A Life Without Schiacciata Is a Life Not Worth Living

 I don’t think a single day went by while I was in Italy that I didn’t eat at least one piece of schicciata, don’t judge me,  it was just so addicting, delicious, and everywhere….The minute the aroma of freshly baked bread topped with aromatic herbs hit my nose my willpower instantly weakened and by stomach quickly began to grumble.

Those of you who aren’t familiar with schiacciata think of focaccia bread, but a bit thinner, similar to a pizza without cheese and topped with the most amazing ingredients

like salty green olives

 caramelized onions

roasted tomatoes with basil

and fresh rosemary

There is even a dessert schiacciata bread topped with plump grapes.

…need I say more.

Of course during my time in Italy I made it my mission to sample all of these different variesties.

As I mentioned one can find schiacciata practically all over Italy, in the bakery section of the supermarket, at the pizzerias, and at bread bakeries which mainly specialize in making schiacciata..talk about heaven on earth.

Of course though once I got to american I was instaly in schiacciata withdrawl, so I decided to do something about my intense cravings. Inspired by the varieties I had tried in Italy I decided to make several different varities of schiacciata.

The first was sciacatta topped with caramelized onions, toasted walnuts, fresh rosemary, and gorgonzola cheese, typically known as schiacciata con noci e gorgonzola

Next I made schiacciata topped with thinly sliced rosemary roasted potatoes

My personal favorite was a schiacciata topped with caramelized onions and crispy bacon

These breads make for excellent appetizers, or delicious additions to any meal, but be warned they are quite addicting.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour and more for kneading

3/4 cup warm/tepid water

1/2 teaspoon crushed sea salt

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Method

1) Begin by mixing together yeast and salt and flour, add in olive oil and water, form to make a dough

2) Set aside in a bowl and cover with plastic, set bowl in a warm area, let rise for 4-8 hours

3) On a flour dusted counter top knead dough and from a ball with dough, using your hands stretch out dough as you would if you were making a pizza, use a rolling-pin to even out the dough, roll it to desired thickness

4)Preheat rolled out dough on an oiled baking sheet, topped with desired topping, I recommend roasted potatoes, sautéed vegetables, or caramelized onions

5) Bake at 450, until dough is cooked through

Tags: Appetizers, Breads, Florence, Italy, Travel, USA