Harvest Grape Focaccia

La storia di questo piatto

Wine-grape focaccia is the harvest season turned into bread: a golden crumb studded with small, dark strawberry grapes, a sweet-and-savory gesture that belongs to Italy's vineyard country. It is a home kitchen's homage to the vendemmia, not an ancient decree, and all the more tender for it.

Ingredienti

• 400 g Type 00 flour
• 10 g Fresh brewer's yeast
• 220 ml Lukewarm water
• 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g Sugar
• 8 g Fine salt
• 500 g Fox grapes
• 1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons Brown sugar

Preparazione

1. In a cup, dissolve the brewer's yeast in the lukewarm water with a teaspoon of the 20 g of sugar, stirring gently with a spoon: wait about 5 minutes, until a light foam forms on the surface, a sign the yeast is active. In the large bowl, pour the flour, open a well in the center and add the water with the yeast, the remaining sugar and half the oil. Place the salt on the edge of the flour, away from the yeast: it will be incorporated later.
2. Tip everything onto the work surface and begin kneading, pushing with the heel of your palm and folding the dough over itself. After the first 3-4 minutes, when the dough has gained some body, incorporate the salt and continue for another 6-7 minutes (or use a stand mixer on medium speed). The dough is ready when it is smooth, elastic and no longer sticks to your hands. Shape it into a ball.
3. Place the ball in a bowl greased with oil, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm corner of the kitchen for 90 minutes, until it doubles in volume. If you press a finger in and the indentation remains, the dough is ready.
4. Meanwhile, wash the fox grapes, remove them from the stems and dry them well with a cloth: the berries should be firm and fragrant.
5. When the dough has doubled, press it down with your hands to release the air. Grease a 30x40 cm baking tray with a little oil and spread the dough with your fingertips, pressing from the center toward the edges, until it forms a layer about 1 cm thick. Cover and let it rest for another 20 minutes, so it relaxes and stays soft.
6. Press half of the grapes into the dough with your fingers, then scatter the remaining grapes over the top, along with the fennel seeds and brown sugar, and finish with a drizzle of oil. This double layer, grapes inside and grapes on top, releases juice that caramelizes in the oven while the berries on the surface stay intact. Bake at 200°C in a well-preheated conventional oven for 30-35 minutes, until the surface is golden and the slightly wrinkled grapes reveal their purple juice. Let it cool slightly before cutting, so the juice sets and doesn't run onto the board.