Sicilian-style flattened bread with grapes

This recipe is similar to the Tuscan focaccia Schiacciata, meaning flattened bread. A unusual baked bread that’s wine and grape heavy; it is popular in the wine growing areas of Sicily and the south of Italy where, after the harvest there’s inevitable gluts of overripe or damaged grapes and excess wine. It can be considered a desert as there is a sweet element from the sugared grapes but I enjoy this with salty cheese such as pecorino or a blue. A glass of nero d’avola would complete the picture for me.

Serves about 12

a 7g sachet dried yeast 

4 tablespoons Chianti or other dry red wine

1 tablespoon runny honey

about 175ml lukewarm water

400g ‘00’ pasta flour, or 200g plain flour and 200g strong flour

60ml extra virgin olive oil (preferably Sicilian)

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

500g black seedless grapes (I use Sable)

100g caster sugar

icing sugar to finish (optional)

Stir together the yeast, wine, honey and warm water in a large bowl until the yeast has dissolved. Set aside until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 150g of the flour (the mixture will be lumpy). Cover the bowl with clingfilm and a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 40–50 minutes or until doubled in size.

Add the oil, 200g of the remaining flour and the salt and stir until a sticky dough forms. Knead the dough on a floured work surface for 8–10 minutes, gradually adding the remaining flour if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking, until the dough is smooth and elastic but still soft.

Transfer the dough to an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Turn out the dough on to the work surface and knead several times to release air. Cut the dough in half. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out one piece (keeping the remaining piece covered) into a rough 30 x 25cm rectangle. Lift the dough rectangle into a lightly oiled 38 x 25cm baking tin that is 2.5cm deep. Gently stretch the dough to cover as much of the bottom of the tin as possible (the dough may not fit exactly).

Scatter half of the grapes over the dough, then sprinkle the grapes with half of the sugar. Roll out the remaining piece of dough in the same manner and place it on top of the sugared grapes, gently stretching the dough to cover them. Scatter the remaining grapes and sugar on top and gently press into the dough. Cover the tin with clingfilm and a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6.

Bake the bread in the middle of the oven for 25–30 minutes or until well browned and firm in middle. Loosen the sides and base of the bread with a spatula and slide on to a wire rack to cool. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with icing sugar if you like.