How to Bake Grape Foccacia

Serves: 12

Preparation time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients needed to make Grape Foccacia:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 lb red grapes
• 2 tbsp Moscata grappa
• ¼ cup+ 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup lukewarm whole milk
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 packets (1/4 oz each) active dry yeast
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Cooking instructions for Grape Foccacia:

• Pour the milk in a bowl, attached to a stand mixer, along with the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes or until bubbles appear in the mixture.
• Meanwhile, place the grapes in a bowl and sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over them.
• Toss them together to coat well and keep aside.
• Place the flour in a separate, medium bowl and stir in 1 tsp sugar plus a dash of salt until well combined.
• Once the milk-yeast mixture turns bubbly, beat it with the hook attachment at low speed until just mixed.
• Add the dry mixture gradually into the mixture, while the motor of the mixer is still running, until all of it is incorporated into the mixture to form a dough; it should take about a couple of minutes.
• Continue to knead the dough at slightly increased speed for another 5 minutes or until becomes smoother.
• Knead the dough further for 5 more minutes at medium speed, until it becomes pliable and transfer it into a bowl, greased with 1 tbsp unsalted butter.
• Roll it around the sides of the bowl to butter it and wrap it with a moist cloth.
• Set aside in a warm place for half an hour or until it becomes twice in volume.
• Split the dough into two equal portions and flatten each of them out into 12’’x10’’x1/8’’ rectangle, using rolling pin and set aside.
• Dust 1 tsp sugar onto a baking sheet and place a dough rectangle onto it.
• Stud it with the sugar-coated grapes, spaced apart, leaving 1/2’’ border around the edges.
• Press them gently so that they remain stuck to the dough and place another dough rectangle on top to cover.
• Pinch the two dough sheets together to seal and smother them with a lashing of 1 tbsp melted butter.
• Press down rest of the grapes on top and wrap it up with a moist towel.
• Set aside for 45 minutes in a warm place and use this time to warm up your oven to 375 degrees F, with a rack positioned midway within it.
• Dust the dough with a tsp of sugar and place in the hot oven to bake for 40 minutes or until the focaccia puffs up and turns golden brown.
• Add a lashing of grappa on top to cover and set aside for 15 minutes to cool to some extent.
• Slice and serve.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons