Sicilian Pizza vs. Grandma Pizza: What's the Difference?

Two thick-crust, pan-baked pizzas. Both come from Italian-American kitchens. Both are rectangular and served in squares. But Sicilian and Grandma are structurally different pizzas with different doughs, different proofing strategies, different topping orders, and different textures. Understanding the distinction helps you decide which to make — and more importantly, helps you avoid the common hybrid that is neither.

Sicilian Pizza: Thick, Airy, and Parbaked

The Authentic Original: Sfincione Palermitano

American “Sicilian” pizza descends from sfincione (from the Latin spongia — sponge), the traditional street pizza of Palermo. Authentic sfincione looks almost nothing like the thick, cheesy squares in a New York pizzeria.

Key characteristics of true Palermo sfincione:

No mozzarella. This is the most surprising difference for Americans. Authentic sfincione uses caciocavallo — a sharp, aged, semi-hard cow’s milk cheese from southern Italy. It is grated, not sliced, and goes directly on the dough as a moisture barrier.

Breadcrumb topping. The surface is finished with toasted breadcrumbs in olive oil, pressed into the top. This creates a crunchy textural layer that contrasts with the spongy interior.

Onion-tomato-anchovy mixture. The filling is a cooked mixture of sliced onions simmered with tomato sauce and anchovies. This is spread over the cheese layer. The anchovy component adds deep umami that most American versions lack entirely.

Extremely high hydration. Sfincione dough runs 70-90% hydration — the spongiest versions approach near-batter territory. The dough is too wet to knead conventionally; it requires stretch-and-fold technique. For guidance on working with wet doughs, see our hydration guide.

Topping order (reverse of American):

1. Thin grated cheese (caciocavallo) directly on dough as moisture barrier
2. Onion-tomato-anchovy mixture
3. More grated caciocavallo on top
4. Toasted breadcrumbs in olive oil pressed into surface

Regional Sicilian Variations

Sicily is not one pizza tradition. It is several:

• Palermo (sfincione palermitano): The classic described above — spongy, onion-tomato-anchovy, caciocavallo, breadcrumbs
• Catania (scacciata): Stuffed rather than topped. Two layers of dough with filling sealed inside.
• Messina (pidone): Small fried calzones, not a flat pizza at all
• New York “Sicilian”: The American interpretation — thicker, uses mozzarella, drops the breadcrumbs and anchovies entirely. This is what most Americans think of as “Sicilian.”

The American Sicilian (NYC Style)

The New York Sicilian is thick, airy, oil-enriched dough baked in a rectangular pan with mozzarella and tomato sauce. It shares sfincione’s pan format and high hydration but has evolved into a distinctly different pizza.

Gemignani’s Sicilian method is the most detailed published approach for the American version:

Dough: 70% hydration, 13-14% protein flour (All Trumps or similar), with or without starter. Too wet to knead — use stretch-and-fold. Ball weight: approximately 990g for a 12x18” pan. For help choosing the right flour, see our flour selection guide.

The parbake method (the critical technique): This is what separates a great Sicilian from a gummy mess.

1. Push-out in stages: Press dough into oiled pan, let it rest 30 minutes, push out to corners, then let it rise 1.5-2 hours until roughly 1 inch thick. Do not touch the dough after this final rise.
2. Parbake blind: Bake the dough with NO toppings at 450F for 14 minutes. This sets the structure, eliminates the gel layer (the gummy undercooked zone between crust and toppings that plagues thick pizzas), and creates a foundation that will not collapse under sauce and cheese.
3. Rest: The parbaked crust can rest from 30 minutes up to 10 hours. This is enormously convenient for parties — bake the crusts in the morning, top and finish in the evening.
4. Top and second bake: Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake another 13 minutes at 450F.

Pan oil: Use pure olive oil, NOT extra virgin. EVOO has a lower smoke point and will burn during the prolonged bake times (25+ minutes total). The oil fries the bottom crust, creating the characteristic golden, slightly crispy base.

Cut into 12 squares. Sicilian is party pizza — equal portions, no point slice. For hosting large groups, see our full guide to scaling pizza dough for parties.

Grandma Pizza: Thin, Crispy, and Direct

Origin and Character

Grandma pizza emerged from Italian-American home kitchens on Long Island, New York. It is the pizza that grandmothers made at home in sheet pans, without the specialized equipment or long proofing times of pizzeria Sicilian. The name is literal — this is how nonnas actually made pizza for family meals.

Where Sicilian aims for a thick, airy, focaccia-like crumb, Grandma aims for a thinner, crisper, denser result. Same rectangular pan format. Completely different eating experience.

Key Differences from Sicilian

Dough quantity: Significantly less dough per pan. Gemignani’s Grandma variant uses 28oz (approximately 795g) of dough versus his Sicilian’s 35oz+ (990g). The thinner layer means the crust stays crispy rather than becoming a bread vehicle.

Shorter proof: Grandma dough proofs for less time in the pan. Where Sicilian rises 1.5-2 hours to reach 1 inch thick, Grandma is intentionally kept thinner — you are not trying to develop maximum loft.

No parbake: This is a critical structural difference. Grandma pizza is baked once, start to finish, with all toppings on from the beginning. No blind bake, no two-stage process. This works because the dough layer is thin enough to cook through without developing a gel layer.

Sauce on top of cheese. This is the defining visual signature of Grandma pizza. Mozzarella (often sliced, not shredded) goes directly on the oiled dough, and sauce is spooned or dolloped on top. The cheese protects the dough from sauce moisture, and the sauce on top gets a slight roast from direct oven heat. For more on cheese selection, see our mozzarella comparison.

Higher baking temperature: Gemignani bakes Grandma at 500F versus 450F for Sicilian. The thinner dough at higher heat produces a crispier result in less time.

Direct on oiled sheet pan. No parchment paper. Generous olive oil on the pan fries the bottom of the crust, creating a golden, slightly crunchy base. The oil layer is essential — it is what gives Grandma pizza its characteristic crispy underside.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Making Sicilian at Home

Dough (Gemignani’s Sicilian with Starter)

For a 12x18” steel pan:

• 578g flour (13-14% protein — All Trumps or Power Flour)
• 386g total water (296g ice water + 90g warm water for yeast activation)
• 116g poolish starter
• 13g diastatic malt
• 13g fine sea salt
• 7g EVOO
• 3g active dry yeast

Total hydration: 70%. Too sticky to knead — mix with stretch-and-fold technique.

Pan Preparation

Oil the pan generously with pure olive oil (not EVOO). The oil serves as both non-stick and frying medium.

The Three-Stage Pan Process

Stage 1: Place dough in oiled pan. With oiled fingertips, press dough outward from center. It will not reach the corners yet. Cover with plastic wrap.

Stage 2 (30 minutes later): Press dough again, now pushing toward corners and edges. The gluten has relaxed enough to stretch further. If it still springs back, wait another 15-20 minutes.

Stage 3: Once dough fills the pan, let it rise 1.5-2 hours. Do not touch it after this point. The dough should be roughly 1 inch thick and visibly puffy.

Parbake + Top + Finish

1. Bake at 450F for 14 minutes (no toppings)
2. Remove. Rest 30 minutes to 10 hours.
3. Top with sauce, cheese (pushed to edges for frico if desired), and toppings
4. Bake 13 more minutes at 450F
5. Cut into 12 squares

Authentic Sfincione Adaptation

To make something closer to authentic Palermo sfincione:

1. Use the same 70% hydration dough
2. Replace mozzarella with grated caciocavallo (or aged provolone as substitute)
3. Make an onion-tomato filling: sauté 2 sliced onions until soft, add crushed tomatoes, 4-6 anchovy fillets, simmer until thickened
4. Layer: grated cheese on dough, then onion-tomato-anchovy mixture, then more grated cheese
5. Top with breadcrumbs toasted in olive oil (1 cup breadcrumbs sautéed in 3 tbsp olive oil until golden)
6. Parbake method still applies

Making Grandma at Home

Dough

Use approximately 28oz (795g) of the Sicilian dough recipe above — same formula, smaller portion. Or use Gemignani’s Master Dough without starter at 65% hydration.

Assembly (Sauce on Top)

1. Oil a 12x18” sheet pan generously with olive oil
2. Press dough into pan. Let rest 30 minutes, press again. Proof until about 1/2 inch thick (less than Sicilian)
3. Layer sliced mozzarella (or cubed fresh mozzarella, drained) directly on dough
4. Spoon or ladle sauce ON TOP of cheese. Dollops or stripes — it does not need to be uniform
5. Drizzle with olive oil
6. Bake at 500F for 12-15 minutes until bottom is golden and cheese is melted

Why Sauce on Top Works

The cheese layer between dough and sauce acts as a moisture barrier. Sauce moisture evaporates upward rather than soaking into the dough. The top-exposed sauce gets a slight reduction and concentration of flavor from direct oven heat. And the cheese melts into the dough, creating a rich, integrated cheese-crust layer rather than a separate cheese blanket.

This cheese-down assembly is not unique to Grandma pizza. Myhrvold endorses it broadly: “A viable idea for most types of pizza.” Detroit, deep-dish, NJ tomato pie, and Pepe in Grani in Italy all use cheese-down configurations. The advantages are universal — less soggy dough, better cheese pull, protected cheese.

Which One Should You Make?

Make Sicilian if: You are feeding a crowd (parbaked crusts hold for hours), you want a thick bread-like crumb, you like the texture contrast of airy interior and crispy edges, or you want to explore the authentic Palermo sfincione with caciocavallo and breadcrumbs.

Make Grandma if: You want pizza in under 2 hours (no parbake), you prefer thin and crispy to thick and airy, you are a beginner (fewer steps, more forgiving), or you like the visual drama of sauce-on-top presentation.

Both are pan pizzas. Both are forgiving for home bakers — no peel skills needed, no launch anxiety, no burned fingers turning pizza in a 900F oven. This is kitchen-table pizza, cut into squares, eaten standing up. The style your family actually had on a Tuesday night.