Breads/ Pizza Dough/ Recipes

harvest focaccia

There’s a chance that focaccia with grapes in it doesn’t exactly sound appetizing to you.

I know. I’ve been there.

However, I want to create a new image in your mind right now.

Think warm, ever-so slightly sweet dough drizzled with honey and sprinkled with sea salt. Think juicy grapes bursting in your mouth and fresh ricotta cheese on top. Think dinner, breakfast, dessert and snack all rolled into one.

The edges of the focaccia are chewy and almost caramelized from the honey, and the whole thing kinda makes you want to jump ship and move to Italy.

Or maybe that’s just me.

First of all, if you’re new to yeast breads, refer to this post first. It doesn’t have to be scary!

And this dough is especially easy because you literally just dump everything together in a bowl, knead, rise and then bake.

No fuss. There’s no time for that!

The thing, though, that really makes this focaccia dough stand out is the addition of a wee bit of honey. A fourth of a cup to be exact. It gives the dough just the hint of sweetness and kind of reminds me of a cross between those delicious soft cinnamon sugar pretzels from the mall and a parker house roll.

In other words, amazing.

And, grapes ain’t your thang? Try sliced bartlett pears. Or even thinly sliced apples.

You could also just smear the whole thing with an absolutely ridiculous amount of nutella and call it a night.

The truth is, I just chose grapes here because they were on sale at Trader Joe’s…and because I live in wine country and it seemed fitting.

Right before you bake this puppy, you drizzle the whole darn thing with more honey, making the end product ridiculously sticky and delicious.

I tried a little bit right out of the oven and it was great…but then I tried another sliver about three hours later and it was out of this world. And then, I couldn’t help myself—I ate a thick slice for dinner, topped with a dollop of ricotta.

I felt like a rebel… in the best possible way.

Harvest Focaccia

adapted from Lucid Food (beautiful cookbook–highly recommend it!)

serves 6

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 + ~1/2 cup warm water (amount of water depends on humidity outside and time of year baked)

1/2 tsp granulated sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 cups seedless sliced red grapes

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp sea salt + another sprinkle to top

Ricotta cheese to top

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water (water should feel like bubble bath temperature) with the granulated sugar. Let sit for five minutes.

In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Form a well in the middle and pour in the yeast, additional water, olive oil and 1/4 cup honey.

Either using your hands or a Kitchen Aid with a paddle attachment, knead the dough until it forms a smooth elastic ball. If using a Kitchen Aid, this will take about five minutes on medium high speed. If you’re using your hands, it will take eight to ten minutes.

Place the dough ball in a large bowl rubbed with olive oil, cover, and let rise for one hour and fifteen minutes.

After it’s risen, remove from the bowl and spread out in a greased nine inch cake pan. Press your fingers into the dough to dimple it, and then press in the grapes gently. Cover and let rise for another half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 425. In a small saucepan, bring the additional 1/4 cup honey to a simmer. Pour simmering honey over the focaccia dough and then sprinkle with a pinch more sea salt. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

Serve warm or cold with ricotta cheese on top.

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  • Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin
    December 1, 2010 at 7:17 am

    Wow I love the idea of grapes in focaccia! And the ricotta just sets it over the top!

  • Michele @ Healthy Cultivations
    December 1, 2010 at 7:18 am

    You’re right. At first, it doesn’t sound appealing. But after reading on, I’m quite intrigued.

  • Tab - Just Weighing In
    December 1, 2010 at 7:21 am

    I think it sounds great (then again, I love grapes)!

  • Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
    December 1, 2010 at 7:24 am

    I’ve never made my own focaccia but this sounds SO good. However, I have eaten my fair share of it.

    • jenna
      December 1, 2010 at 7:26 am

      I’ll trade you some focaccia for a peppermint mocha? 🙂

  • Amanda (Eating Up)
    December 1, 2010 at 7:24 am

    I feel like I would love this bread because it wouldn’t be TOO sweet for me. It’s gorgeous either way!

  • Balanced Healthy Life
    December 1, 2010 at 7:29 am

    I love grapes, honey and bread! I think this recipe wins with me! I love all your pics too by the way! : )

  • Natalia - a side of simple
    December 1, 2010 at 7:30 am

    sea salt? honey? grapes? cheese? sweet dough? as if I needed more convincing 🙂

  • Maria
    December 1, 2010 at 7:33 am

    I’ll jump and move to Italy with you:) Especially if we can eat this all day!

  • Kristina @ spabettie
    December 1, 2010 at 7:43 am

    this looks simply wonderful !

  • Stacy @ Every Little Thing
    December 1, 2010 at 7:47 am

    That sounds amazing! I have never made bread, but that makes me want to try. I love Ricotta mixed with anything sweet!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
    December 1, 2010 at 7:47 am

    This looks beautiful!! Love the photos. I’ve never made focaccia (or bread for that matter, except for a bagel #epicfail) but this and your post about yeast are very tempting!

  • Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a Day
    December 1, 2010 at 7:48 am

    That’s beautiful! I love that you baked it in a cake round.

  • grocery goddess jen
    December 1, 2010 at 7:57 am

    Wow, you definitely sold me on it the moment I saw the cheese on top. I think I might prefer it with apples, but grapes would probably be just fine with me.

  • Moni'sMeals
    December 1, 2010 at 7:58 am

    Wonderful! One of a kind recipe for sure. 🙂

  • Camille
    December 1, 2010 at 7:58 am

    Oh my goodness, how creative and truly brilliant!
    My tastes buds are singing just looking at those photos 🙂

  • Lori Lynn
    December 1, 2010 at 8:06 am

    Wow- that looks sooo good!

  • Maria
    December 1, 2010 at 8:09 am

    Very similar to David Rocco’s Schiacciata con L’uva (http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/Main/Fruit/recipe.html?dishid=10492) – pretty much the loveliest grape bread out there. His uses sugar vs. honey and adds rosemary for a savoury element. Delicious.

  • annejuliet
    December 1, 2010 at 8:10 am

    the other day i discovered grapes in quiesh, which is what i thought of immediately when i saw the first picture. it was delicious and i can’t wait to add grapes into your recipe too!

  • Tracey @ I'm Not Superhuman
    December 1, 2010 at 8:16 am

    Nope, it definitely sounds good to me. But I’m a huge grape-lover. I also love that this is onion free. I feel like this is the sort of thing onion lovers tend to load up. Ick. But this looks amazing.

  • Ray
    December 1, 2010 at 8:27 am

    I love the plate!

  • thehealthyapron
    December 1, 2010 at 8:34 am

    I am definitely intrigued! Thanks for sharing!

  • Leah @ Why Deprive?
    December 1, 2010 at 8:41 am

    Wow – I think this sounds incredible!

  • Jil @ Big City, Lil Kitchen
    December 1, 2010 at 8:49 am

    Love how simple this is! It sounds absolutely amazing.

  • megan @ whatmegansmaking
    December 1, 2010 at 9:01 am

    I can’t believe I’ve never made focaccia. It’s one of my favorite types of bread! Not sure how I feel about grapes on it, but I’ll trust you on this one. I think Smitten Kitchen put grapes on focaccia awhile back, but I might be making that up.

    • Maria
      December 1, 2010 at 9:12 am

      Megan – indeed she did – looks so good! http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/09/grape-focaccia-with-rosemary/

      • Hannah
        December 1, 2010 at 9:27 am

        ummm…. this is the second “other” grape bread recipe you have linked on this page. We get it… other people have made variations of this before.
        With the amount of chefs, cooks, and people who like to create, people are bound to come up with similar food combinations and creations!

  • Lu
    December 1, 2010 at 9:26 am

    I’m not into grapes. However, when they are on sweet foccacia, with ricotta cheese I may change my tune. This looks divine.

  • Lauren Grier
    December 1, 2010 at 9:26 am

    Jenna – I love your website! Do you use wordpress?

    Focaccia bread looks yummy!

  • Maya
    December 1, 2010 at 9:31 am

    That cookbook looks sublime. As does the focaccia. Will be looking into both!

  • Krystina (Basil & Wine)
    December 1, 2010 at 9:35 am

    I LOVE ricotta with grapes! It’s especially lovely with fresh rosemary and walnuts.

  • Lida
    December 1, 2010 at 9:47 am

    Fruit, honey + cheese = match made in heaven. Looks delish.
    At some point, you should make broiled peaches with goat cheese, honey and walnuts!

  • Estela @ Weekly Bite
    December 1, 2010 at 9:56 am

    I heart focaccia bread! The sweet+savory combo is heaven to me!

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey
    December 1, 2010 at 9:56 am

    I don’t know how I feel about baked grapes – but I’m sure they taste fatastic or you wouldn’t have posted this!!

  • The Healthy Apple
    December 1, 2010 at 10:29 am

    This looks amazing, Jenna…love the ricotta cheese with the grapes…such a perfect pairing of sweet n’ savory. Delish!

  • Dee
    December 1, 2010 at 10:50 am

    Oh.my.god. – this looks INCREDIBLE!

  • Megan (Braise The Roof)
    December 1, 2010 at 11:15 am

    Wow, grapes on bread? Never would’ve thought. You are getting seriously creative with your baked goods, lady!

  • Cathy B. @ Bright Bakes
    December 1, 2010 at 11:16 am

    wow this is one pretty bread!…I love yeast baking, so these posts are my fav!
    love,
    cathy b. @ brightbakes

  • Mauimandy@The Grains of Paradise
    December 1, 2010 at 11:17 am

    You didn’t have to try and sell me this one! I would live on cheese, bread and fruit if I really could 🙂

  • Kelly
    December 1, 2010 at 11:56 am

    Sounds delicious but you had me at pears…yum yum yum!

  • Liz @ IHeartVegetables
    December 1, 2010 at 11:57 am

    At first I was like, hm… but I guess the grapes would be sort of like raisins! So that could be pretty tasty I bet! Definitely different 🙂

  • Annie@stronghealthyfit
    December 1, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    What an interesting recipe! I’ve seen some baked goods with grapes, but have never made or tried anything like that. Looks amazing- I love ricotta.

  • Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)
    December 1, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    This looks so gourmet! anything with sliced grapes and ricotta and homemade bread…well, that’s very gourmet in my book!

    I can see this being served at one of the fancy wineries in the area!

    🙂

  • Lauren at KeepItSweet
    December 1, 2010 at 12:22 pm

    wow this does look good, especially with the ricotta!

  • the salty girl
    December 1, 2010 at 1:59 pm

    Grapes in baked goods always seemed odd to me, too, until I had a quiche with grapes baked into it! So good. And I lovvve ricotta.

  • Sana
    December 1, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    You are right! I would have never thought of the grapes!

  • Laura
    December 1, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    Actually, I think it sounds pretty good! Kind of like raisin bread but better and juicier!

  • Kari
    December 1, 2010 at 4:09 pm

    I am all about the salty sweet juicy combos! Making a variation of this asap!

  • Mary @ Bites and Bliss
    December 1, 2010 at 5:38 pm

    This is the 2nd time I’ve seen grapes baked in focaccia..the first time it was kind of a foreign idea, but it’s really grown on me! I bet it tastes fabulous. 🙂

  • Felicia (a taste of health with balance)
    December 1, 2010 at 7:36 pm

    o my gosh! i made this in september actually- with champagne grapes that were growing in my garden. it came out fabulous!!

  • Rachael
    December 1, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    This looks delicious!! I just made an olive oil cake with roasted grapes for turkey day (courtesy of Martha) and everyone was shocked at how awesome the combination was. I will definitely be trying this one next!

  • retro sweets
    December 2, 2010 at 12:15 am

    I’m drooling already! My son is crazy about grapes and I’ll surely try this solely for him. Welcome me to your blog! 🙂

  • Charise
    December 2, 2010 at 5:34 am

    This reminds me of a pizza at my favorite neighborhood wine bar – red grapes, sausage, capicola, caramelized onions, ricotta, and and gruyere. I was skeptical when they first added it to the menu (I am a savory over sweet girl all the way), but it. is. awesome!

  • Kim
    December 2, 2010 at 11:35 am

    I’ve had Lucid Food on my cookbook wish list ever since I stumbled across it in Barnes and Noble earlier this year. This looks great!

  • Heidi - Apples Under My Bed
    December 2, 2010 at 1:17 pm

    Beautiful!
    Heidi xo

  • Rachel @ The Avid Appetite
    December 2, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    This looks simply gorgeous. Oh and I want some right now. Thanks. 🙂

  • Jessica
    December 3, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    Once my schedule and weekends slow down, I’m going to make this. I’ve never made bread before (I’m scared to, don’t know why) so I want to make it when I can devote my entire attention to it.

  • Jessica
    December 5, 2010 at 10:36 am

    This looks absolutely delicious and I got really, really excited to make it until my yeast failed to rise…on two attempts 🙁 🙁

  • elizabeth
    December 6, 2010 at 11:41 am

    I made this today and didn’t get much of a rise… is it possible that I didn’t use enough yeast? 1 tsp seems a bit on the low side (not that I’m a bread expert). It IS slightly spongey, but it didn’t double in size like foccacia tends to do.

    I did use 100% white whole wheat flour, so maybe it’s just too dense? Anyway, it’s about to go in the oven and we’ll see what happens. Cross your fingers!

    • jenna
      December 6, 2010 at 12:04 pm

      Nope–it doesn’t rise like crazy. You’re fine!

      • elizabeth
        December 6, 2010 at 12:22 pm

        Thanks Jenna! You’re right — I held my breath and baked it and it is DELICIOUS and plenty soft. The cheese MAKES this. I used marscapone for my sample slice and it’s all I can do not to dive in (but I have to save it for dinner!!)

        This is a great, simple recipe and very delicious. I think next time I will definitely go with all-white flour instead of the white whole wheat. The texture with my flour came out very similar to Trader Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough instead of you big spongey bread in the picture. On the plus side, now I know how to make Trader Joe’s pizza dough! 😀

        Maybe one more teeny sliver wouldn’t hurt?

        xoxox,
        Elizabeth

        • jenna
          December 6, 2010 at 12:31 pm

          good!!! 🙂