Best Schiacciata Recipes

SCHIACCIATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Measure the water in a measuring cup, stir in the yeast and let develop for 10 minutes. It should look foamy when it's ready.
• Meanwhile, add the flour and kosher salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Turn on to whisk together and run for a minute or so to create a well. With the mixer running, add the water and yeast in a stream. Turn the mixer up to speed 2 and knead until the dough comes away from the bowl and it looks smooth and feels elastic but still sticky, 5 to 7 minutes. Flour your hands and knead the dough for a minute on the counter.
• Grease a large glass bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the dough, flip on both sides and cover with a clean tea towel. Place the dough in a warm spot to rise until it is double in size, about 1 hour.
• Spread a half sheet tray with the remaining olive oil. Lay the dough on top and stretch and pat out until it reaches 10-by-16-inches, an oval rough shape is ideal. Use your fingertips to press in small indentations. Sprinkle evenly with the cherry tomatoes, sea salt and rosemary leaves. Let rise again for 20 minutes.
• Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Slice into wedges or squares for serving and drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.

SCHIACCIATA ALLA FIORENTINA OR ITALIAN EASTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter.
• Mix flour, sugar, milk, olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and nutmeg in a large bowl until batter is well combined.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

FLORENTINE CARNIVAL CAKE (SCHIACCIATA ALLA FIORENTINA)

Steps:

• Lightly brush sides and bottom of an 11 x 7 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan with olive oil.
• Dissolve the yeast in water and follow directions on the package regarding how long to let it sit. Using a mixer at medium speed (or processor with dough blade), blend into the yeast mixture the following (in order): the flour, half of the sugar (1/4 cup plus two tablespoons), the salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, the two whole eggs. Blend at medium speed until smooth and well combined.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the orange zest, and cinnamon, blending until oil is incorporated into dough. This mixture will be sticky and unkneadable. Scrape the dough into a very lightly oiled bowl. Wrap the bowl in plastic wrap or a large towel and put it in a warm place (75 to 80° F, no drafts) for 1 1/2 hours to allow dough to rise.
• Using mixer (or processor with dough blade), again at medium speed, into the risen dough blend egg yolks and the remaining granulated sugar until fully incorporated. It should form a smooth, yet loose ball. Scrape mixture into the oiled baking pan. With your knuckles, even the dough to a uniform thickness, cover with a towel (preferable to plastic wrap, because the dough may expand over the pan edge), and place it in that warm place again until it rises to the edge of the pan, approximately 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 400° F. Bake dough until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edge of the pan. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Then, with a decisive motion, slam the pan on a counter to dislodge cake.
• Cover the cake with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. For decoration, you may cut out a stencil of a Florentine lily and lay it on the cake before its sugar coating for a traditional and very handsome design.

FOCACCIA WITH GRAPES (SCHIACCIATA CON L'UVA)

Steps:

• For crust:
• Stir together yeast, wine, honey, and warm water in a large bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in 1 cup flour (mixture will be lumpy). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Add oil, 1 1/2 cups flour, and sea salt and stir until a sticky dough forms.
• Knead dough on a floured work surface, gradually adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth and elastic but still soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer dough to an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Turn out dough onto work surface and knead several times to release air. Cut dough in half. Roll out 1 piece of dough, keeping remaining piece covered, with a lightly floured rolling pin into a rough 12- by 10-inch rectangle. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan and gently stretch to cover as much as possible of bottom (dough may not fit exactly).
• Scatter half of grapes over dough, then sprinkle grapes with 1/4 cup sugar. Roll out remaining piece of dough in same manner and put on top of grapes, gently stretching dough to cover grapes. Scatter remaining grapes and 1/4 cup sugar on top and gently press into dough. Cover pan with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Bake schiacciata in middle of oven until well browned and firm in middle, 40 to 45 minutes. Loosen sides and bottom of schiacciata with a spatula and slide onto a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature.

SCHIACCIATA WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Knead dough together with 4 tablespoons of oil, 2 ounces sugar and a pinch of salt. Roll half of it out thinly into a rectangular shape the same size as the baking tin. Grease the tin and line it with the thinly rolled out dough. Sprinkle this with 4 tablespoons of sugar and half of the grapes. Roll out the remaining dough and put this on top to form a second layer. Sprinkle with the rest of the grapes. Let in rise in a warm space, then sprinkle with remaining sugar and cook for 30 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
• Combine the water, yeast, and honey and let sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture is foamy. Add the flour and the salt and mix until well combined and a dough is formed. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
• Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in a warm, draft-free spot, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

SCHIACCIATA ALLA FIORENTINA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking pan.
• Add flour, sugar, baking powder, orange zest, orange juice, eggs, milk, and oil. Beat with a hand mixer until thoroughly mixed together, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the batter to the buttered pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Test the cake with a toothpick inserted into the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Let cool for about 30 minutes on the counter, then flip the cake out of the baking pan. Slice and serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

SCHIACCIATA SANDWICHES

Steps:

• For the bread: Preheat the oven, pizza oven or grill to 550 degrees F. Add 1/2 cup of the bread flour, the lukewarm water and the yeast to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix well and let sit until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Whisk together the remaining 3 1/2 cups bread flour and the salt in another bowl so it will be evenly distributed.
• Once the yeast mixture is nice and bubbly and looks like foamy beer, add 3/4 cup cold water and the olive oil. Fit the mixer with a dough hook and begin mixing, adding the flour mixture in increments. Mix the dough until the dough starts creeping up the dough hook and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
• Place the dough in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Turn to coat all sides of the dough with oil. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean tea towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch the dough down, and let rise for another hour.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal disks. Lightly flour a work surface with semolina flour. Stretch each disk out to a 10-inch round using your fingers or heels of your hands (and a rolling pin, if you prefer).
• Flatten the disks of dough into rounds about 1/2-inch thick and press with fingers to make holes. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
• If using a pizza oven, bake until the bread has browned and is starting to char slightly on the edge, about 10 minutes.
• If using a grill, lay the dough oiled-side up and grill until char marks appear on the bottom. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the second side.
• If using a regular oven, turn a baking sheet upside-down on the center rack of the oven. Slide the schiacciata onto the baking sheet. Bake until browned on the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. (Ovens vary, so times will be different. Use the visual clues to help you know when it's done.)
• Set the breads aside to cool.
• For assembly: Slice the schiacciata in half horizontally to make sandwich halves. Cut into quarters and fill with assorted fillings as desired. Serve immediately.

SCHIACCIATA CON L'UVA: FOCACCIA TOPPED WITH GRAPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a marble worktable stretch and flatten out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Place the dough onto a greased baking tray leaving 1/2 of the dough off the pan. Add 1/2 the grapes and squish the grapes with your hands to release the juices into the dough. Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar and add 1 rosemary sprig. Drizzle the dough with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Gently fold over the remaining dough over the grapes and pinch down the ends. Repeat the process using the remaining grapes, sugar, rosemary, and olive oil.
• Cook for approximately 20 minutes.

SCHIACCIATA ALL'UVA (ITALIAN SWEET BREAD WITH GRAPES)

Steps:

• Heat a convection oven to 350 degrees F or a conventional oven to 375 degrees F.Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with olive oil spray.
• Combine the sugar, flour, cornmeal, baking powder and orange zest in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed.
• Add the cream and milk to the egg yolks and whisk together. Pour into the dry ingredients. Add the butter, Marsala and vanilla extract, and mix on low speed until combined, scraping the sides and bottom as needed. Add the grapes and mix briefly to disperse.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until well browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SCHIACCIATA WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add the onions, season with salt so the onions release their liquid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the onions stop releasing water and the pan is nearly dry again, about 4 minutes. Do not allow the onions to brown. Add the water, stir, cover, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the thyme, and cook over medium heat until the onions are light brown, about 10 minutes longer. Season lightly with pepper. Do not cook the onions too long now as they will brown further in the oven. Let cool for several minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Dust 2 baking sheets with cornmeal. Cut the dough into 3 equal pieces. Working on a floured surface, shape each piece of dough by hand or with a rolling pin into an 8-inch round, keeping the edges a little thicker than the center. Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheets. Brush each round with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and divide the onions evenly among them. Let rise for about 20 minutes.
• Push the dough with your fingers. Top each round with the caramelized onions and then scatter olives on top. Dot rounds evenly with the cheese. Bake until light brown all around the edges and on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Let cool for a minute, then, if desired, pile a handful of parley leaves on top of each. If using, put the vinegar in a spray bottle and mist the parsley.
• Chef's Note: Diced cooked potatoes are also a good addition to the onions.