Schiacciata with cherry tomatoes

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Manuela Zangara's schiacciata recipe is the ideal sharing bread for a big family meal. Best served on the day of baking – and still slightly warm from the oven – this simple Italian bread is packed with flavour from sweet cherry tomatoes and oregano.

First published in 2016
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Schiacciata is a kind of bread traditionally made in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, in central Italy. It tastes a lot like focaccia, but unlike the focaccia made in Genoa, Schiacciata does not require a very lengthy process and it can easily be made at home as the dough is really forgiving.

The term schiacciata literally means 'pressed' and it refers to the fact that you need to press the dough down with your fingers when you put it in the tins. In fact, no rolling pin is required to make this recipe.

This schiacciata is crunchy, yet soft and moist thanks to the cherry tomato and oregano topping. It can be served as an appetiser or just like bread to accompany your food. It also makes for a great snack or kids party treat. Serve it just after it has been baked to enjoy it at its best.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Schiacciata dough

  • 400g of plain flour
  • 40g of lard, or extra virgin olive oil
  • 12g of salt
  • 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
  • 220g of water, lukewarm
  • 1 tbsp of sugar

Topping

  • cherry tomatoes, 20–25, halved
  • 1/2 tbsp of dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp of water, lukewarm
  • extra virgin olive oil, as needed
  • salt

Method

1
To begin, mix the yeast, sugar and lukewarm water and keep aside to activate
2
When frothy, put it in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Add the flour, salt and lard and knead well until you get a smooth dough. If you don’t have an electric mixer, knead the dough by hand
3
Make the dough into a ball, cover it and leave to prove for at least 1 hour, or until doubled in volume
4
In the meantime, grease 2 24cm round tins with some extra virgin olive oil. When the dough has doubled in volume, divide it in the 2 tins and press it down. Leave to rest for 30 minutes
5
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
6
Push the halved cherry tomatoes down onto the schiacciate. Drizzle with a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and a little lukewarm water
7
Sprinkle some salt and the dry oregano on the top and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown
8
You can serve this schiacciata lukewarm or at room temperature, it is best eaten the same day you make it. Alternatively, you can freeze it, thaw it and then warm it up in the oven just before serving it

Discover more about this region's cuisine:

Manuela is an Italian native who currently resides in Australia. She is the author of Manu’s Menu, a food blog about traditional Italian cuisine that she started in 2011. Her blog is one of the top food blogs in Australia.

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