Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: grape ‘schiacciata’

settembre 18, 2009

September, grape harves time. Now we don’t have a vineyard, just a little plot of land with some olive trees and a piece of vegetable garden. But several years ago, when my family was made up by farm labourers, it was different: there were many olive trees, a well provided vegetable garden, cows to work the fields, Bianchina the goat for the milk, Gilda the horse, with a nice gig to go to town, hens and chickens, rabbits and a vineyard.

Each week my grandgrandma Pia used to make bread for all the family. In this period a part of the bread was flattened and sprinkled with sugar and grapes, a very delicious way to eat bread! Grandma Menna has made this schiacciata a few times for me, but I still remember the crunchy side of this bread, due to grape seeds, and the voluptuous sensation of a soft and juicy bit!

Ingredients:

• flour tipo 0, 400 gr
• brewer’s yeast, 20 gr
• a bunch of black grapes for the wine
• caster sugar, about 100 gr

Making of

First of all, you have to make bread dough for the schiacciata. Sift the flour on a flat surface and make a well in the center of the flour. Dissolve yeast in a few warm water tablespoons and pour it with 2 – 3 olive oil tablespoons into the well. Start kneading with your hands, adding few tablespoons of water at time, until you have an elastic and not sticky dough. Set aside in abowl and leave to rise for about one hour. It should double its size.

After one hour, knead again the dough with 2 olive oil tablespoons, halve it and flatten a part into a rectangular baking-pan, with high edges, 15 cm wide and 30 cm long. Drizzle half of the grapes on it, press them and sprinkle generously with sugar. Cover with the remaining dough, flattening it and sealing all around the edges.

Sprinkle with the remaining grapes and sugar, drizzle with some extravirgin olive oil to grease the surface and set aside to raise again for about one hour.

Preheat oven to 180°C and bake the schiacciata for at least 30 minutes, until it is glossy and golden.

P.S. These are some shots of the place where I ‘bought’ my grapes… I was coming back from work and taking some pictures, then I noticed the grapes… it was simply irresistible!

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Posted in Baked Good, Desserts, Family recipes, Tuscan Recipes