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Spicy Tomato and Black Olive Grandma Pie

3.7

(3)

Spicy Tomato and Black Olive Pie sliced into squares on a wooden cutting board.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Nicole Louie

To shave hours off the long proofing period for traditional grandma pie dough, this recipe calls for instant yeast rather than active-dry. As a result you’ll only need to set aside 40 total minutes for the focaccia-like base to rest and rise before topping and baking. The simple toppings are inspired by Philly tomato pie; because canned tomato sauce is a key player, use a brand with a pure tomato flavor, like organic Muir Glen.

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What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 hour (plus 40 minutes for rising)

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

2

¼-oz. envelopes instant yeast (about 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp.)

1

Tbsp. agave nectar

6

cups (750 g) all-purpose flour

5

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more

1

Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

1

15-oz. can tomato sauce

2

Tbsp. Calabrian chile paste

2

garlic cloves, finely grated

Freshly ground pepper

1

small red onion, thinly sliced

½

cup salt-cured black olives, pitted, torn

2

large handfuls of arugula (about 4 cups)

2

tsp. balsamic vinegar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Whisk together two ¼-oz. envelopes instant yeast (about 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp.), 1 Tbsp. agave nectar, and 3 cups warm water in a large bowl. Add 6 cups (750 g) all-purpose flour, 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, and 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Mix vigorously (this is taking the place of kneading, so don’t be gentle) until dough is stretchy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and form dough into a ball; drizzle with oil and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.

    Step 2

    Grease an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil. Transfer dough to baking sheet; press and stretch nearly to the edges. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until dough is slightly puffed, about 20 minutes.

    Step 3

    Meanwhile, place racks in middle and upper third of oven; preheat to 425°. Stir together one 15-oz. can tomato sauce, 2 Tbsp. Calabrian chile paste, and 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, in a small bowl. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper if needed.

    Step 4

    Lightly oil your hands. Uncover dough and dimple all over with your fingers, pressing fingertips firmly into dough. Spread tomato sauce mixture over dough; scatter 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, and ½ cup salt-cured black olives, pitted, torn, over.

    Step 5

    Bake pizza on middle rack until puffed and golden brown around the edges, 25–30 minutes. Drizzle pizza with oil, then transfer to upper rack. Bake until crust is deeply browned in spots and red onion is lightly charred and crisp in spots, about 5 minutes. Let pizza cool in pan 5 minutes.

    Step 6

    Meanwhile, toss 2 large handfuls of arugula (about 4 cups) with 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.

    Step 7

    To serve, slide a thin metal spatula underneath pizza to loosen. Cut into pieces and top with arugula.

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Reviews (3)

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  • Very easy, and speedy focaccia. Made it exactly as is (even weighed the flour). Totally agree that dough is too wet to form in a ball. It basically poured into the pan. Results were great and looked just like the pic. A+

    • Rojoyo

    • Seattle

    • 1/22/2024

  • Worried about the water content of the dough based on reviews below, I started with 2 cups and added a bit more water gradually until I got a sticky dough, about 2.5 cups water total. Otherwise, I made the recipe as written. The result was fantastic and looked exactly like the photo. The dough was pillowy on top and crisp on the bottom. A great way to impress and feed a crowd with very little active effort.

    • Micah

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 12/25/2023

  • I used a different focaccia recipe due to other reviews but the pizza was SUPER good. Perfect dinner.

    • Colin

    • Washington, DC

    • 10/5/2023

  • I made this dough to the measurements, but it was so wet and sloppy, I couldn’t form a ball. It was much more of a paste. I added more flour, gradually, and checked other, similar recipe ratios. I ended up with double the flour called for here to get a wet dough which I could roughly shape into a ball for proofing. I am based in Ireland, so maybe it’s a difference in flour types. I used plain flour, which I use to bake many US recipes without issue. I’m a regular baker, but I’m not sure what went wrong here. I’d love to know if anyone else had the same result with the recipe as given.

    • Rachel

    • Ireland

    • 5/6/2023