Sicilian Pizza Dough

75% hydration, focaccia-soft, square-pan ready. The base for vodka Sicilian and grandma pies.

Time: 16 min | Yield: 1 pizzas | Difficulty: Intermediate | Serves: 6 | Published: 2026-04-18

The dough that becomes a Sicilian, a vodka Sicilian, or a grandma-style pie. High hydration is what makes it airy and pillowy under whatever toppings you put on top.

Wet dough is intimidating the first time you make it. 75% hydration feels like batter, not bread. It's also the most forgiving once you give it time, the long cold ferment plus the in-pan proof do all the work.

The trick is patience. Don't try to knead it like a regular dough, you'll just make a sticky mess. Stretch-and-folds in the bowl, cold ferment overnight, then let it rise in the pan for 4-5 hours. The dough rewards waiting.

Ingredients

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.
    You'll know it's right: After fold 1, dough is still slack. After fold 3, it should feel taut and smooth on top. The 75% hydration plus folds creates an extensible dough that holds gas pockets, that's what makes the airy interior.
  7. Rest, covered for another 30 minutes.
  8. After 30 minutes, see if the dough passes the "window pane test" (in the video).
  9. Once you pass the window pane test, cover in the fridge for 1-2 days. But if you want to bake immediately, you need at least 5 hours before baking.
  10. Shape/Form the dough into a ball by pulling it into itself until it becomes tight.
  11. Butter your pan and place your dough ball in the pan.
  12. Oil the top of your dough and press it out as much as possible. It won't stretch all the way to the edges yet.
  13. 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.
  14. cover for another 3-4 hours and let the dough rise in the pan.
  15. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees for 45 minutes. Then bake the dough in the pan for 8 minutes
  16. Gently remove the par-baked dough/bread and rest on a rack for 20 minutes.
  17. Add oil or butter to the pan, place the bread back in the pan, and begin building your pizza however you'd like.
  18. Bake for another 8 minutes and finish with an optional broil.
  19. ENJOY!!

Troubleshooting

Dough was so wet I couldn't shape it

75% hydration is genuinely wet. It's batter consistency at first. Don't try to shape it like regular dough. Just pour it into the oiled pan. Use oiled fingertips to spread it. Stretch-and-folds in the bowl tighten it; cold ferment firms it further. By the time it goes in the pan, it's workable.

Crust came out dense, not airy

Skipped or shortened the in-pan proof, OR over-pressed during proofing. Full 4-5 hour in-pan proof MINIMUM. Don't poke, press, or touch the dough during this rise. The gas building up inside is what creates the airy crumb.

Bottom of crust was pale and limp

Not enough pan oil, OR no preheated baking steel underneath. 3 tablespoons of oil minimum, spread to coat the entire pan bottom. Place pan on a preheated baking steel/stone. The steel provides the conductive heat from below that browns the bottom.

Dough was tight and resisted spreading into corners

Dough was too cold (just out of fridge), gluten was tense. Let dough sit at room temp 30 min BEFORE transferring to pan. Or press, wait 20 min, press again. Cold dough fights you, warm dough cooperates.

Used 50/50 bread + 00 flour and dough was super slack

00 flour absorbs less water than bread flour. The 50/50 blend at 75% hydration is too wet. If using the 50/50 blend, drop hydration to 73% (328g water). Bread flour 100% takes the full 75%. Adjust based on your flour blend.

Dough overflowed the pan during the in-pan proof

Pan too shallow OR proofing too long in a warm kitchen. 12x12 Lloyds Sicilian pan is the recommended size. If your pan is shallower, dough WILL overflow at the high hydration. Reduce proof time by an hour in a warm kitchen (above 78°F).

Notes

The wetter the dough, the airier the crumb. This recipe is at 75%, push to 78% if you want bigger holes, but stretch-and-fold technique becomes critical. Don't try to knead a 75%+ dough.

Nutrition (1/9 of the pan (one square, dough only)): 175 calories, 5g protein, 33g carbs, 2g fat.