Schiacciata Bread Recipe (How to Make Tuscan Flatbread) (2024)

What is Schiacciata?

Schiacciata (pronounced ski-a-chatta) is an Italian flatbread from Tuscany, Italy. The word "schiacciata" comes from the Italian verb "schiacciare," which means "to crush" or "to flatten." It is sometimes referred to as Tuscan focaccia outside Italy.

Ingredients

This recipe is as simple as it gets. Flour, water, yeast, salt and olive oil.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Flour: For this recipe, I recommend using bread flour or other strong flour like typo 00. This will help with gluten formation and give the bread its chewy texture. You can also use All Purpose flour if that’s all you have. There’s also nothing stopping you from subbing some of the white flour with whole wheat if you wanted to.
• Yeast: I like to use instant yeast as it doesn’t need to be pre-bloomed in water. You can just mix it in with the flour and water and you’re all set. But feel free to use dry active yeast or even fresh yeast. When using fresh yeast instead of dry, use double the amount by weight. You will find many simple baking recipes that use commercial yeast on this website.
• Salt: I am using standard kosher salt in the bread recipe itself and flaky salt for the topping. But you can just use whatever salt you have.
• Olive oil: This recipe has very few ingredients so you might as well use the best you have. Extra virgin olive oil is a must.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

The Poolish Method

The Poolish method is a pre-fermentation technique used in bread making to enhance flavor, texture, and overall quality of the final product. It involves creating a starter dough by combining equal parts of flour and water with a small amount of yeast, and then allowing it to ferment for a certain period of time before incorporating it into the main bread dough.

Benefits of the Poolish method include:

• Enhanced Flavor: The extended fermentation period of the Poolish allows for the development of complex flavors in the bread. The slow fermentation process breaks down the starches and proteins in the flour, creating aromatic compounds that contribute to the bread's taste and aroma.
• Improved Texture: The Poolish method helps to improve the texture of the bread by increasing its hydration and promoting gluten development. This results in bread with a lighter, airier crumb and crispier crust.
• Extended Shelf Life: Bread made using the Poolish method tends to have a longer shelf life compared to bread made using conventional methods.
• Using Less Yeast: You only need a small amount of yeast when making this recipe.

How to Make this Schiacciata Recipe

This recipe is not too difficult and doesn't require any fancy techniques. I recommend reading through the steps before starting to get comfortable with the recipe.

Step 1. Prepare the Poolish. In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm water, yeast and flour. Mix well (Image 1). Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and rest it on the counter at room temperature. You want the Poolish to develop for 12-14 hours. It should rise and become really loose and bubbly (Image 2).

Step 2. Prepare the dough. To a large mixing bowl, add your risen Poolish mixture. Add the water and mix well using a spoon or whisk (Image 3). Add the olive oil, flour and salt (Images 4-5). Mix well to combine. The dough will be shaggy (Image 6).

Step 3. Stretch and fold. Wet your hands lightly and grab the shaggy dough from the side and gently pull up and fold the dough over (Images 7-8). Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat the stretch and fold (Images 9-10). Turn and repeat. And finally, turn and repeat. You want to do 4 stretches and folds at this step. It’s ok if the dough is a bit messy looking. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 30 minutes on the counter (Image 11).
Step 4. Repeat the stretch and fold. Repeat the stretch and fold process, cover, and repeat in 30 minutes. You want to do at least 3 sets of stretch and fold (but ideally 4 sets over 2 hours).

Step 5. Transfer to a greased tray. Preheat your oven. Grease a baking tray and drop the dough in (Image 12). Gently try to bring the dough to the edges. If you meet some resistance, cover and let the dough rest for 45-60 minutes (Image 13). This will allow the dough to stretch naturally.
Step 6. Spread and dimple. Drizzle a little olive oil all over the dough and using your fingers dimple it all over, making sure to stretch it into the corners of the pan as you work. Sprinkle with a little sea salt (Image 14).
Step 7. Bake. Place the tray in your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown (Image 15).

Expert Tips

• Speed up the process. If you are not interested in using the Poolish method, you can skip it entirely and make your dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. In that case, I would recommend you use more yeast (a standard packet, or 2 ¼ teaspoons or 7 grams) and knead in the mixer for 7-10 minutes. Let the dough rise for an hour before moving it to the oiled baking sheet and baking.
• Use a sourdough starter. If you are a fan of sourdough baking, you can use a sourdough starter instead of the fresh yeast when making the pre-ferment.
• As thin as you like it. Use a smaller baking tray if you want taller Schiacciata. Use a larger baking sheet if you like it to be thin and crusty.
• Butter the pan. Buttering the pan before oiling it helps the dough release easily from the pan. It’s an optional step, but I recommend trying it.
• Avoid using a rolling pin. A rolling pin will squeeze all the air bubbles out of the dough, which is not what we want. Don’t use a rolling pin.
• Use a scale. Using a kitchen scale is the only way to ensure that your recipe is as close to mine as possible.
• Bake in the middle of the oven. This will give you an even browning and crust on both the top and bottom.

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Schiacciata Bread Recipe (How to Make Tuscan Flatbread)

Luay Ghafari

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 585mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 2gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.001mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 3mg

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