good product. You can use hard cheeses such as caciocavallo, pecorino, ricotta salata for example is ideal, but if you really want to use mozzarella then I recommend using a low-moisture one such as Galbani.
- Salami; I personally used a Calabrian salami, a little spicy but you can choose whatever you prefer, such as Prosciutto Cotto (cooked ham) or speck. The important thing is that it is fresh and bright in color,
- Beefsteak tomatoes; cut into thin slices. You can also use heirloom tomatoes.
- Oregano; fresh or dried Sicilian oregano, you choose. This serves to give a fresh and inviting scent that the oregano releases and makes us remember exactly that we are about to eat pizza and something really fresh, such as salads, often to season the tomatoes.
- Extra virgin olive oil; use a very robust oil with a strong flavor to further enrich the final flavor.
If you want to succeed with this recipe, all you have to do is be patient and meticulous.
Don't rush or halve the leavening times because this will guarantee you a final product that is not only digestible but also appetizing to look at!
Recommended items to make this recipe:
Sicilian Rustic Pizzas are soft and tasty mini pizzas that I loved as a child and that still drive me crazy today.
Let's discover how to make them at home!
- 2 cup Farina Manitoba (or bread flour)
- 1/2 cup Lukewarm water
- 1/8 cup Lard or butter (soft)
- 2 tbsp granulated white sugar
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 1 1 Large tomato (cut into thin slices)
- 16 oz Low moisture mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 cup Tomato sauce
- 10 oz Salami (thinly sliced)
- Extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
- Salt&pepper (to taste)
- Oregano (to taste)
- Fresh basil leaves
Start with the dough: collect all the ingredients, except the salt and lard, in a planetary container. Mix with the hook for about 5/8 minutes.
Add the salt and lard and continue kneading for another 8 minutes until you create a smooth and soft dough.Transfer the dough into a large bowl and cover with cling film and leave to rise overnight for 8/10 hours or 2 hours at room temperature.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a work surface. Create balls of approximately 80/85g each.
Place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Form the pizzas by pressing lightly and trying to create a circular shape of approximately 10cm.
Add the pieces of caciocavallo or another hard cheese
I don't recommend mozzarella because it releases water when it rises or let the liquid drain well.
Add the tomato, the thin sliced salami, the low-moisture mozzarella and complete with the thin sliced tomatoes. Season with sea salt, pepper, oregano and extra virgin olive oil.
Leave them to rise in the oven with the light turned off and the light on for 1 and a half or 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 428 F and bake for 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven
They should have a nice golden color!
Once baked, season with oregano, a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil leaves.
Buon Appetito! :)
Instead of lard you can use the same quantity of butter or 25ml of sunflower seed oil.
The seasoning can vary according to your tastes.
Rustic pizzas can be kept for a maximum of 2-3 days in the refrigerator. After the second leavening, they can be frozen to always have them available and prepare them at a later time.
Consume the mini pizzas hot as soon as they are ready or store them in an airtight container. Reheat them slightly in the microwave for about 1 minute or put them back in the oven for 5 minutes at 400°F.
