Schiacciata Sourdough Tuscan Flatbread

This is a traditional Schiaciatta al Olio (flatbread from Tuscany), with a sourdough boost.

If Focaccia is half way between pizza and bread, then Schiaciatta is half way between Focaccia and Pizza. It is flat and infused with olive oil. You should bake it pretty hot in your wood fired oven — around 500F.

Ingredients

I make a standard 4 cup dough recipe, with:
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups water
2 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil
2 tsp yeast

To which you add 1/2 cup of sour starter.

Reserve an additional 2-4 TBS olive oil for treating your dough and finished the bread.

Preparation

Let the dough rise and fall and rise back to double, then cut it into two pieces, which you shape into pizza balls and let rest for an hour. Then stretch the dough into a circle and place it is a round metal pan covered with olive oil. Pour 2 TBS oil on the dough, and let it rise for 30-60 minutes (covered). It should be about 1/2″ high.

Right before you put the bread in the oven, make impressions with your fingers — like a Focaccia.

Oven Firing

Fire your oven until it reaches 700F, and the carbon burns off the oven dome, then allow the temperature to fall to about 500F, as the fire burns down ( about a three Mississippi oven).

Cooking

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Pour another 1-2 TBS of oil on the hot baked bread and let it rest for a minute.

The sourdough helps with the crunchy texture of the bread and with a little flavor. I’d been making it for 18 months before I started adding the sour, and it really adds something.

We use it as bread with a meal, for lunch and with appetizers.

Back to Community Cookbook