Have you ever eaten a soft and juicy grape focaccia like this? If grapes herald the month of September with their juicy bunches, this soft focaccia is perfect for ringing in every month of the year. It’s my favorite sweet focaccia, made with red grapes, but if you manage to find the very rare strawberry grapes, it will be the best. Try also the classic savory version of focaccia with olives.
The dough is so soft that you would dive right in and it prepares quickly, delights both adults and children, and is also great for vegans. So what do you say if we go ahead and prepare it, because my mouth is already watering.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 21 oz flour
- 1.5 cups water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cube fresh yeast
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 2/3 ounce fine salt
- to taste red grapes or strawberry grapes
Preparation
Prepare the brine by mixing the ingredients in a bowl. Beat them with a fork or whisk until you get a thick cream. Set it aside and prepare the dough.
Dissolve the yeast in warm or room temperature water. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, pour the oil and water with the yeast into the center and quickly mix everything with a spoon to combine the ingredients well.
Use only the spoon, do not knead with your hands, so that you will get a single mass that you will need to oil on the surface and let it rest, covered with a cloth, for 10 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the baking pan by lining it with wet and squeezed parchment paper, then lightly grease it with some oil.
After 10 minutes, pour the dough into the center of the pan, oil it again on the surface and let it rest for another 10 minutes. You will feel that the dough remains very soft. After ten minutes, spread the focaccia in the pan, using your fingertips and very gently, starting from the center, spread it evenly towards the edges of the pan, then let it rise for another 20 minutes.
After twenty minutes, make many small indentations with your thumb on the surface of the focaccia. Take the brine, stir it again, and pour it all over, tilting the pan a bit to ensure it fills all the holes you made and reaches every part of the dough. Don’t worry if it seems too much: it’s necessary for the focaccia to be soft. Let it rise for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 392°F and select the largest red or strawberry grapes. Wash them, dry them, and after the rising time has passed, insert them generously on the surface of the focaccia, leaving them halfway out.
Finally, bake for 25-30 minutes, until you see the focaccia golden on the surface. Let it cool slightly before serving.
