Schiacciata con l’uva – Grape focaccia
September, grape harvest 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 laborers, 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.
My grand-grand dad Piero used to make wine for the family and to sell a part of it; with the same grapes he made also vinegar and vinsanto (sweet white raisin wine). September and October were generous months and the countryside started giving autumnal fruits. When the black grapes were ripe, it was time for grapes schiacciata (a kind of flat bread).
Each week my grand-grandma 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!
Schiacciata con l’uva – Grape focaccia
Grandma Marcella 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!
Grape focaccia - Schiacciata con l'uva
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share by EmailIngredients
- About 400 g of flour
- 20 g of fresh brewer's yeast
- Extra virgin olive oil
- About 200 ml of water
- 2 bunches of black grapes
- 150 g of sugar
Instructions
- First of all make the bread dough for the schiacciata.
- Sift the flour on a wooden surface and make a well in the centre. Dissolve the yeast in a few tablespoons of warm water and pour it into the well with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
- Knead the dough adding a few tablespoons of water at time, until you have an elastic and not sticky dough.
- Set aside in a bowl greased with olive oil and leave to rise for about one hour and a half.
- It should double its size.
- Now knead the dough again with a tablespoon of olive oil, halve it and flatten one half into a rectangular baking pan with high edges, 15 cm wide and 30 cm long, previously generously greased with olive oil. Drizzle half of the grapes on it, press them into the dough 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 extra virgin olive oil to grease the surface and set aside to raise again for about one hour.
- Preheat oven to 190°C and bake the schiacciata for about 40 – 45 minutes, until it is glossy and golden.
- Serve warm or cold.
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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Sounds yummy ! Thank you for sharing. Cheers !
Very interesting way to use grapes. I really do enjoy your blog because it gives a good idea of Italian cuisine and all the good things that come from there
love this bread and what a beautiful place sweet grandma
wow – this bread looks gorgeous!
The bread looks delicious and your photos are lovely!
This makes me smile 🙂 Last time I was at mum’s for harvest I did a foccaccia with grapes, rosemary and sea salt. Can’t wait to try it this year with a middle grape layer like yours!
rosemary! I would love to add rosemary next time!
There is it with rosemary on the picture, isn’t it ???
Apart from that, I would like to ask: in other cook’s recipes, there is only very small amount of yeast, for 1kg flour like 4g to max. 10g only. Why in your recipe is so much yeast? I made it, and it was not very soft. It does not look soft on your pictures, rather hard. Is is supposed to be this way?
Thank you.
Hello Mia, this is a new photo I’ve taken recently, and I added rosemary, too!
I’m developing a new recipe with less yeast now, this is a very old one, though this is fresh brewers’ yeast, not the dried active one, which you require in lesser amounts.
It is not a soft focaccia as you might expect from a plain focaccia just with olive oil, here you have sugar, and olive oil, and all the grapes to weigh it down, it si chewy and not fluffy at all!
I will try it looks delicious !!!!
thank you Mohsen!
Can active dry yeast be used instead of the fresh brewer’s yeast, and if so, what amount do you recommend? Also, do you think this recipe might work with other fruits like blueberries or peaches?
HI Gabriella, yes, active dry yeast can be used instead of fresh yeast, you can find a useful guide here > https://www.thespruceeats.com/baking-yeast-dry-and-fresh-yeast-measurements-1446706
And you can use blueberries, peaches, even blackberries!
Yesterday evening I started baking. Julian’s grape foccachia.
I have never baked before so that the dough is made on the table; flours where the liquid is poured in.
When I put my hands in the dough, I started lightly squeeze it and move with both hands. It was soft, velvety. I nearly asleep, I closed my eyes. It was quiet, I felt the smell of dough and the slipping of my hands on the baking tray.
I almost cried. I have had a neck and nerve pain in my right hand and I have been disabled. Also I sleep poorly.
But now. Here. I was in my kitchen, my hands in the dough, I was in heaven, I was in Tuscany. Thank you Julia! Kiitos!
thank you so much Marja-Liisa, break making can be really therapeutic, especially when made with such enthusiasm! I’m so so happy it worked also as a travelling machine!