Grape focaccia is a traditional Tuscan sweet bread made with fresh black grapes, extra virgin olive oil, and sugar. In Tuscany, it’s known as schiacciata con l’uva and is closely associated with the vendemmia, the annual grape harvest.
Unlike a typical savory focaccia, this rustic seasonal bread hides a generous layer of grapes inside the dough as well as on top. During baking, the grapes soften and release their deep purple juices, which soak into the bread and contrast beautifully with the golden crust.
Traditionally prepared in Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside during grape harvest season, grape focaccia is a perfect example of Tuscany’s rustic seasonal cooking.
As with many traditional Italian recipes, grape focaccia varies from one area to another and from family to family, with each household adding its own small touches. This is the version a Tuscan friend taught me. It uses the traditional two-layer structure, with grapes both inside and on the surface, for a soft, juicy focaccia with lightly caramelized edges.
What Is Grape Focaccia?
Grape focaccia is a sweet Tuscan flatbread traditionally made from bread dough, black wine grapes, sugar, and extra virgin olive oil.
In Tuscany, its traditional name is schiacciata con l’uva. You may also encounter names such as ciaccia con l’uva, depending on the area and local usage.
Although we are calling it grape focaccia here to make the recipe easier to find and understand for an international audience, don’t expect something similar to a savory rosemary or tomato focaccia.
This is a seasonal sweet bread. The dough itself isn’t excessively sweet, while much of the distinctive flavor comes from the grapes, sugar, and olive oil.
Most importantly, the fruit isn’t only a topping. The dough is divided into two layers, with grapes enclosed between them and more grapes scattered over the surface.
As the focaccia bakes, the grapes inside release their juice directly into the crumb.
A Tuscan Grape-Harvest Tradition
Schiacciata con l’uva has its roots in the rural cooking of Tuscany.
Visit Tuscany describes it as a sweet focaccia of peasant origin, traditionally prepared during the grape harvest using bread dough and freshly harvested black wine grapes. Even today, bakeries and pastry shops around Florence sell it primarily during its traditional season, from September through the end of October.
The connection with the vendemmia explains one of the defining characteristics of the recipe: traditionally, the grapes used weren’t ordinary table grapes but the small, juicy grapes grown for winemaking.
During the grape harvest, Tuscan families combined simple ingredients they had readily available — bread dough, grapes, olive oil, and sugar — to create a seasonal treat that became closely associated with early autumn in Tuscany.
This is also why grape focaccia has traditionally remained such a seasonal preparation. It belongs to the brief period when ripe wine grapes are being harvested.
Why Is It Called Schiacciata?
The word schiacciata comes from the Italian verb schiacciare, meaning to press or flatten.
In Tuscany, schiacciata is also the name used for the region’s familiar flatbread, which can range from soft and oily to thinner and crispier versions. Visit Tuscany describes Tuscan schiacciata as one of the region’s characteristic bakery foods.
Add grapes and you have schiacciata con l’uva — literally, schiacciata with grapes.
There is one name you shouldn’t confuse it with: schiacciata fiorentina. Despite the similar name, schiacciata fiorentina is a completely different Florentine sweet, traditionally associated with Carnival.
Which Grapes Are Best for Grape Focaccia?
The choice of grapes makes a real difference.
Traditional Tuscan grape focaccia is made with small black wine grapes. Visit Tuscany specifically mentions Sangiovese as the variety generally used in the Florentine version. Other traditional recipes refer to Canaiolo, another Tuscan wine grape.
These grapes are very different from the large table grapes commonly sold for eating fresh. Their smaller berries and abundant juice work particularly well because the grapes soften and release their liquid into the dough during baking.
For this recipe, Canaiolo is an excellent choice if you can find it.
Of course, finding Tuscan wine grapes outside Italy — or even outside wine-producing regions of Italy — isn’t always realistic.
In that case, choose small, flavorful black grapes. Black seedless table grapes are a practical alternative, particularly if you don’t enjoy grape seeds. Uva fragola can also be used and gives the focaccia a particularly aromatic character.
For more information about Italian grape varieties and seasonality, see Italian Grapes: Types, Season, and How to Choose Them .
Should You Remove the Grape Seeds?
Traditionally, no.
Traditional Tuscan grape focaccia often uses wine grapes such as Canaiolo, which can contain seeds. Traditionally, bakers use the berries whole, so the seeds remain part of the focaccia. The traditional recipes we checked confirm this practice.
That doesn’t mean you have to keep them.
If you dislike biting into grape seeds, you can carefully cut the berries and remove them, although it takes some patience. An easier solution is to use small seedless black grapes.
You’ll sacrifice a little authenticity, but you’ll end up with a focaccia that’s much easier to eat — especially for anyone unfamiliar with traditional wine grapes.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredient list is wonderfully simple, but each ingredient has a specific role.
- Black grapes: The star of the recipe. Small black wine grapes such as Canaiolo are ideal, but small flavorful black table grapes or uva fragola can be substituted when necessary.
- Flour: Type 0 flour provides the structure for the soft bread dough. If Italian Type 0 flour isn’t available where you live, choose a good all-purpose flour suitable for yeast doughs.
- Fresh yeast: This gives the dough its rise. Dry yeast can also be used if fresh brewer’s yeast isn’t available.
- Water and milk: The dough uses both. Milk contributes to the softer texture of this particular version.
- Sugar: Some goes into the dough, while additional sugar is added with the grapes and over the surface before baking.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Essential both in the dough and between the layers. More is added to the surface before baking.
- Salt: A small amount balances the dough and the sweetness of the fruit.
You’ll find the exact quantities in the recipe card below.
How to Make Grape Focaccia
Making grape focaccia is not difficult, but it does require patience. You’ll spend most of the time waiting for the dough to rise, while the actual hands-on work remains quite simple. Don’t rush the fermentation: giving the dough enough time to rise creates its soft, bread-like texture and helps it hold the generous layers of grapes without becoming heavy.
Prepare and Rise the Dough
The dough begins with a small starter made with part of the flour, water, milk, and yeast. At first it will look more like a thick, sticky batter than a bread dough. Leave it covered until it has visibly expanded and the surface is bubbly. This first fermentation gives the yeast a head start before the remaining ingredients are added.
Once the starter is active, add the remaining flour, water, milk, and sugar and begin kneading. Don’t worry if the dough initially feels sticky; give the flour time to absorb the liquid and the gluten time to develop before deciding that it needs more flour (1).
Add the extra virgin olive oil gradually rather than all at once. Let each addition work into the dough before adding more, then incorporate the salt toward the end of kneading. The finished dough should be soft and supple but still have enough structure to form a smooth ball. It should feel more like a soft bread dough than the very loose, high-hydration dough used for some modern focaccias.
Cover it and leave it somewhere comfortably warm until it has approximately tripled in volume (2). Use the appearance of the dough rather than the clock as your main guide, since rising time can change considerably depending on room temperature.
While you wait, prepare the grapes. Remove them from the stems, wash them gently, and dry them very well. Excess water on the fruit would add unnecessary moisture to the dough.
Choose the Right Baking Sheet
For this recipe, I recommend a 38 × 25 cm (15 × 10-inch) low-sided baking sheet. A dark nonstick baking sheet works particularly well because the low edges make it easier to spread and later remove the focaccia, while the dark surface encourages browning underneath. This is also the size on which the quantities in this recipe are based.
If you don’t have exactly this size, use a similar rectangular baking sheet rather than worrying about a difference of a few centimeters. A slightly larger pan will produce a thinner focaccia and may bake a little faster; a smaller one will make it thicker and may require a few extra minutes in the oven. Avoid using a very deep cake pan if possible—the traditional result should remain relatively flat rather than tall and cake-like.
Assemble the Two Layers
Lightly oil the baking sheet before adding the first half of the dough. Stretch it gently with your fingertips instead of forcing it immediately into every corner (3). If the dough keeps springing back, leave it alone for a few minutes and try again; a short rest relaxes the gluten and makes stretching much easier.
Scatter half of the grapes over this first layer (4), followed by some of the sugar and olive oil. This hidden layer is important: as the focaccia bakes, the grapes release their juice directly into the crumb, creating the characteristic purple streaks and pockets of fruit inside the schiacciata.
Stretch the second piece of dough separately before transferring it to the pan. This is easier than trying to stretch it directly over the loose grapes. Lay it gently over the filling and bring its edges toward the bottom layer without pressing everything flat (5).
Finish with the remaining grapes, pressing them gently into the surface so they stay in place while still remaining visible.
Let the Focaccia Rise Again
The second rise happens after the focaccia has been completely assembled. During this stage, the two layers soften and expand around the grapes and the dough gradually spreads toward the edges of the baking sheet.
Allow about 2–3 hours, but again, don’t rely exclusively on time. The focaccia should look noticeably fuller and approximately doubled in volume. The surface will become softer and slightly pillowy, but it shouldn’t resemble an extremely airy, heavily dimpled focaccia.
Once it has risen, drizzle the remaining extra virgin olive oil over the surface and finish with the remaining sugar (6). Try to distribute both fairly evenly rather than concentrating them in one area. During baking, the oil helps the surface brown while the sugar combines with the grape juices to create the characteristic lightly caramelized top.
Handle the focaccia gently at this point. After such a long fermentation, vigorous pressing can knock out some of the gas the dough has spent hours developing.
Bake
Bake the focaccia on the middle rack of a preheated conventional oven at 180°C (356°F), or 160°C (320°F) in a fan oven. It usually needs around 25–30 minutes, although the baking sheet and your individual oven can make a difference.
If you’re using a dark metal baking sheet, start checking the underside toward the end of the baking time because dark pans tend to brown dough more quickly. If the top looks ready but you’d like a slightly crisper base, you can move the pan to a lower rack for the final few minutes.
Don’t judge doneness by the grapes alone. Some will remain intact while others will wrinkle or burst and release purple juice. Look instead for dough that has turned golden, particularly around the edges, with a lightly caramelized surface and visible grape juices.
Once baked, remove the focaccia from the baking sheet rather than leaving it to sit in the hot pan, which can trap moisture underneath. Then let it cool before slicing and serving. The resting time also allows the hot grape juices inside the two layers to settle, making the focaccia much easier to cut cleanly.
Why Does Grape Focaccia Have Two Layers?
This isn’t simply a decorative way of assembling the focaccia.
Putting grapes between two layers of dough allows their juice to soak directly into the crumb as they cook. The second portion of grapes remains exposed on top, where the fruit cooks together with olive oil and sugar.
The result is quite different from simply placing grapes on ordinary focaccia dough: you get fruit and juice throughout the bread rather than only on its surface.
Traditional Tuscan recipes also use this layered structure. Visit Tuscany describes the method clearly: you spread half of the dough in the pan, add a layer of grapes, cover them with the remaining dough, and finish with more grapes on top.
Tips for the Best Grape Focaccia
The most important thing is not to rush the rising times. Use the appearance and volume of the dough as your guide rather than watching the clock too rigidly; a cooler kitchen may require considerably more time.
Dry the grapes carefully after washing them. We’re deliberately adding plenty of grape juice during baking, but we don’t need additional water sitting on the dough before it goes into the oven.
Be gentle when stretching the dough. If it keeps shrinking back, give it a few minutes to relax before continuing rather than adding lots of flour.
And don’t be alarmed when some of the grapes burst in the oven. That’s exactly what should happen: their juice is part of what gives grape focaccia its distinctive texture and appearance.
How to Serve Grape Focaccia
Grape focaccia is excellent once it has cooled enough for the crumb and fruit juices to settle.
In Tuscany, this is the kind of seasonal sweet you might enjoy for breakfast or an afternoon snack, although it can also be served at the end of a meal.
Cut it into rustic squares or rectangular pieces and serve it on its own. It doesn’t need frosting, fillings, or additional sauces — the combination of bread, grapes, olive oil, and sugar is the point of the recipe.
And if you’d like to see some of the other ways fresh grapes appear in Italian cuisine, read How Italians Use Grapes: Traditional Dishes and Cooking Ideas
How to Store Grape Focaccia
Once completely cool, wrap the focaccia well or keep it in an airtight food container at room temperature. It should remain soft for around 3 days.
It can also be frozen. Cut it into individual portions first so you can defrost only what you need.
A Taste of the Tuscan Vendemmia
What makes grape focaccia special isn’t a complicated pastry technique or a long ingredient list. It’s the way such simple ingredients capture a very specific moment in the Italian food calendar.
Bread dough, olive oil, sugar, and grapes become something that has been associated with the Tuscan vendemmia for generations. The dark fruit stains the crumb purple, the berries soften between the layers, and the sugar and grape juice caramelize across the surface.
It’s rustic, seasonal, and unmistakably Tuscan — exactly the kind of recipe that shows how closely traditional Italian cooking is connected to the ingredients available at a particular place and time.
Tuscan Grape Focaccia
Ingredients
- 375 g Type 0 flour
- 150 g water
- 75 g whole milk
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 7.5 g fresh yeast
- 55 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4 g fine salt
- 450 g black grapes preferably small wine grapes
- 45 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Measure 40 g of the water and 40 g of the milk from the total amounts. Place them in a bowl with the fresh yeast and 70 g of the flour, taken from the total amount.
- Mix until you have a thick, sticky batter. Cover the bowl and leave it at room temperature for about 1 hour, until the starter has doubled in volume and small bubbles appear on the surface.
- Add the remaining 305 g flour, 110 g water, 35 g milk, and the 75 g sugar to the risen starter.
- Mix on low speed with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or knead by hand, until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Continue kneading until the dough begins to pull away from the bowl and develops structure.
- Add the 55 ml extra virgin olive oil gradually, a little at a time. Do not add the next portion until the previous one has been completely absorbed by the dough.
- Continue kneading at medium speed. Occasionally turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead it briefly by hand before continuing.
- Only when all the olive oil has been incorporated, add the 4 g salt and knead until completely absorbed. The finished dough should be soft but fairly compact, with a consistency similar to bread dough.
- Lightly dust the work surface and your hands with flour. Turn out the dough, shape it into a smooth ball, and place it in a bowl. Cover and leave it to rise in a warm place until it has tripled in volume, about 3 hours.
- Meanwhile, remove the grapes from their stems, wash them, and dry them very thoroughly.
- Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into two equal portions.
- Brush the 15 × 10-inch (38 × 25 cm) baking sheet lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
- Place one portion of dough in the baking sheet. Using lightly floured fingertips, gently press and stretch it outward. Don't force the dough all the way to the edges at this stage. It will continue to spread as you assemble the focaccia and during the second rise.
- Arrange half of the grapes over the dough. Traditionally, the grapes are used whole, including their seeds. If preferred, however, you can use small seedless black grapes.
- Sprinkle with 1½ tablespoons sugar and drizzle with half of the 45 ml extra virgin olive oil.
- Stretch the second portion of dough on the work surface, using just a little flour if necessary.
- Carefully transfer it over the grape-covered base.
- Gently stretch the edges until they meet the bottom layer and the dough begins to fill the baking sheet.
- Arrange the remaining grapes over the surface, nestling them gently into the dough without pressing them in too deeply.
- Leave the assembled grape focaccia to rise in a warm place for approximately 2–3 hours, until it has doubled in volume and expanded to fill the baking sheet.
- Once risen, drizzle the surface with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1½ tablespoons sugar.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) conventional or 160°C (320°F) fan.
- Bake on the middle rack for approximately 25–30 minutes, checking toward the end of the cooking time. The grape focaccia is ready when the surface is golden and lightly caramelized and the grapes have released their juices. For a slightly crisper bottom, you can move the baking sheet to a lower oven rack for the final few minutes.
- Remove the grape focaccia from the baking sheet and allow it to cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
