Topping recipe

Lemon Square

Name: Lemon Square (topping recipe)
Yield: 1 pan
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 100g Extra-virgin olive oil (scant ½ cup); 9g Garlic cloves, thinly sliced (3 cloves); 2g Fine sea salt (½ tsp); 1g Red pepper flakes (a pinch); 250g Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella (about 9 oz, grated (2½ cups)); 20g Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano (finishing) (¼ cup, grated); 60g Lemon, sliced paper-thin, seeds out (1 small lemon); 1g Dried oregano (½ tsp); 120g Whole-milk ricotta (dollops) (½ cup, in spoonfuls); 2g Fresh basil or mint (a small handful); 8g Honey (drizzle) (1 tsp)

Garlic oil, Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella, Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, Lemon, sliced paper-thin, seeds out, Whole-milk ricotta. Scaled for 1 pan.

1 panSicilian18×13"Garlic oil

Build each pan

After the dough is shaped

1pan

Pan size

base

Garlic oil

1½ Tbsp25 g

Cheese

Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella

about 9 oz, grated (2½ cups)250 g

Cheese

Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

¼ cup, grated20 g

Toppings

Lemon, sliced paper-thin, seeds outTossed with a pinch of sugar and salt 10 min before

1 small lemon60 g

Dried oregano

½ tsp1 g

Finishing

Whole-milk ricotta (dollops)Seasoned with salt, pepper and a little lemon zest

½ cup, in spoonfuls120 g

Fresh basil or mint

a small handful2 g

Honey (drizzle)Optional

1 tsp8 g

Make the base

Scaled for 1 pan · 1 batch · Base recipe →

Warm the oil and garlic in a small pan over the lowest heat until the slices barely fizz, about 5 min — pull it before they colour, or the whole batch turns bitter. Stir in the salt and the pepper flakes if you're using them, and let it cool. Brush it on thin; a white pie wants a sheen, not a puddle. Keeps refrigerated 1 week.

Extra-virgin olive oil

scant ½ cup100 g

Garlic cloves, thinly slicedAbout 3 cloves

3 cloves9 g

Fine sea salt

½ tsp2 g

Red pepper flakesOptional

a pinch1 g

Put it together

Once the sauce is made, for each pan

BeforeBrush the garlic oil over the dough, then cover it with the mozzarella.
BeforeLay the lemon slices over the cheese in a single layer, not touching, and dust with the pecorino and oregano.
AfterSpoon the ricotta over in dollops, tear on the herbs, and add a thread of honey if you like.

Shopping list

For 1 pan

Extra-virgin olive oil100 g

Garlic cloves, thinly sliced9 g

Fine sea salt2 g

Red pepper flakes1 g

Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella250 g

Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano20 g

Lemon, sliced paper-thin, seeds out60 g

Dried oregano1 g

Whole-milk ricotta120 g

Fresh basil or mint2 g

Honey8 g

Pair with

Make a Sicilian/Grandma dough to match. The calculator opens with Sicilian pre-selected — pick pan size and timing next.

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