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Elara Solari

Schiacciata con l’Uva

Flat Tuscan bread pressed full of small dark wine grapes and baked until the juice pools and caramelizes almost black at the edges. The bread of the September vendemmia, meant to be rough rather than neat. Seeds left in.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rising 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Italian, Tuscan
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Group 1: For the dough
  • 500 g bread flour or Italian 00 flour
  • 7 g instant dry yeast
  • 320 ml warm water
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil plus more for the pan
  • 30 g granulated sugar
  • 8 g fine sea salt
Group 2: For the filling andtop
  • 900 g small dark wine grapes (Sangiovese, Canaiolo, or Concord), stems removed, seeds left in
  • 80 g grandulated sugar divided
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves optional
  • Flaky sea salt a small pinch

Equipment

  • 1 33 x 23cm (13x9 inch) Sheet pan or baking tray
  • 1 Large mixing bowl
  • 1 Clean kitchen towel for drying grapes
  • 1 Wire cooling rack

Method
 

  1. Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Pour in the warm water and 60 ml of olive oil and bring it together with your hands until there is no dry flour left. The dough will be slack and sticky. That is correct.
  2. Knead in the bowl for about 5 minutes, folding the dough over itself rather than working it on a counter. Cover and leave in a warm spot for 90 minutes, until roughly doubled.
  3. While it rises, pull the grapes off their stems, rinse them and dry them well on a towel. Wet grapes will steam the crust. Do not remove the seeds.
  4. Oil a 33 x 23 cm sheet pan generously. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly larger. Press the larger piece into the pan with oiled fingers, stretching it to the corners. Let it relax for a few minutes if it fights you.
  5. Scatter two thirds of the grapes over the base. Sprinkle with 50 g of the sugar and half the rosemary if using. Stretch the second piece of dough over the top and pinch the edges roughly to seal.
  6. Press the remaining grapes into the top layer so they sit half buried. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, scatter the last 30 g of sugar, the rest of the rosemary and a small pinch of flaky salt.
  7. Rest, uncovered, for 15 minutes. This step looks skippable and is not.
  8. Bake at 200 C (400 F) for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are deeply caramelized and the juice has pooled and darkened against the pan. It should look almost too dark at the corners.
  9. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then slide onto a rack. Eat warm or at room temperature, cut into squares, standing up if the moment calls for it.

Notes

  • The seeds are traditional and add a faint bitterness that keeps the bread from tasting like jam. Leave them in if you can tolerate them.
  • Seedless black grapes work and produce a sweeter, softer result closer to a grape focaccia.
  • Do not reduce the olive oil. It is what crisps the underside beneath all that wet fruit.
  • Best on the day it is baked. Day two is still good if you warm it for five minutes in a hot oven.
  • Rosemary is optional and slightly modern. Vittorio does not use it.