Scacciata with Cauliflower and Black Olives (No Knead Recipe)

Scacciata with Cauliflower and Black Olives is a traditional Sicilian double crusted filled pizza as made in the province of Catania, Sicily. This delicious dish can be assembled in very little time using my easy no knead pizza dough recipe!There’s no end to the array of dishes that you can make with a basic no knead pizza dough recipe! Thanks to my easy recipe which requires absolutely no kneading at all, I was able to put together this beautiful scacciata with cauliflower and black olives with very little effort! An easy lunch or dinner, snack or picnic food and perfect for feeding a crowd.

The result is this irresistable scacciata filled with a perfectly balanced combination of mild cauliflower, sweet green onions (or scallions) and the saltiness of  black olives and caciocavallo cheese!

But what exactly is scacciata? It looks just like a stuffed pizza or similar to a calzone, right?

What is scacciata?

Scacciata, also called schiacciata, means to crush or flatten. This Sicilian double crusted stuffed pizza is traditionally made on the Eastern coast of Sicily in the province of Catania. A similar version called scaccia made in Ragusa is filled with tomato and cheese.

Scacciata is typically made during the winter months, especially during the Christmas holidays.

Possible scacciata filling ingredients:

Common filling combinations include broccoli and sausage; tomato and cheese; or potato and sausage.

The choice of cheese is usually tuma, a mild flavored semi-soft cheese originally made with sheep’s milk. Also used are caciocavallo or the incomparable locally made Sicilian provola, unlike provolone commonly found in Italian grocery stores in North America.

Also, onions are usually added instead of garlic. I added green onions however you may substitute a thinly sliced white onion sautéed along with the cauliflower.

I opted for caciocavallo cheese since I was unable to find tuma on this particular day in my local grocery store. Anchovies may also be added to this filling. However, due to a strong aversion to anchovies by my children, I agreed to leave them out!

The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.

How to make Scacciata with Cauliflower and Black Olives (No Knead Recipe)

Prepare the dough:

Begin by preparing one recipe of my easy no knead pizza dough until step #4, that is until the initial 6-24 hour rising period.

Here is my dough after approximately 16 hours of rising.This dough is quite sticky, therefore flour your work surface and hands well. Scrape the dough onto your floured surface and divide into 2 pieces. Refer to my no knead pizza dough recipe post for detailed instructions on how to shape the dough into a ball.

Let rest for 1 hour longer. Do not skip this step! After this rising period, the dough will be less sticky making it easier to handle and shape in the next step.

Prepare the filling ingredients:

While the dough is resting, prepare the ingredients for the filling. Here is what you will need:

Cauliflower: one small cauliflower head, leaves trimmed, cut into florets and rinsed. Boil in a pot of salted water until fork tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl.

Caciocavallo cheese: cut into cubes or shredded, if you prefer. May be substitued with tuma or even mozzarella.

Black olives: or olive infornate as they are referred to in Italian. I have also seen them called Moroccan olives. These are oven dried, salt and olive oil cured olives with a wrinkly texture. Remove the pits and roughly chop.

Green onions: also called scallions. Chop 4 onions (or more if you’d like), separating the white parts from the green.

Red pepper flakes: just a pinch to add a little kick to the filling (optional).

Prepare the filling:

Sauté the cauliflower: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the white part of the green onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the boiled cauliflower florets and green part of the onions. Cook for 5 minutes using the back of a wooden spoon to further break down the cauliflower into smaller pieces. Add salt and pepper, to taste and red pepper flakes (if using),. Transfer to a bowl to cool slightly.

Assemble the scacciata: 

Grease a large, circular pizza pan lightly with olive oil. Take one ball of dough and place on a well floured work surface. Use your finger tips to stretch it out into a roughly 12-14 inch wide circle. Carefully lift it and transfer onto the prepared pan. Brush the entire surface lightly with olive oil.

Evenly disperse half the cubed caciocavallo cheese over the surface of the dough. Spread the cauliflower mixture over the cheese. Top with the chopped black olives and remaining cubed caciocavallo cheese.Flatten the second ball of dough into a circle and place it over the filling. Crimp the edges of the top and bottom dough together and use a fork to prick small holes in the top dough.  Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest 1 hour.To bake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush the top crust with olive oil and bake until golden, both on top and underneath, for 25-30 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before slicing. Serve hot, at room temperature or even cold.

Tips and suggestions

• No knead dough, due to it’s high hydration, is stickier to handle than most pizza dough. Be sure to flour your work surface and hands generously when handling the dough.
• Caciocavallo cheese may be substituted with tuma, provola or even mozzarella, if you prefer.
• Scacciata may be filled with an endless combination of ingredients including broccoli and sausage; tomato and cheese; or potatoes and sausage.
• If your family enjoys them, add anchovy fillets to the filling. Place them directly on the dough along with the caciocavallo cheese (bottom layer of the filling).
• Leftover scacciata may be kept at room temperature for up to a day. Otherwise keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• Reheat scacciata in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin it for later. Buon appetito!

Here are more easy no knead pizza dough recipes for you to try out!

• Olive and Cheese Buns
• Chicory, Egg and Cheese Stuffed Pizza
• Mortadella, Pistachio and Mozzarella Stuffed Rolls
• No Knead Fig and Walnut Bread
• No Knead Skillet Focaccia Bread 
• Sfincione Bagherese
• Focaccia Messinese
• No Knead Fig and Rosemary Focaccia
• Parigina Pizza
• Scacciata with Potatoes and Sausage
• Fried Pizza Dough
• Homemade Pizza Rolls with Ham and Cheese
• Paprika and Garlic Herb Bread