Schiacciata Bread

500 grams flour

  

320 ml warm water with 3 teaspoons sugar

Apparently a little bit of sugar gives a better crust.

25 grams fresh yeast (9 grams dry)

 

Dissolve yeast into the warm water about 10 mins so the yeast is activated by the sugar. Yeast loves to eat sugar.

 Add 4 teaspoon salt to the dry flour, salt kills yeast

 

Add the water with the dissolved yeast and sugar to salted flour

 

  Stir with fork till sort of combined, turn out on bench and kneed for 10 mins

 

 Put into floured dish let prove covered with plastic film for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hour at 30 deg or in a oven with the light on and a dish of hot water if its a cold day.

It should double in size. 

 

 Turn out for second kneed only about 1 min this time. Let it re-rise for a further 30 mins. 

  

Oil on tray

 

 Do as Sandy is doing

 

Add oil and rock salt

Cook at 180 deg. 20mins approx. till golden brown

 

Quite a firm bread with a rock salt topping so a perfect match to the Tuscan Lentil Soup.

 

Hints

Don't open the oven for the first 10/15 mins as it will disturb the yeast.

On this sort of bread you can add onions, tomatoes, rosemary, potatoes, zucchini ect ... sliced thinly.