Bread baking has been the biggest obsession of this year for me. I am glad that I have tried out several different kinds of bread and I am also glad to be back to baking with this lovely group of bread bakers where one member chooses the theme for the month and the rest of us pick from the multitude of bread recipes that conform to that theme. The theme for the month of October is ‘Fall/Autumn Breads‘ hosted by Wendy Klik who blogs at A Day in the Life on the Farm. This is the part I like best as we have the freedom to select the kind of bread we want to bake. These days I like to bake breads that will my little ones will like. Imagine going through the whole process of bread baking if there are no takers!
Over a period of time I have realised that savoury breads score higher over the sweet ones. I can always use up plain or savoury breads at home as my son likes to take some to school as well so when this month’s theme was announced I was hesitant and decided I would wait till the last minute (which I usually never do) and participate in the challenge only if I could manage to find a suitable recipe. I had always wanted to bake a the famous Italian focaccia (pronounced as ‘fo-ka-chya’), a flat bread similar to the pizza, seasoned with herbs, salt and olive oil and topped with a variety of toppings such as olives, meats, onions, cheese etc. The bread I have selected today is essentially a focaccia but is called as the Schiacciata Con L’uva (pronounced as ‘Skiya-chya-tha Kon-Loova’) which is a flatbread topped with grapes. This bread is usually made in Tuscany during the fall (autumn season, around September-October) to use up leftover grapes from the harvest. While small wine grapes are traditionally used here, any grapes work well.
When I found this recipe I was really happy as I had some red grapes hanging around the fruit basket. I googled for a recipe of focaccia with grapes and that’s when I came across a whole lot of gorgeous pictures of the schiacciata. To my luck, it also fit the theme so well. Since the schiacciata is also seasoned with fresh rosemary I went hunting for it but unfortunately the store ran out of that day so I replaced it with the dried version which worked well. However since fresh herbs scattered on the bread make it look even more beautiful I would still prefer to use the fresh herb.I went along with the recipe and decided to use some goat cheese. It was my first experience with it and I fell in love with it. Goat cheese tastes a lot like feta but is creamier and less salty. If you don’t have goat cheese you can replace it with feta or any soft cheese of your choice. My son was completely bowled over by the taste and helped himself generously to the remaining cheese. The addition of sliced black olives was my own idea so you can skip them if you wish tovbut they do add to the overall taste
. You see, this bread is simply wonderful as it won’t fail to please you anytime of the day. Have it for breakfast or as a snack or as a dessert. The best part about this particular recipe is that it is a no knead bread. I was pretty apprehensive about the final result as all I needed to do was mix the flour and the liquid and make a paste like dough (more like a thick batter) and pour it into the pan. After an hour of proofing it was ready to be baked and we got to taste some wonderfully risen, ultra spongy bread that got gobbled up in no time! The sweetness of the grapes and honey was perfectly paired with the saltiness of the olives (and cheese) and the creaminess of the cheese.
I do hope you give it a try, it won’t fail to impress you, I promise!
Recipe adapted from foodess.com
Other references: Italianfoodieforever.com
Let’s take a look at the other Fall Flavors being shared today
- Apple Crumb Quick Bread from Food Lust People Love
- Apple Raisin Bread from A Shaggy Dough Story
- Browned Butter Semolina Pumpkin Bread from Sizzling Tastebuds
- Buttermilk Wheat Bread from Magnolia Days
- Eggless Apple Sage Cheddar Scones from Spill the Spices
- Fall Harvest Bread from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Fig Focaccia from My Catholic Kitchen
- Harvest Grains Bread from Hostess At Heart
- Mr. Potato Bread from What Smells So Good?
- Multigrain Bread With Seeds from Sneha’s Recipe
- Pumpkin and Apple Cornmeal Griddle Cakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pumpkin Bread from la cocina de Aisha
- Pumpkin Breadfrom Sara’s Tasty Buds
- Pumpkin Bread Rolls from SpiceRoots
- Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls from Recipes, Food and Cooking
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls with Cinnamon Butter from Bread Therapy
- Pumpkin, Poppy & Papaya Seeded Breadsticks from G’Gina’s Kitchenette
- Pumpkin Raisin Bagels from Cook’s Hideout
- Pumpkin Saffron Yeast Biscuits from The Schizo Chef
- Pumpkin Scones from A Baker’s House
- Pumpkin Sourdough Bread from Passion Kneaded
- Schiacciata Con L’uva (Tuscan Style Grape, Olive and Goat Cheese Focaccia) from Ruchik Randhap
- Sesame Seeded Semolina Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Spicy Pumpkin Yeast Bread from Mayuri’s Jikoni
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.
We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.
Schiacciata Con l’uva (Tuscan Style Grape, Olive and Goat Cheese Focaccia) ~ No Knead Bread
Schiacciata Con l’uva is a flatbread topped with grapes. This bread is usually made in Tuscany during the fall (autumn season, around September-October) to use up leftover grapes from the harvest.
Print
Pin
Rate
Ingredients
- 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour maida
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups warm water
- 2 tablespoons honey divided
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1/2 cup soft goat cheese crumbled
- 1 cup seedless red grapes or any other variety
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, yeast and salt. Mix together the warm water, 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil and add it to the flour mixture. Use a spatula or spoon to mix everything well to a paste like consistency.
- Grease and line a 13×9″ pan with baking parchment, pour the dough into it and even it out slightly. There is no need to fill up all the space. Cover with cling wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place for approx 40-50 mins or till doubled in volume.
- When the dough has doubled, poke deep holes evenly into the surface using lightly oiled fingers (the dough will still be sticky). Drizzle the remaining olive oil and honey all over it and cover the surface with the rosemary, chunks of goat cheese, grapes and olives. Leave the pan uncovered for another 15 minutes while your oven preheats to 190 C
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool slightly before cutting. Serve with olive oil or any dip of your choice
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap
Oh wow – the sweetness of grapes with the saltiness of olives = a lovely balance and flavor combo.
Yum, Yum, Yum and with Goat's cheese in the mix…bliss!
I've never baked with grapes like this before, but love the idea of pairing them with this bread and olives!
Shireen, I cannot begin to tell you how intrigued I am by this loaf. I am definitely putting this on my to make list. Thanks so much for sharing.
I have some grapes in the kitchen and this is an ideal way to use them! No goat cheese in the house at the moment, I wonder if feta would be a good substitute? Might try it!
As I reading the post and trying to scroll down as fast as possible,my mouth was watering. The bread looks so beautiful. It's going into my to try list. Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe.
Lovely studded bread and flavor combinations!
Never tried grapes in baking. Focaccia looks so fluffy and delicious.
This has been on my to do list for so long – yours came out gorgeous
Just gorgeous! I haven't used grapes in a bread before but your focaccia is a great reason to finally give it a try!
A beautiful bread I love it and must try it.
Made this last evening Shireen – loved it. Thank you for getting me started on breads.Your recipes are so good and easy to follow.
Thanks everyone for the wonderful compliments!!