Cudduruni is a half moon shaped filled pizza originating from the town of Lentini in Sicily. This traditional bread is made with durum wheat semolina and filled with slow cooked onions, black olives, cheese and tomato. Enjoy as a delicious hearty meal, snack or antipasto.
Sicilian cuddurini is an explosion of flavors in your mouth! Cuddurini is filled with sweet caramelized onions; salty black olives; tomato and cheese. These perfectly balanced flavors come together beautifully in this hard to resist traditional Sicilian recipe.
What is cudduruni?
Several provinces of Sicily have their own version of a filled pizza, whether it be round, rectangular or half moon shaped. The filling may vary from one town to the next and it may be called in different ways such as scacciata; scaccia; calzone or pitoni.
In the city of Lentini, located in the province of Siracusa on the eastern coast of Sicily it is called u cudduruni lentinese.
This delicious filled pizza is made with a durum wheat semolina dough and it was originally a poor man’s meal, made with scraps of leftover bread dough and filled with ingredients on hand such as a variety of wild swiss chard called anciti; broccoli; onions; olives; tomato pulp; and cheese.
Nowadays you may come across modern variations with added meat such as sausage, mortadella, prosciutto cotto or salami.
No matter what you fill your cuddurini with, the result is a crowd pleasing dish worthy of any gathering. Include cuddurini as part of your party buffet; enjoy it on a picnic; for a hearty lunch or satisfying snack.
Ingredient List
For the dough
- Active dry yeast
- Water: lukewarm
- Sugar: not shown
- Double milled durum wheat semolina flour known as semolina rimacinata
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Olive oil
For the filling
- Onions: 5 large yellow onions
- Olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Tomato pulp: possibilities include tomato passata; canned plum tomatoes that are crushed; leftover pizza or pasta sauce also work well
- Black olives: I used salt cured black olives, pitted
- Cheese: the traditionally used cheese is primo sale, however I was unable to locate any in my area and therefore I used caciocavallo instead. Other possibilities include provola; scamorza or in a pinch use mozzarella. Basically any cheese that melts well.
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.
Step by Step Instructions
1. Prepare the dough
1. Add yeast and sugar to lukewarm water and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Combine flours and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer.
3. Pour in yeast mixture and olive oil. Knead until a smooth dough is formed, about 7-8 minutes.
4. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
2. Prepare the filling
1. Cook onions with olive oil and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until soft and golden, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Pit olives.
3. Cut cheese into cubes, or if you prefer, grate.
3. To shape the cudduruni
1. Roll dough into a large rectangle and transfer onto a baking sheet.
2. Spread onions evenly over half the dough.
3. Top with tomato pulp, pitted olives and cubed cheese.
4. Fold the dough over the filling and roll the top and bottom together to seal. Use a fork to prick holes over the top and brush with olive oil.
4. Bake
Bake in a 425 degrees F preheated oven until golden brown, from 25-30 minutes. Let sit for 30 minutes before slicing.
Recipe Notes
–Sausage may be added to the filling: break up 1 or 2 sausage links, without the casing, into small chunks and place raw over the onions. The sausage will cook as the cudduruni bakes.
-Stir 1 or 2 anchovy filets into the caramelized onions for extra flavor.
–Cheese alternatives: provola; scamorza; primo sale or mozzarella.
–For the tomato pulp: canned crushed tomatoes; crushed canned plum tomatoes or leftover sauce for pasta or pizza all work well.
-The tomato pulp may be stirred into the onion mixture if you prefer.
Yes it can! Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl or directly on your counter. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Use your fingertips to slowly combine the flour and the wet ingredients. Shape into a dough and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheat in the oven.
Wrap well in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven before serving.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
*****
Check out more stuffed pizza dough recipes!
- Swiss Chard Filled Pizza
- Chicory, Egg and Cheese Filled Pizza
- Mortadella, pistachio and Mozzarella Stuffed Rolls
- Homemade Pizza Rolls with Ham and Cheese
- Eggplant Calzone alla Norma
- Scacciata with Cauliflower and Black Olives
- Scacciata with Potato, Sausage and Onions
- Paprika and Garlic Herb Bread
- Sicilian Rosticceria Small Bites
Ingredients
For the cudduruni dough
- 8 grams active dry yeast 1 packet
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1¼ cups water
- 2â…“ cups double milled semolina flour semolina rimacinata
- â…” cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
For the onion filling
- 5 medium onions about 850 grams, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- salt, to taste
- ½ cup black olives pitted
- 1¼ cup cheese Any variety that melts well such as caciocavallo; provola; primo sale, or mozzarella. Cubed or shredded
- ½ cup tomato pulp tomato passata, crushed tomatoes or leftover pizza or pasta sauce will do
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil for brushing on the dough
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Heat water until lukewarm. Transfer to a bowl, stir in sugar and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine both flours and salt to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.
- Increase to medium speed and knead for 7-8 minutes until the dough is smooth. It will be slightly tacky, not sticky, and wrap itself around the dough hook.
- Shape into a ball, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
Prepare the onion filling
- While the dough rests, prepare the filling.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet and add the onions and a pinch of salt.
- Lower heat to low and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft and golden, about 45 minutes. If the pan becomes dry add a spoonful or 2 of water.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
- Pit the olives and give them a rough chop.
- Cube or shred the cheese.
To assemble and bake
- Line a 12 x 16 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface into approximately a 14 x 16 inch oblong shape (or rectangle).
- Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet with one of the longer ends hanging over the edge of the pan.
- Spread the onions over one half of the dough (horizontally) leaving a 1/2 inch border.
- Dot the onions with spoonfuls of tomato pulp. It does not need to completely cover the onions. Alternately, stir the tomato into the onion mixture.
- Top with the black olives and cheese.
- Fold the dough over the filling to create a half moon shape and roll the top and bottom edges together to seal.
- Use a fork to prick the dough with small holes and brush the top with olive oil.
- Let the cudduruni rest while you preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until it is golden brown. Let rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
-Stir 1 or 2 anchovy filets into the caramelized onions for extra flavor.
–Cheese alternatives: provola; scamorza; primo sale or mozzarella.
–For the tomato pulp: canned crushed tomatoes; crushed canned plum tomatoes or leftover sauce for pasta or pizza all work well.
-The tomato pulp may be stirred into the onion mixture if you prefer. Can the dough be prepared without a stand mixer? Yes it can! Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl or directly on your counter. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and olive oil. Use your fingertips to slowly combine the flour and the wet ingredients. Shape into a dough and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Storage Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days and reheat in the oven. To Freeze Wrap well in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the oven before serving.
Leave a Reply