What is Grape Schiacciata I hear you ask? I asked myself the same thing when I came across it in a bakery when I travelled through Tuscany a number of years ago. Well, schiacciata is a flatbread from Tuscany which is very similar to focaccia. In fact, in some areas of Tuscany the words schiacciata and focaccia are interchangeable.
The word schiacciata can be translated as “squashed”or “crushed” in English which I really like! It can be savory or sweet. In this recipe, I combine flour, water, yeast, olive oil and sugar to make a dough. I then add black grapes and rosemary and fennel seeds to flavor the dough.
To make Grape Schiacciata, you will need the following ingredients:
Place the olive oil and crushed rosemary leaves in a small bowl and leave to infuse for about 1 hour. Strain the oil and place the rosemary leaves to one side.
Line a 12x15 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, semolina flour, yeast, salt, chopped fennel seed, 1 tbsp of the sugar together in a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of the infused oil and most of the water. Mix well with your hands until a dough starts to form.
Knead the dough for about 5 minutes an unfloured counter. Adjust the water if you think the dough is too dry. Aim for a a medium-soft dough consistency.
With your hands, flatten the dough into a disk onto a piece of parchment paper. Spread ¾ of the grapes onto the dough, and fold the disk repeatedly until the grapes are distributed evenly through the dough. Do this as gently as possible to avoid crushing the grapes too much.
Place the dough into the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with buttered cling wrap and allow to prove at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Place the remaining grapes onto the surface of the dough. Brush the remaining infused oil over the top and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar, whole fennel seeds, and a handful of the reserved rosemary leaves. Cover and continue to prove for another 35 minutes.
While the dough is proving, preheat the oven to 425 °F.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the top is light golden brown and the grapes are starting to burst.
Allow the schiacciata to cool slightly on a wire rack.
Serve warm with a cup of strong freshly ground Italian coffee.
Looking for a sweet version of Italy’s famous focaccia bread? This Grape Schiacciata is the one! Give it a try and remember to tag #cookmerecipes in your baking posts!
So delicious! Thanks for sharing!
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