Schiacciata con l'uva - Tuscan grape bread

Well there were still grapes in the fridge and so what to do. Many years ago I recall watching a cooking program that I was sure was The de Medici Kitchen and there was a description of a flat-bread being made at harvest time stuffed and topped with grapes. OK, a sweet foccacia !!

So I looked through my books by Lorenza de Medici and could not find the recipe. So, then looked through other Italian books and finally found it in Claudia Roden's book "The Food of Italy" on page 137. Although my older edition has a different cover.

There is a link to search the book here and Judith Sweet (this week's theme !) wrote up the recipe in the Hobart Mercury here.

It is a very simple dish and a good way to use up grapes while making bread. You can just use all grapes or for a boozy taste use the dessert wine- soaked raisins. You can just use your favourite bread dough or pizza dough as the base with some sugar added.

It is a rustic dish and designed to be eaten by the grape pickers.

Florentine flat bread with grapes
(Schiacciata con l’uva)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp fresh yeast or 1 tbsp dried yeast
150ml milk, lukewarm
300g bakers' flour
130g sugar
pinch salt
500g black grapes, pitted, skin on
200g raisins soaked in Vin Santo or other
sweet dessert wine.

Method:

If using fresh yeast, place it in the TM bowl with the milk and mix for 10 seconds at 37°C on speed 4. Add flour, 100g of sugar and the salt and mix for 15 seconds at 37°C on speed 4.

If using dried yeast, add it to the flour, 100g of sugar and the salt and mix for 10 seconds at 37°C on speed 4. Then add the milk and mix for 15 seconds at 37°C on speed 4.

Place the Thermomix into the Closed Lid position and set to use the Interval button to Knead for 3 minutes then leave in the TM bowl to double in size.

Once doubled, punch the dough done and set the machine to knead for another 1 minute 30 seconds.

Remove dough and shape into two rounds about 22cm across.

Place one on a floured baking tray and cover it with half the grapes and half the raisins, drained.

Place the remaining dough on top, press down quite firmly and cover with the rest of
the grapes and drained raisins.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Cover the dough and leave until doubled in size.

Sprinkle with the remaining 30g sugar and bake for about 45 minutes, until golden on top.

I Luv Thermomix Crumpets

Who doesn't like crumpets?

These were for our breakfast yesterday. The recipe has evolved since I first made them and thanks to brazen for reminding me that I had purchased the heart-shaped "rings".

I first made crumpets more years ago than I care to remember, having seen a recipe in the Weekly Times. Don't know if they still have a cooking section.

The main modifications in the recipe use the ability of the Thermomix to warm the batter/dough on constant heat at 37°C, so do that for a few minutes before leaving to prove. The other addition is some bicarb soda just before cooking to add some extra carbon dioxide bubbles to make them more airy.

You don't need a Thermomix and you don't need heart-shaped "rings", but you will need to loosen the belt after.

Have fun

English-style Crumpets

Ingredients:

375g bakers flour
1/2 tsp caster sugar
1 heaped tsp dried yeast
about 300ml tepid milk
about 200ml tepid water
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
4 egg rings
Oil for greasing

Method:

Place 1 Tbsp of the flour, sugar and yeast into TM bowl with 100ml of the milk into the Thermomix bowl. Set to mix for 3 minutes at 37°C on speed 2. The mixture should start to become frothy.

Add remaining flour, milk, water, egg and salt. Mix for 10 seconds on speed 7.

The mixture should resemble a thick batter rather than a bread mix. Add some more tepid water and mix again at speed 7 if necessary. Then mix for 8 minutes at 37°C on speed 1.

Leave the mixture in the TM bowl to prove for about 1 hour or until the surface bubbles.

Add the bicarb soda and gradually increase the speed to beat at the mixture for 2 minutes at speed 5.

Oil the egg rings and frypan. Place the rings in the pan and heat for 1-2 minutes.

Pour batter into each ring and cook for 5 minutes, or until the surface has dried and is full of holes. You may need to puncture a few holes for visual effect if you like. Lift off the rings and turn the crumpets to cook on the other side for a minute or until golden. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Clean and oil rings and frypan and repeat process until all batter has been used.

Serve warm with butter and your favourite topping.

The leftovers (ha ha ha !!) may be frozen with pieces of baking paper between crumpets and toasted as needed.

Thermomix Recipe for Bread

The Thermomix not only blends, grinds, mixes, whips and cooks, but it can knead dough and then steam a bread to produce a wonderful loaf without the need for an oven.

You may find it hard to believe, but I can assure you, having made the bread pictured in my own little machine, it is possible.

Gabriela Llamas , who conducts Thermomix classes at Alambique in Madrid, believes that the steaming feature is possibly the most under-utilized feature of the TMX. A new model of the steamer attachment, the Varoma, has been available in Spain since October 2007. It allows for larger quantities to be cooked and last Christmas Gabriela showed how to make a rolled turkey buffet with foie gras and truffles. That really sounds totally luxuriant and a dish worth trying to reproduce for special friends and family, not only at Christmas.

Back to my simple life and bread. The steamed bread is great for toasting and using for dips, which is the subject of many future posts.

Try the bread and I promise you won’t be disappointed.



Varoma Bread



Ingredients:


150 gr. water
1 tsp sugar
1 sachet dried yeast
250 gr. Bakers’ flour
1 teaspoon salt oil for greasing the dish
1,500 gr. water




Method:

1 . Place water (150 grams), sugar, yeast and 1 tbsp of the flour into the TM bowl. Program: 4 minutes, 37 ºC, speed 1.

2 . Add flour and salt. Then set 2 mins & 30 secs, speed Closed Lid and press Knead Dough button. Once finished remove the dough from the TM bowl.

3 . Form a ball with the dough, place it in a greased dish that fits inside the Varoma, such as a ceramic mixing bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place to allow the dough to prove for 1 hour ( in which time it should double in volume).

4 . After it has doubled, pour the 1500 gr water into the TM bowl. (I used boiling water). Place the dish with the dough inside the Varoma. Cover the Varoma and place it into position on the TM bowl. Program: 45 minutes, Varoma temperature, speed 1, to steam the bread.

5 . Let it cool and cut into slices. When steamed it appears quite moist but toasts very well and is good for dips or with jam.

Recipe based on a Spanish recipe.