Name: Pizza di scarola
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 3 h 35 min
Cuisine: Italian, Naples / Campania
Ingredients: 500 g bread flour; 320 ml water, lukewarm; 7 g instant dry yeast; 12 g fine sea salt; 20 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 900 g escarole, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped; 40 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 5 anchovy fillets, drained; 80 g Gaeta or black olives, pitted; 25 g salted capers, rinsed; 30 g pine nuts; 35 g raisins; 1 g dried chilli flakes

Pizza di scarola: wide hero view of the finished traditional dish

Prep45 minutes

Cook50 minutes

Total3 h 35 min

Yield1 28 cm pizza, 8 wedges

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The dish

About Pizza di scarola

Regione Campania describes pizza di scarola as a traditional Neapolitan Christmas Eve dish made with bread dough as both base and cover.

The escarole is cooked with oil, garlic or onion, chilli and salted anchovy; olives and capers are especially associated with coastal versions.

Italia.it also lists raisins and pine nuts among familiar additions, creating the characteristic bitter-salty-sweet balance.

The filling must be cooled and well drained before assembly or steam and liquid will soften the bottom crust.

Technique

Three things that matter

Dry the escarole. Cook until excess water has evaporated before the filling touches dough.
Cool before filling. Hot greens accelerate fermentation and make the base gummy.
Vent the top. Fork holes let steam escape so the upper crust stays bread-like rather than ballooning.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Bread dough

500 gbread flour
320 mlwaterlukewarm
7 ginstant dry yeast
12 gfine sea salt
20 mlextra-virgin olive oil

Escarole filling

900 gescaroletrimmed, washed and roughly chopped
40 mlextra-virgin olive oil
2garlic clovessliced
5anchovy filletsdrained
80 gGaeta or black olivespitted
25 gsalted capersrinsed
30 gpine nuts
35 graisins
1 gdried chilli flakes

Step by step

Method

Make and proof the dough

Mix the dough. Combine flour, yeast and water; add salt and olive oil and knead until smooth and elastic.
The dough should stretch without tearing and feel slightly tacky, not wet.
Bulk proof. Cover and rise 90 minutes, or until clearly expanded.
The dough should be close to doubled and airy under the surface.
Divide for base and lid. Reserve slightly more than half for the bottom, shape both pieces into balls and rest 20–30 minutes.
The relaxed dough should roll without snapping back strongly.

Cook the escarole filling

Wilt and drain. Blanch or wilt escarole until collapsed, then drain and squeeze away excess water.
The greens should be moist but not dripping.
Build the seasoning. Warm olive oil, soften garlic and melt anchovies into the oil; add chilli, olives, capers, pine nuts and raisins.
Anchovies should dissolve and nuts smell lightly toasted.
Dry the filling. Add escarole and sauté 8–10 minutes until flavours combine and no watery liquid remains; cool completely.
A spoon dragged through the pan should not leave a pool of water.

Assemble and bake

Line the tin. Heat oven to 200°C. Roll the larger dough piece and line the oiled tin with a small overhang.
Dough should cover the base evenly without tears.
Fill and seal. Spread cool escarole evenly, cover with the second dough disc, crimp the edges and prick the top several times.
The seal should be continuous and the lid vented.
Bake until golden. Bake 30–35 minutes until deep golden; cool at least 15 minutes before cutting.
The underside should be baked through and the filling should stay inside cleanly.

Practical guidance

Temperature

Pizza di scarola is excellent warm or at room temperature, which suits its Christmas Eve tradition.

Anchovies

They should melt into the oil rather than remain as large salty pieces.

Moisture

If the escarole is very wet, squeeze it after blanching and sauté until dry.

Troubleshooting

Bottom is soggy. The filling was too wet or hot when assembled.
Top splits open. The edge was not sealed or the lid was not vented.
Dough is dense. It was under-proofed; allow clear expansion before shaping.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 wedges
Calories: approximately 390 kcal
Carbohydrates: 53 g
Protein: 11 g
Fat: 15 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: 820 mg

Approximate; anchovies, olives and capers contribute substantial sodium.

Allergens and food safety

Cool the cooked greens before assembly.

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours if not eaten the same day.

Reheat until steaming hot if serving leftovers warm.

FAQ

Is pizza di scarola a Christmas dish?

Traditionally it is strongly associated with Neapolitan Christmas Eve, though it is now eaten more widely.

Why are raisins and pine nuts included?

They are common additions that balance the bitter escarole, salty anchovies, olives and capers.

Can it be eaten cold?

Yes. It is traditionally good warm or at room temperature.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Golden bread crust surrounding savoury escarole with briny anchovy, olives and capers, plus sweet raisins and toasted pine nuts.
Key: Cook the filling dry and cool it completely before sealing it into the dough.