Schiacciata is a traditional flat bread of Tuscan origin, often mixed with focaccia. This recipe contains simple steps to prepare authentic schiacciata at home.
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour (We recommend Caputo 00 flour)
- 300 g Manitoba flour
- 340 g cold water
- 3 g yeast (we recommend Caputo yeast)
- 5 g fine salt
- 5 g lard
- 20 g extra virgin olive oil
- Extra virgin olive oil for surface coating, q.b.
- To cover the surface of the small intestine, q.b.
Preparation
- In a bowl, mix the Manitoba flour and plain flour.
- Pulse the fresh yeast between your hands and add it to the flour.
- Mix part of the water, leaving some for later use.
- Start mixing the dough with the wooden spoon, add the rest of the water and continue mixing.
- Add the olive oil and continue mixing with the wooden spoon, then add the honey.
- Continue mixing the dough until it becomes slightly soft and sticky.
- Wet your hands lightly and knead by hand, lifting one edge of the dough and bringing it to the centre. Repeat for several minutes.
- Add the salt and transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 90 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- After rising, lightly moisten the work surface and hands, place the dough on the work surface and make 3 reinforcing folds. Place the bottom edge on the work surface and the top folding part on top of it, repeat 2 more times. Shape into a ball, cover and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
- Place a 30×40 cm sheet of baking paper on a baking tray, grease the sheet with oil and turn the risen dough onto the tray. Stretch with your fingertips, just making classic holes for focaccia. Spray the surface with a little water and a little more oil.
- Add salt to taste (the traditional version is not too salty). Bake in a preheated oven, in the static mode, at 230° for about 7 minutes, then lower the temperature to 190° and continue baking for about 9 minutes more. Remove the schiacciata from the baking tray and place it on a rack in the oven, bake for about 9 more minutes at 190°. Once you have removed it from the oven, brush your schiacciata with a little more oil before enjoying it clean or cutting it in half and filling it.
Storage and Advice
To enjoy schiacciata while still crispy, we recommend eating it immediately, but you can still keep it in a sealed bag for 1-2 days. In this case, we recommend warming it briefly in the oven before eating.
Honey is food for yeast, but it also gives the dough a nice golden appearance. If you don’t have honey at home or want an alternative, try using the same amount of malt or sugar.
