My Best Sicilian Pan Pizza
A simple pizza dough technique that yields a super crispy crust and a light, airy center. The flavor is outstanding too. Fermentation is room temperature so there’s no refrigeration needed.
To start, rinse a few strawberries and cut them into small dice. Place the diced berries in a small to medium sized mixing bowl.
Cut your fresh yellow fin tuna into 1/4 inch dice. Place it in the bowl with the finely diced strawberries. Occasionally, you'll find layers of connective tissue tucked in between the layers of tuna muscle. The texture is unpleasant so purchase a piece that has as little of this white tissue as possible. Remove any that you find on your tuna loin and discard it.
Next, finely slice some chives into thin rings. Add them to the bowl with the other prepared ingredients. Take a few of the leftover chives, slice each lengthwise into thin strips and soak them in ice water. After a few minutes the chive strips will curl up and make a perfect garnish.
Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice to the tartare, followed by a drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil. Season the mixture with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss all of the ingredients to combine them thoroughly. Taste and adjust the tartare as needed.
Drizzle a small amount on good balsamic vinegar onto each of your serving plates. Divide the tuna tartare evenly between each dish, then garnish with some additional chives.
Once the dough has rested, carefully turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 4 to 5 minutes. Try to avoid adding excessive amounts of flour to keep the dough from sticking. A little is ok, too much is not good.
The pizza dough will eventually become smooth and silky in texture. Now, shape it into a ball tucking the dough underneath and inside of itself. Do this until the surface of the dough feels tight, but don’t tear it.
Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with some extra virgin olive oil, then add the pizza dough flat-side down. Dust the top of the dough with some flour, wrap the bowl tightly with some plastic film, then let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator.
Three hours before you plan to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into three equally sized pieces, about 270 grams each. Place the dough on a floured sheet pan or even better, a dough box if you have one. Leave enough room for each ball to expand as it rises.
Coat the surface of each dough ball with some flour, then cover the sheet pan with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest at room temp until you’re ready to bake.
A simple pizza dough technique that yields a super crispy crust and a light, airy center. The flavor is outstanding too. Fermentation is room temperature so there’s no refrigeration needed.
