Schiacciata all'Uva Toscana

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 500 g plain flour
• 7 g dried yeast
• 300 ml warm water
• 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for the tray and drizzling
• 1 tsp fine salt
• For the filling and top
• 800 g Sangiovese or Canaiolo wine grapes, small, black, seeds in — not seedless table grapes
• 80 g caster sugar, divided between layers
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling over top layer
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped — top layer only
• ½ tsp black pepper, coarsely ground — top layer only

Method

1. 1
   Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and leave until a light foam appears at the surface, so you can confirm the yeast is alive and active before committing it to the dough. Combine with the flour, olive oil, and salt and work to a smooth, elastic dough — the dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the bowl and has a supple, almost silky feel under the heel of your hand. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and leave to rise until doubled in volume; it should spring back slowly, not snap back immediately, when pressed with a finger.
2. 2
   Oil a baking tray generously. Divide the risen dough into two equal pieces, then press and stretch the first piece to cover the base of the tray in an even layer. Scatter half the grapes over the surface, pressing each one firmly into the dough so that it sits embedded rather than resting on top — a grape that is merely resting will work its way loose and roll when the second layer of dough is placed over it. Drizzle generously with olive oil and scatter with half the sugar.
3. 3
   Press and stretch the second piece of dough over the first layer, sealing the grapes inside so that their juice is trapped and steams the interior as the bread bakes, keeping the crumb moist and fragrant. Press the remaining grapes firmly into the top surface so they are embedded throughout — a grape merely rested on top will not burst against the crust and will not caramelise into the sticky, jammy patches that define the bread. Drizzle the top layer very generously with olive oil, then scatter with the remaining sugar, the rosemary leaves, and the coarsely ground black pepper; the rosemary and pepper go only here, on the crust, not inside.
4. 4
   Bake in a hot oven until the bread is deep golden, the grapes have burst and their juice has caramelised against the crust, and the sugar has formed a golden, faintly crackling surface — the caramelised sugar seals the grape juice into a lacquer that gives the schiacciata its characteristic sticky sheen. The bread is done when the underside, lifted at a corner, is golden and the entire top is uniformly bronzed with darkened, sticky grape juice at each burst grape.
5. 5
   Remove from the oven and allow to settle for a few minutes before cutting, so the grape juices that have pooled inside are reabsorbed rather than running out the moment the bread is sliced. Serve the same day: as the grape juice continues to hydrate the bread overnight, the crust softens irreversibly and the character of the bread is lost.