Schiacciata Bread

1 October 2021

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This schiacciata bread is very similar to focaccia. It has a crispy crust with a soft centre, filled with grapes, honey, walnuts and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

The inspiration for this recipe sparked in my mind after this year’s family grape harvest when there are always a few bunches of grapes left for eating. In Italy, it is traditional to bake this bread during the harvest and I couldn’t resist the temptation of trying it out. I used cabinet franc grapes and once roasted you hardly notice the pips.

The Schiacciata bread is also known as Ciaccia or Schiaccia, a typical focaccia of the Tuscany region and often one of the most common street foods in Florence. Prepared while it is still warm from the oven, filling it with delicious Tuscan finocchiona salami and pecorino cheese, or with vegetables, porchetta and even truffles.

If you like focaccia try my cherry tomato and basil focaccia or check out my other focaccia topping ideas in the recipe.

If you decide to give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment below and rate it – it’s really helpful to me and other readers knowing what you think! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag me @thegourmetlarder or hashtag it #thegourmetlarder on Instagram or Facebook. I love seeing what you’ve been baking! 🙂

RECIPE HIGHLIGHTS

EASE: Easy to Intermediate (Kneading bread).
GREAT FOR: Great as a snack, complimenting to a meal or for making cold cut sandwiches.
TASTE: Juicy plump roasted grapes, with sweet and salty walnut bites of bread.
TEXTURE: Crispy edges and soft inside to the bite.
QUANTITY: 12 slices
TIME: 2 hours 45 minutes

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INGREDIENTS

For this Schiacciata recipe all you need are these 10 ingredients:

Yeast – ferments the natural sugars in the flour and releases carbon dioxide, but because the dough is elastic and stretchable the carbon dioxide cannot escape, causing the dough to rise.

Using fresh or dried yeast, click here for further guidance!

White bread flour – is made from hard, high-protein varieties of wheat, which have a higher gluten content than other flours. Gluten is the substance that makes the dough more elastic and stretchable, giving the final baked bread its fluffiness and lightness.

Olive oil – enhances the texture, flavour, and moisture of bread. Also free fatty acids in the oil, make the dough softer and easier to handle.

White wine – this counter balances the sweetness of the grapes. Make sure to use a nice wine otherwise it will just spoil the bread. If you don’t have wine or would rather not use it then just replace it with the same weight in warm water.

Black grapes – once roasted these juicy grapes, add an amazing sweetness to the bread and flavour.

Honey – adds sweetness

Fresh rosemary – for flavour

Walnuts – add texture and a nutty flavour.

Rock salt – adds flavour and texture

TIP: I highly recommend adding salt to your doughs and pastry. Salt helps balance out the sweetness and richness. It also elevates the other ingredients, bring out the best characteristics of any recipe. I recommend Maldon Sea salt flakes or Cornish sea salt.

WHAT VARIATIONS CAN I MAKE?

If you don’t like grapes they can easily be swapped out for olives or tomatoes.

Try other nuts instead of the walnuts, such as hazelnuts or pistachios.

Try different herbs instead of rosemary, try thyme, caraway or aniseed.

If you experiment, Please leave a comment at the bottom of the post – it’s really helpful to me and other readers knowing how you got on and I regularly update these posts and the feedback I receive helps to make the recipes even more useful.

NUTRITION

Serving: one schiacciata slice

Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.

I strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy.

I encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

STORAGE AND FREEZING

This schiacciata bread is best eaten on the day but will keep in an airtight tin for 2 days more.

Freezing: This bread can be wrapped in clingfilm and frozen for up to 2 months.

EQUIPMENT SUGGESTIONS

I think I have said it before that I am not a big fan of plastic, so I like this type of glass measuring jug for calculating my liquids.

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer Die-cast Metal, 300 W, 4.8 ltrs

Not everyone is lucky enough to have one of these but they are useful if you do a lot of baking or making bread.

Milk Saucepan, 1 Litre With Double Sided Pouring Lips

This small pan is a great size for boiling small amounts of liquids and it has pouring lips built into the rim of the saucepan which makes it easy to use.

Please check out my Shop for a curated collection of some of my favourite baking equipment. The Gourmet Larder is an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

TIP: I highly recommend using metric measurements and a digital kitchen scale, rather than cup measurements. If you have ever ended up with dry, dense or crumbly baked goods, it might be because of inaccurate volume measurements, not all measuring cups are made equally. All my recipes on this blog are carefully developed so that you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success, using metric measurements. It is also a lot easier, less messy and you will get far better, consistent results. 🙂
If you are interested in understanding conversions, here you will find the best conversion chart.

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RECIPE TIPS

Yeast requires warmth to become active and the trick is to get it started using warm water at body temperature 37°C (98°F). Make sure that it is not hotter than this as it will kill the yeast. You should be able to comfortably put your finger in it and hold it there. If it’s too hot it will kill the yeast. If you are using rapid-rise yeast, it does need to be dissolved in water and can be added directly to the other ingredients. This type of yeast will also take half of the time to make bread rise so you can easily skip the fist proving in this recipe.

Kneading bread – is surprisingly important in creating a good loaf of bread. Flour your worktop, then push, pull and stretch the dough until it’s smooth and elastic. There is usually a tendency to add more flour as the dough can be sticky, but avoid this as it may result in a dry dense bread. The dough will become less sticky the more it is worked. The protein in the flour will absorb the water creating the gluten strands, resulting in a nice smooth elastic dough.

Proofing – allows the yeast to work, helping the dough rise. Always place the dough to rest in a warm, humid environment until it doubles in size. Make sure to cover the dough with a damp, clean cloth. If you’re having trouble getting the dough to rise, place it in your oven with it turned off and the light inside on. This little heat from the the light should be sufficient to help it proof.

Stay in touch with me through social media on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates!

Schiacciata Bread

Preparation:20

Baking:25

Proving:2

Total:2 45

Servings: 12 slices

This schiacciata bread is very similar to focaccia. It has a crispy crust with a soft centre, filled with grapes, honey, walnuts and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

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INGREDIENTS LIST

240 ml water
15 g fresh yeast (5g dried yeast)
500 g white bread flour
10 g fine sea salt
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
100 ml white wine (or water)

Topping

250 g black grapes
2 tsp runny honey
1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
30 g walnuts (quartered)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
10 g flaky or rock salt

Preparation

Yeast: In a small saucepan, heat the water gently until it reaches body temperature 37°C/98°F. You should be able to comfortably put your finger in it and hold it there. If it's too hot it will kill the yeast.
Remove from the heat and stir in the yeast. Set aside until needed.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the wine, olive oil and yeast mixture. Using a metal spoon mix until well combined.
First prove: The dough will be soft and sticky. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a dry place for about 1.5 – 2 hours until it has at least doubled or even tripled in size. (You can also place it in the oven with it turned off and only the light on)
Prepare a cake ring or springform tin and remove the base and line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicone mat.
Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Dust with some more flour and then gently pick up one side of the dough and fold it over like a book. Turn the dough 90° and repeat this process 3 more times.
Then divide the dough into two.
Place the springform ring onto the baking tray and drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil into the centre spreading it around the base.
Place one of the halves of dough into the springform ring and push it down into the shape of the ring with your hands.
Once complete remove the ring and place it on a clean area of the work surface. Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil into the centre of the springform ring and spread it around. Place the second dough into the ring and push it down as with the first to fill the base of the ring.
Second prove: Cover both and let rise again for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven 200°C fan / 425°F / Gas 7.
After the second proving, scatter 2/3 grapes over the dough on the baking tray and 1 tsp honey.
Now take the second dough on the work surface and place it over the top of the first on the baking tray, so that it covers the second completely. Push down on the outer edges so that they seal tight together.
Scatter and push down into the dough the remaining grapes, walnuts and rosemary. Finally, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and rock salt.
Baking: Place in oven for 20-25 minutes, until the schiacciata is golden!
Enjoy warm or cool on a wire rack.