Italian Tomato Pie

Tomato pie has been sold by Iannelli's Bakery in Philadelphia since 1910. Tomato pie remains popular in Philadelphia where it is cut into long strips and called pizza strips, red bread, party pizza, strip pizza, or bakery pizza. It may be sprinkled with Romano cheese or oregano. It is not usually served straight from the oven, but allowed to cool and then consumed at room temperature or reheated. Like Sicilian pizza, tomato pie is baked in a large rectangular pan and served in square slices. It resembles the Italian sfincione.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 387 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• kosher salt to taste
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• ¼ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk together flour, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Add olive oil and 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons water. Knead on low speed just until dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Knead once more on low speed for 10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Step 2

Remove dough hook, cover top of mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (up to 24 hours).

Step 3

Meanwhile, for the sauce, add tomatoes to a food processor and roughly puree. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, shallot, oregano, and pepper flakes. Cook and stir until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pureed tomatoes and season with sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat, bring to room temperature, and refrigerate until dough has finished rising.

Step 4

Generously grease the inside of a 13x18-inch rimmed baking sheet with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Remove dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before baking. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a flat ball. Transfer ball to the greased baking sheet. Coat the ball on all sides with olive oil using your hands, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough should spread out . Carefully stretch and push the dough into the corners and edges of the pan. Cover loosely, and let rise for 1 hour longer.

Step 5

Adjust an oven rack to the upper middle position. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 6

When dough has risen, gently dock center with fingertips and use your hands to create a risen ridge about 1 inch wide around the edge.

Step 7

Spread dough generously with sauce, leaving the raised 1-inch edge without the sauce. Bake until edges are lightly browned and crisp, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Step 8

Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese, cut into slices, and serve.