MVP Sicilian

Marinara, Vodka, Pesto: three scratch sauces striped over a sesame-bottomed Sicilian. The stained-glass square.

Time: 2 days | Yield: 1 12 inch sicilian pizza | Difficulty: Advanced | Serves: 4 | Published: 2026-07-24

MVP stands for Marinara, Vodka, Pesto, three sauces striped over a sesame-bottomed Sicilian. It's the Tie Dye Pie concept in thick square form, and it might be the best-looking thing that comes out of my oven.

Everything is from scratch in this one: the 75% hydration sesame-crusted pan dough (same base as my Vodka Sesame Sicilian), a 20-minute vodka sauce, a two-minute herby marinara, and a grainy fresh pesto. The par-baked dough gets sliced mozzarella, then thin LINES of each sauce, 2-3 inches apart, slivers of cheese showing between, because every sauce spreads in the oven and restraint is what keeps the stripes striped.

It's a weekend project, most of it hands-off proofing, and the payoff is a pan pizza that looks like stained glass and eats like three pizzas at once.

Ingredients

Dough

• 225 g bread flour
• 75 g all purpose flour
• 225 g water (75%)
• 6.5 g salt (2.5%)
• 6 g sugar (2%)
• 6 g extra virgin olive oil (2%)
• 0.9 g instant yeast (.3%)
• sesame seeds

Vodka Sauce

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Red pepper flakes (optional)
• ¼ cup vodka (optional)
• ½ can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• salt
• pepper

Marinara

• 1 can crushed tomatoes (Bianco DiNapoli)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 basil leaves (herby variation)
• ½ tsp oregano (herby variation)
• 1 tsp olive oil (herby variation)

Pesto

• ¼ cup Pine nuts
• ½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• ½ cup olive oil
• squeeze of lemon
• 1 tbs water
• 2 cups basil
• 1 garlic clove
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper

The Pizza

• butter
• Olive Oil
• Par Baked Sicilian Dough (above)
• 9 thick slices of Whole milk mozzarella
• Grated Pecorino Romano
• Parmigiano Reggiano

Directions

1. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon.
2. Add oil and cold water to manage the dough temperature throughout the process. Higher temperature doughs during mixing can overproof faster. I recommend water around 60 degrees.
3. Mix with your spoon or spatula until there is no more dry bits remaining then dump on a clean countertop.
4. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Scrape off your hands along the way. If it way too sticky, let it rest (covered) for 15-20 minutes.
5. After kneading, cover in a lightly oiled bowl for 30 minutes
6. After 30 minutes, perform a series of four stretch and folds. Do this by pulling up one side of the dough and pulling it over to the oopposite side. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat three more times.
7. Rest, covered for another 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, see if the dough passes the "window pane test" (in the video).
   You'll know it's right: Windowpane before the fridge: a small piece stretches translucent without tearing.
9. Once you pass the window pane test, cover in the fridge for 1-2 days.
10. Par Baking
11. Shape/Form the dough into a ball by pulling it into itself until it becomes tight.
12. Oil your pan
13. Oil the top of your dough and sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds on the dough and the surrounding pan. Even on the sides.and press it out as much as possible. It won't stretch all the way to the edges yet.
14. Turn the dough over so the sesame seeds are now on the bottom and press it out as much as possible. It won't stretch all the way to the edges yet.
    You'll know it's right: Flip so the sesame side is DOWN, the seeds toast against the oiled pan into the signature crust.
15. Cover for an hour. Then the dough should be relaxed to where you can press the dough out all the way to the edges this time.
16. Cover for another 4-5 hours and let the dough rise in the pan.
17. Optional, oil your hands and lightly dimple the center.
18. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees for about an hour. Then bake the dough in the pan for 6-8 minutes (until lightly browned on top)
19. Gently remove the par-baked dough/bread and rest on a rack for 20-30 minutes.
20. Vodka Sauce
21. Pre heat a pan to medium low heat with olive oil.
22. Add shallots and sauté for 2 minutes while stirring.
23. Add garlic. Stir for one minute until fragrant.
24. Add tomato paste directly on the pan surface. Also, add the optional pepper flakes if you like a little kick. Whisk or stir until it slightly darkens and is well combined. Roughly 1 minute.
    You'll know it's right: The tomato paste should darken from bright red to brick before anything wet joins it.
25. Optional - add the vodka and let it simmer until reduced by 80%. 1-2 minutes.
26. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. If this is going on pizza and back into the oven, only simmer for 5 minutes
27. Add the butter and stir until dissolved.
28. Then kill the heat, add the Parmigiano Reggiano, and stir until dissolved.
29. Add the heavy cream, stir.
30. Finish with salt and cracked pepper
31. Marinara
32. Basic Sauce: Combine 1 can of crushed tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt. My go-to is Bianco DiNapoli
33. Herby Variation
34. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 basil leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, and 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the basic sauce.
35. Lightly pulse with a blender or immersion blender. Do not overdo the blending.
36. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
37. Pesto
    You'll know it's right: Pesto blends to grainy, not smooth. You want texture that holds a line on the pizza.
38. Add all ingredients to a food processor or small blender, and blend until grainy. Not completely smooth.
39. MVP Sicilian Pizza
40. Have your oven preheated to 500 degrees
41. Generously butter or oil every inch of your pan (make sure it's cooled off)
42. Place your par baked dough back in the pan (make sure it's cooled off)
43. Put your cheese slices down first, evenly. Not all the way to the edges, leave room for the crust.
44. Start with thin lines of Marinara about 2-3 inches apart. It will spread, so less is more. It's best to try to keep a sliver of cheese space in between each line of sauce.
    You'll know it's right: Thin lines, 2-3 inches apart, cheese slivers visible between. Every sauce spreads; the gaps are the design.
45. Next add thin lines of your vodka sauce. Again, not too much here because it will spread.
46. Last is lines of pesto. It won't spread as much usually, but still don't overdo it.
47. Sprinkle on a handful of pecorino
48. olive oil around the crust and optional on top of the sauces
49. In the oven for 8-10 minutes. I usually pull it once the crust looks brown. Sometimes a minute or two broil
    You'll know it's right: Pull when the crust ring is brown. A minute or two of broil deepens the stripes without blurring them.
50. Finish with Parmigiano Reggiano, cut in squares and enjoy!

Troubleshooting

The stripes merged into orange mud

Heavy hands on the sauces. Thin lines with cheese gaps between. All three spread in the oven, the recipe warns you twice for a reason.

Pesto disappeared

Blended it smooth and thin. Grainy pesto holds its line. Blend until textured, not until sauce.

Soggy squares

Sauced onto un-par-baked dough. The par-bake and rack rest come first, always. Wet dough under three sauces has no chance.

Bottom wasn't crispy

Skimped the pan fat or the sesame flip. Butter or oil every inch, and the sesame side goes DOWN. The seeds fry in the fat.

It took over my whole day

It's a project pie, but badly sequenced. Make all three sauces during the 4-5 hour pan proof. The timeline overlaps almost perfectly if you let it.

Nutrition (1 square (1/8 of the pan)): 390 calories, 15g protein, 38g carbs, 20g fat.