Today we prepare whole wheat Ragusan scacce with cauliflower or broccoli using whole wheat or traditional scacce dough.
• Scaccia che ciurietti or sciurietti or Scaccia che ciuriddi or sciuriddi
The scaccia with cauliflower or broccoli is ‘mpanata, meaning filled: the dough is rolled thick and closed like a round savory pie or a half-moon calzone with meticulous embroidery called riefico.
It is filled with cauliflower or broccoli – purple cauliflower or Sicilian cauliflower aka purple broccoli or Sicilian broccoli – and seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes.
The traditional Ragusan scacce dough is based on remilled durum wheat semolina.
I prepared my dough with stone-ground whole durum wheat semolina, alternatively whole wheat flour or ancient grain flour.
The procedure is identical, the whole wheat dough is slightly more delicate to handle and roll out.
If you’re new to this, I recommend using remilled durum wheat semolina.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 cups remilled durum wheat semolina (or whole wheat)
- 2/3 cup water (lightly sparkling)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast (Mastro Fornaio PANEANGELI)
- 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cups remilled durum wheat semolina (or whole wheat)
- 1 1/4 cup water (lightly sparkling)
- 1 tsp active dry yeast (Mastro Fornaio PANEANGELI)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- whole wheat dough for Ragusan scacce
- as needed semolina (for rolling the dough)
- 1 head cauliflower (or broccoli)
- as needed water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- as needed sun-dried tomatoes (well drained if in oil)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
I used 1 g of active dry yeast [for up to 500 g of semolina/flour].
Alternatively, you can use:
• 3 g of fresh yeast;
• 4 g of dried sourdough starter.
* 7 g of active dry yeast corresponds to 25 g of fresh yeast, verify the manufacturer’s instructions.
Suggested Tools
- Colander
- Rolling pin
- Fork
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Preparation
Dough for Ragusan Scacce with Yeast
For traditional or whole wheat dough, work in a mixer: semolina, oil, the warm water with dissolved yeast, and add the salt halfway through until obtaining a firm, elastic dough to rest in a closed bowl in the darkest, coolest room of the house.
After 4 hours, work the dough again and let it rest.
After about 24 hours, the dough will be ready to be rolled out and filled.Detailed procedure → Traditional and Whole Wheat Dough for Ragusan Scacce.
Dough for Ragusan Scacce Without Yeast
• do not add yeast;
• add a pinch of baking soda.
Knead and let the dough rest for an hour at room temperature.
After an hour at room temperature, your yeast-free dough is ready to use.Cut the cauliflower or broccoli into florets and wash them thoroughly under running water.
Bring salted water to a boil in a pot.
Add the cauliflower or broccoli florets and a pinch of baking soda and blanch them for a few minutes.With the help of a slotted spoon, gently remove the cauliflower or broccoli florets and transfer them to a container.
Let cool and cut the florets into pieces.
Season with a pinch of salt and grind the pepper.
Add sun-dried tomatoes cut into pieces or coarsely chopped.
Add a drizzle of oil and mix.Work the dough by hand to regain elasticity and divide it into pieces:
• dough with 250 g of semolina into 2-3 pieces;
• dough with 500 g of semolina into 4-5 pieces.Use the semolina and a good rolling pin.
The whole wheat dough is more delicate to handle compared to the classic dough.Roll out a dough ball with the rolling pin into a disk about 1/8-3/16 inch thick.
Help yourself by dusting a pinch of semolina on the work surface and on the dough disk as you roll it out.
It’s a cycle of flour, roll out, flour, roll out, rotate, and so on.Distribute the vegetable filling on half the disc, leaving the edges free.
Abbucca, meaning fold the empty half of the disc over the filled half, closing like a calzone.
Seal the edges with your fingers.
Fold the edge over itself to create the characteristic riefico or simply close as if it were a calzone.
Pierce the scaccia with a fork in several places.
[step-by-step images valid for any type of filling].* grandmother’s trick: if you’ve made scacce with different fillings, pierce them with the fork and embroider the initials of the filling, such as C for cauliflower or B for broccoli.
Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper and place the scacce on it.
I set the oven as follows:
• temperature 356°F;
• fan mode.
Temperature and times may vary from oven to oven and depending on the size of the scacce.
• preheat the oven well.
• bake for about 45 minutes in a fan oven and check for doneness.If you want a less rustic appearance, brush the surface of the scacce with a drizzle of raw oil.
Your scacce with cauliflower or broccoli is ready.
They are excellent both hot and cold, but I recommend waiting until they are warm.
Enjoy your meal!
Variations
You can use dough and filling to prepare:
• a savory pie filled with cauliflower or broccoli;
• a focaccia stuffed with cauliflower or broccoli;
in a rectangular or round pan to be served in slices.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
From a Nutritional Point of View
– in the scacce with cauliflower or broccoli there are no protein sources.
• before the scacce, consume a generous portion of raw or cooked vegetables;
• adhere to your portion sizes.Dialect Curiosities
The scaccia with cauliflower or broccoli is variously known from Ragusa to Modica and surrounding areas as:
• scaccia che ciurietti or sciurietti or scaccia che ciuriddi or sciuriddi;
• pastizzu ri ciurietti or sciurietti or pastizzu ri ciuriddi or sciuriddi if round-shaped;
• buccatieddu ri ciurietti or sciurietti or buccatieddu ri ciuriddi or sciuriddi if half-moon shaped.
