Schiaccita con l'Uva

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This Tuscan sweet bread is traditionally made using Sangiovese grapes, the essence of the Chianti wines. It's traditionally baked to celebrate the end of the wine harvest. By nature, wine grapes are full of seeds, have a tougher skin and are smaller than the table grapes we enjoy all year round. It's for this reason that red table grapes are not best suited to Schiaccita con l'Uva as they produce too much juice and often make the dough soggy and unpleasant. 

The small town of Conegliano, in the Veneto, is home to a dry white Prosecco, made from the glera grape. The inhabitants of the town still enjoy their Schiaccita, but here, they make it with raisins which work better with the dough and produce a delicious and tasty sweet bread, whether it's grape season or not. 

The Schiaccita con l'Uva can be made with a standard bread dough, to which is added a little olive oil and sugar or, as in this case, a brioche-like dough, enriched with egg and which produces a more delicate bread that lasts longer and is perfect with that cup of morning coffee.

There are three sets of INGREDIENTS

for the SPONGE

240 gms warm water

2 large eggs (110 gms)

250 gms Type 00 flour (or equivalent)

45 gms granulated sugar

5 gms dried active yeast

for the DOUGH

250 gms Type 00 flour (or equivalent)

55 gms unsalted butter

28 gms of lard (or equivalent in olive oil)

5 gms fine sea salt

for the FILLING

500 gms raisins

150 gms granulated sugar

And now, let's move on to the METHOD

Stage 1: Making the SPONGE

Into a large bowl, stir in the water and the sugar. Add the yeast, stir, cover and leave for about 10 - 20 minutes until the mixture is foamy. It'll take as long as it takes....have patience.  

Beat in the eggs, then add the flour in two parts and mix thoroughly with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. 

Cover and leave at room temperature until it starts to bubble. Have patience, it might take longer than you think. This one took about 20 minutes at 19⁰C (kitchen)

Stage 2: Making the DOUGH

Soften the lard (oil oil) to room temperature and beat into the sponge mixture. 

Beat in the butter, a little at a time. Add the flour and bring it all together. 

Knead for about 8 - 9 minutes until the dough is soft, silky and reasonably stiff. 

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise until it has doubled in size. Because of the presence of eggs, this will take longer than you might expect. Watch the dough, not the clock, but be prepared to wait for at least an hour and possibly longer - maybe up to 2 hours. 

Proofing time : 1hr 20 mins at 23⁰C

While you're waiting, soak 250 gms of the raisins in cold water for one hour (just enough water to cover them). Then drain and gently squeeze out the excess water and liquid. 

Tip: if you wish, you can soak your raisins in Moscato or Vin Santo to add that very special flavour. 

Stage 3: Filling the dough

Turn the dough out gently onto a lightly floured surface. Weigh and divide into two equal portions. DO NOT KNOCK THE DOUGH BACK OR DE-GAS IT. 

Stretch one half of the dough out to make a rectangle big enough to cover the base of a well-buttered or prepared baking pan roughly 16 inches x 11 inches in area. (40cm x 27cm). 

Lay the dough in the pan and cover with the raisins that HAVE NOT been soaked. Then sprinkle over half the sugar (75gms). 

Stretch the remaining half of the dough to a similar size and cover the raisins and the sugar. 

Gently pat down the dough, sealing the edges and use a cocktail stick or similar to poke small holes in the dough to allow the air to escape. 

Pat dry the soaked and drained raisins and sprinkle them over the top layer of dough. Then sprinkle with the remaining 75gm of sugar. 

Tip: In areas of Tuscany, chopped rosemary is added. However, this is not the tradition in the Veneto. Some bakers do sprinkle a few fennel seeds over the dough before baking. This is optional, of course. 

I sometimes sprinkle a little cinnamon over the first layer. 

Cover and allow to second prove. You're waiting for the dough to double in volume. Because this is an enriched dough, it may take a little longer than you think. Have patience and watch the dough, not the clock. 

Stage 4: Baking

Preheat the oven to  200⁰C (400⁰F) OR 190⁰C (370⁰F) : FAN. 

Bake for about 30 minutes until golden.

 Cool for a few minutes in the pan or on the sheet and then remove to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely. 

From the taste-testers...

Happy Baking...