Grape Focaccia is a sweet focaccia with a sugary crust on the surface and juicy grapes inside: a real goodness! It’s an ancient Tuscan recipe made with bread dough, black grapes, extra virgin olive oil and sugar.
The bread dough acts as a base and cover, meanwhile the grapes are placed as a filling and on the surface. The result is therefore two layers of soft focaccia and two layers of grapes.
In ancient times, the Tuscan Grape Focaccia or Schiacciata con l’Uva was made at the time of the harvest, when there was a lot of ripe grapes. The bread and focaccia were strictly homemade.
Even today, in September and October, in Tuscan bakeries you can find this delicious Schiacciata con l’Uva. In many Italian families the tradition of making it at home is still widespread.
Like the famous Castagnaccio, Grape Focaccia is a healthy delicious snack, even perfect for breakfast. So let’s show you how to make Italian Grape Focaccia step by step recipe!
Read also:
- How to Make Tomato Focaccia
- Piadina Recipe | How to Make Italian Flatbread
- Homemade Crusty Italian Bread
- Pappa al Pomodoro Recipe | Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup
How to Make Tuscan Grape Focaccia Recipe or Schiacciata con l’Uva
- Prep Time: 30 Min + 2 Hours of Leavening
- Cook Time: 45 Min
- Yelds: 8
Grape Focaccia Ingredients
Doses for a 20 cm x 30 cm (10 inch x 12 inch) baking sheet
- 500 g (1,1 Lb – 3 1/2 cups) of “00” flour
- 250 ml (1 cup) of warm water
- 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon of dry brewer’s yeast or active dry yeast
- 2 bunches (about 1 Lb) of black grape (Concord Grape, Isabella Grape or Wine grape)
Kitchen Tools You May Need to Make Grape Focaccia (Schiacciata con l’Uva)
To make the dough a kneading machine is certainly useful if you don’t have a lot of practice in kneading. You need also a rather large bowl because the dough have to double its volume during the leavening.
However, a Pastry Board is necessary because the dough still has to be worked a little by hand before rising. You may also need a Dough Cutter to better cut the dough in two pieces and a Rolling Pin to roll out the dough.
We recommend using a silicone kitchen brush to sprinkle the oil evenly on the Focaccia surface.
Finally, a medium-sized square or rectangular Baking sheet pan (about 25 cm x 30 cm – 10 inch x 12 inch) .
Directions
Step 1) – Stir together the yeast and 50 ml (about 1/4 cup) of warm water. Melt well the yeast then set aside. Meanwhile, place the flour in a large bowl or on a pastry board. Pour in the center the yeast dissolved in the water.
Step 2) – Add a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar and the remaining 3/4 cups of water.
Step 3) – Start kneading with your hands. You need to obtain a smooth, soft and elastic dough. If you use a KNEADING MACHINE, pour the ingredients into the bowl of the machne in the same sequence. Knead the first 2 minutes with the leaf accessory and then with the hook. Knead the dough at low speed until it forms a ball that detaches from the walls of the mixer bowl.
Step 4) – Put the dough ball in a rather large bowl greased with a little bit of oil and cover it with plastic wrap or a cloth. Let the dough rise at room temperatire until doubled in volume. It will take about 1 hour and a half.
Step 5) – While the dough is rising, you can start to prepare the grapes. Wash and dry them. Then gently remove the grapes from the bunch and keep them aside (see the paragraph below about “What Kind of Grapes to Use”). Take the dough again and add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Step 6) – Knead it for a couple of minutes. Now divide the dough into two parts.
Step 7) – Roll out the two parts of dough separately with the help of a floured rolling pin. Line the bottom of the baking sheet with parchment paper. Then put down the first focaccia dough.
Step 8) – Spread the grapes on the surface, pressing them lightly. Sprinkle with a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of oil. To spread the oil evenly over the entire surface, we recommend using a kitchen brush.
Step 9) – Cover with the second layer of focaccia dough. Press the side edges well with your fingers to close the focaccia on every side.
Step 10) – And again distribute the grapes, another tablespoon of sugar and another tablespoon of oil. Don’t worry if you can’t get the dough right up to the edges of the pan. When the dough has finished rising it will increase in volume and you can lay it out better with your hands.
Step 11) – Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes to finish rising. After these minutes, the dough will have increased a little more and, with your fingertips, you can lay it out better, covering the whole baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° C (350 F) for 45 minutes.
Tuscan Grape Focaccia is ready, fragrant and tasty. Let it cool before serving.
Have a look to Tuscan Schiacciata con L’Uva web story
Storage
Tuscan Grape Focaccia keeps all its softness and scent for about 2 days. Wrap it completely in cling film and store it at room temperature, or in food bags, already cut into pieces. You can even freeze it.
What is “Schiacciata”?
The Italian word “Schiacciata” means “squashed” and in the Tuscan dialect is synonymous with “Focaccia”. So in Tuscany it’s a common way to call the Focaccia.
What Kind Of Grapes Do You Use For Schiacciata Con l’Uva?
The secret for making the perfect grape focaccia is to use the right grape.
The traditional Tuscan grape focaccia recipe uses Canaiola grapes, a typical variety of the Chianti area. This is a delicious black grape with small, very sweet and very juicy grapes.
Obviously this grape is almost impossible to find elsewhere.
The most similar to Canaiola grape and suitable for this recipe are Concord Grape, Isabella Grape or Wine grape. This variety of grapes is more common and also available outside Italy.
According to the traditional recipe of Italian Schiacciata con l’uva, it’s absolutely forbidden to remove the seeds from the grapes which, indeed, are a particular characteristic of this recipe. The Wine and Concord grapes are delicious, and very tasty but they have a lot of seeds. We advise you not to pit them: it’s difficult to do and too much liquid will ooze from them in the dough.
However many prefer to use seedless grapes such as the Flame grape or seedless Concord grape. The important thing is that it’s a small sweet black grape. Avoid large grape such as the Red Globe which has too much juice and tend to make the Focaccia too moist and make difficult the cooking.
How to Serve Grape Focaccia
First of all it must be said that, according to Italian tradition, the Schiacciata con l’Uva is tasted rigorously cool, to allow the sugar to blend with the grape must and give the schiacciata its unmistakable flavor.
In Tuscany, Grape Focaccia is eaten as it is and is delicious on its own. As an afternoon snack or as a breakfast in the morning with a glass of milk or also as a dessert. These are the traditional uses of this fantastic focaccia.
However, the Schiacciata all’uva is also really good with savory cheeses such as Gorgonzola and aged Pecorino Toscano. In this way you will have a really tasty and original appetizer or aperitif, with the fantastic contrast between sweet and salty.
Grape Focaccia Recipe: Etruscan Origin
The origins of Grape Focaccia Recipe seem to date back to the Etruscan period. The Etruscan civilization is a great civilization, traces of which date back to the distant 10th century BC, established prevalently on the Tuscan territory, at the time known by the name of Etruria.
There are testimonies starting from the eighth century BC, which seem to lead back to this civilization, the ancient dessert made of wheat flour and enriched with black grapes.
The dish was most likely accompanied by a wine-based drink flavored with spices and honey … people of great science and also fine gourmets these Etruscans!
