Friday, June 12, 2009

Schiacciata con l'uva (Grape Bread or Tuscan Flat Bread)

I have always loved the grape bread at Terra breads. It's has to be made and sold fresh so you can only get it at the real store. I tried a lot of different recipes and techniques but this one is my favourite so far but I think it can be improved.

I used the Kneadless Bread method for this incredibly delicious Tuscan flat bread. Sonya and Max were here to try the latest version and pronounced it very good. Max by the way, being of Italian heritage, taught me how to pronounce schiacciata. It sounds so good when pronounced with the right accent. It is pronounced "skiachatta". It means "pressed" and uva means "grapes". Maybe it's called "pressed" because the Italians made this bread when they were pressing grapes or maybe because the bread dough is pressed flat.

I use Rogers flour for baking (no additives). I like the black seedless grapes, they are very sweet but any seedless grapes will work.

Schiacciata con l'uva
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 tsp. plus a bit yeast (instant or bread machine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. plus a bit kosher salt
3/8 cup olive oil
1-5/8 cups water
3-4 cups grapes
1 cup pinenuts or finely chopped walnuts or half cup of each

Instructions:
Measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Don't let the yeast and salt touch each other until you mix them with the other dry ingredients.
Mix dry ingredients well.
Mix oil and water in a measuring cup and then add to dry ingredients.
Stir until all the flour is incorporated - maybe 30 seconds.
Cover the bowl with clean towel and let rise 12-18 hours at room temperature.
Meanwhile:
Wash 3 cups of seedless small sweet black grapes and remove grapes from stems.
Slit each grape with knife or press with fingers to squash slightly. If you skip this step, no worries.
Add 2 Tbsp. sugar to the grapes, stir and set aside.
After 12 to 18 hours:
Get two cookie sheets ready. Drizzle olive oil on them to prevent sticking while you shape the bread.
Lightly oil your hands and gently pull the dough away from sides of bowl, and then pick it up and pinch it into two balls.
Using your hands, spread one ball out on each cookie sheet, pressing the dough out to about 9 x 13 inches in size.
Sprinkle one half with the pine nuts and/or chopped walnuts.
On same half, lay out half the grapes in rows about 1/2 or 1 inch apart or randomly.
Put the second piece of dough on top of the first half.
Put another layer of grapes on the top.
Drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle with fennel seeds or finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional).
Cover with a clean cloth and let rise 3 hours at room temperature.
After 3 hours:
Preheat oven for 20 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes, watching carefully and removing it when it's golden brown and the edges are crisp.

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