This is a rustic sweet flatbread made with red grapes, sugar, extra virgin olive oil and often with fresh rosemary or fennel seeds. It’s a seasonal treat in Italy, made in the autumn during the wine grape harvest, using a few simple, on-hand ingredients. data-pin-do=)
Schiacciata (skee-ahh-chaa-tah) with Grapes by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
October 26, 2017
“Schiacciata”: to squash or crush (Italian)
This is a rustic sweet flatbread made with red grapes, sugar, extra virgin olive oil and often with fresh rosemary or fennel seeds. It’s a seasonal treat in Italy, made in the autumn during the wine grape harvest, using a few simple, on-hand ingredients.
- Prep: 1 hrs
- Cook: 45 mins
Ingredients
16 - 20 ounces prepared pizza dough (or feel free to make your own!)
3 ounces (generous 1/3 cup) sanding sugar (Sanding sugar has large crystals and is often used to decorate tops of cookies.)
1 ½ pounds red seedless grapes
Pinch kosher salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
All-purpose (“AP”) flour for rolling out dough
Directions
Coat the pizza dough in flour and let come to room temperature before rolling. A warmed pizza dough is more pliable and easier to roll or stretch out.
2. Preheat oven to 375 or 350 if using a convection oven.
3. De-stem the grapes, wash and pat dry. Cut the grapes in half. Try this chef’s ‘hack’ for cutting grapes in half: Put 2 plastic lids, same size, on the counter. (the lids to a quart take-out deli container will work) Fill the bottom lid with grapes, one layer only. Place the second lid on top of the grapes…corral them in the bottom lid. Hold the top lid down on the grapes and use a chef’s knife to slice between the 2 lids, effectively slicing the grapes in half. Toss the halved grapes in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar.
4. Grind or coarsely crush the fennel seeds and add to the grapes. Add a pinch of kosher salt.
(a pinch is smaller than a one-eighth teaspoon.
5. Lightly oil the bottom of a ½ sheet pan or pizza pan. Cover with a ½ sheet of parchment paper and lightly oil that. Roll out the ball of dough into a circle or rectangle; match the shape of the pan you are using for baking. Roll and/or press out to a ¼ inch.
6. Put dough onto prepared parchment-covered baking pan. Drizzle with another tablespoon of oil and spread it all over the surface. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar and scatter the sugared grapes over the surface. Cover the surface. Press the grapes down into the dough.
7. Let rise in warm place for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Sprinkle a bit more sugar over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn pan around and bake another 20 minutes. Flatbread may or may not need more time. This will depend on the thickness of the dough.
9. If it seems undercooked—or ‘doughy’, keep baking for more time, checking at 5 minute intervals.
10. Top should be crusty, glistening and sticky-looking.
11. Let cool before slicing.
12. Best eaten warm with whipped cream, mascarpone or ice-cream.
