grape focaccia with rosemary (2024)

I would have NEVER thought to add grapes in focaccia. I love all things fruit so this just sounds fabulous to me!

catgut

I read this title and couldn’t help saying “woah!” I must make this, right now!

This looks beautiful and fantastic to eat! I may have to try making it gluten,dairy,etc-free! Thank you for the inspiration :)

This is beautiful! Can a food be beautiful? Well, it is!

There was this seasonal flatbread at Sullivan Street Bakery last Sunday… flat bread topped with champagne grapes, anise, sugar, and olive oil. A delicious sister to this recipe, no doubt.

daffy

Yes, concord grapes are yummy! But do you think a seedless grape variety would work here?

That looks quite amazing. I love reading your thoughts and tangents, too!

focaccia with grapes look yum,..

6 tablespoons of oil still sounds like a lot – I wonder how much she asked for in the first place!!

What a clever combination! I’m looking forward to trying it!

Amy

That’s beautiful!

emily kate

Isn’t that funny about concord grapes? They’re amazing, and totally different from all of the other kinds out there. ‘Fat free’ ketchup is still ridiculous advertising, though (my personal least favorite is Sunny D’s claims of 100% vitamin C. Nothing like corn syrup laced with vitamins to start off your kid’s day!).

Kate

Funny, I just had the same experience this past weekend, tasting my first grape (freshly plucked from a vine) that actually tasted like grape juice. I had no idea either… This sounds delicious – just might have to make it this week! (Just finished the second attempt of the peach shortbread!)

I love that phrase, “valedictory meal.” I’m pretty sure I’m a valedictory meal too.

carter

@Emily: Sullivan Street aka Grandaisy’s is made with champagne grapes. It is so delicious I can’t hardly stand it and I look forward to it every summer. The anise seed is so wonderful with the grapes.

Looks GOOOOD! And I’ve missed commenting on your site, so good to be back to reading you.

Sounds delicious. I’m thinking I’d like to try this with wine grapes, although they, too, are tough to seed.

Sara

Trader Joe’s has an unfiltered, pure grape juice, whose ingredient list reads something like “Grapes.” and WOW it’s freakin delicious like a Concord grape is! I see why they’re juiced, with those darn seeds and all!

michele

totally agree re: using only olive oil & no butter. sounds more like the focaccia recipe i use.
also, i’m too lazy to seed grapes. :-)
which seedless variety do you think would yield the most similar flavor result?
sounds like the perfect sweet-savory flavor mix. can’t wait to try it.

Oh. Oh, my. Deb, Deb. Deb. Thank you for bringing me Concord grape heaven. I’ve been staring at these pictures for fifteen minutes now, and I’m still under their spell. But what I want most of all is the Valedictory meal you described. Come hell or high water, it will be mine this weekend! Thanks for giving me the best dinner idea of all time!

This sounds and looks SO FRACKING GOOD but I cannot get over having to /seed grapes/. Is there no other way? Do.. do people SELL these grapes seedless?

shawna.o.

I had the same reaction when a coworker brought some in last season around this time… how is it that no ones parents introduced them to “real grape” flavoring earlier in their lives?! Such yummy grapes :)

Oh Deb – this may be the first time I am truly missing NYC since we left. Concord grapes haven’t yet shown up in the markets here in SF, and I am not sure if/when they will. I know they are grown more back east, and then quickly purchased by said Welch’s, so I am hoping I can get my finger on some this year. Last year I actually made grape juice (for co*cktails anyway) and if I see them soon, this focaccia will surely make my list. Looks divine!

michele

…or maybe sub the grapes for some fresh black mission figs. not sure if you get many fresh figs in NYC. here in SF they’re plentiful at the moment.

I LOVE concord grapes and have been thinking about making foccacia for a few days now. Oh. It. Is. On. Sounds like you had as much fun making the recipe as you had enjoying it too!

Wow. Great idea coupling grapes with rosemary. Beautiful pictures.

Bex

Your Concord grape discovery cracks me up. Those of us lucky enough to have Concord grapes growing crazily all over the back yard (yes, me!) take the flavor for granted. I’m always surprised when people–especially foodies–don’t know Concord is THE grape of grape flavor fame (doesn’t it say Concord on the juice bottle?). But then, I live in Massachusetts, so we’re supposed to know. It’s OUR grape! Anyhow, this looks lovely, and I’m excited to try it out!

I don’t eat grapes. Weird, I know. But this is really, really pretty.

This looks fantastic! And I’m with you… pumkins? already? But I do love concord grapes. Seriously, though, is there any way to get around seeding the grapes? Of course not, but seeding concord grapes is no fun!

…swooning….

jen

This past week I was lucky enough to find SEEDLESS concord grapes (who knew) at a farmstand near my home. I’ve always loved concord grapes but avoid buying them because I can’t stand the seeds. I can’t wait to try this recipe.

Vesta

This whole grape thing cracks me up. I always wondered where that purple grape flavor came from because none of the grapes I had ever eaten tasted like that. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized that the flavor comes from actual grapes. Since I live in Nor Cal I doubt I will have the chance to taste the fresh version so I will have to settle for stolen sips of my 3 year old’s juice!

Okay, I’m sold! Anything that inspires a pairing with good wine and cheese deserves a try in my kitchen. I adore the way this particular grape leaves purple ink stains that remind me of summer blueberries.

Grapes+Focaccia=HEAVEN!!

Metropolitan Bakery in Philadelphia makes a grape focaccia with rosemary and goat cheese that I’ve missed since I moved 12 years ago. You may have finally inspired me to try on my own.

Oh, yes. How about figs? That sounds delicious.

LC

What a beautiful bread! But if I make this I’m swapping the grapes… I hate Concords. I can’t keep the thought of grape cough syrup/Jolly Ranchers/nasty jellybeans out of my head when I eat them. I can taste it right now. Ugh.

I walked to my concord grape vines a few days ago and it SMELLED like grape juice! That’s how I knew I should get picking! I’ve made juice and jam… and THIS is awesome! I was hoping someone would illuminate the path to some sort of baked good with grapes… had to be YOU! Thanks!

I wonder what this would be like with blueberries. yum!

Angela

Wow. I learn so much from this blog. I have always HATED everything “grape” and thought the food processing companies just didn’t get it right. Have to be honest, it doesn’t make me want to eat concord grapes. But, these pictures are too beautiful not to try it out. My mouth is watering.

Holy crap that looks delicious! I love fruity and salty combinations like this. Earlier this year I did a fig/grape quinoa salad with goat cheese and it was uncommonly good. Look forward to trying this focaccia when summer rolls in down here. Cheers

looks delish! can’t wait to try it.

cristina

When I lived in Florence, I literally became obsessed with this stuff, it’s everywhere in the fall. Of course the Tuscans refer to it as schiacciata all’uva and is made using the classic Sangiovese grape. In Italy they make it bit thicker than the one you’ve made, but I’ll have to give this recipe a try, rosemary must bring it to a whole other level of decadence!

aaaaaaaaaaaaah, i love grapes on foccacia. the sweet/salty/savory is just to die for. figs and apricots are also pretty great.

I am glad you are still having some great weather on the East Cost, because here in Seattle it already turned into fall. Yuck! I am so with you on the food comments, but i stopped complaining because nobody listened to me :). Anyways great recipe. I am not a huge focaccia bread person but this looks really good.

this is very pretty and delicious!

Mike V.

Susan

I’ve only tried making focaccia once and it didn’t turn out very good. It was too bready and not very tender. Probably too much flour. I would never have thought to use grapes on focaccia, especially concord’s because they’re so sweet. I was surprised to read that they weren’t your pickled grapes! Would those work, do you think?

Christine

I sort of felt that way about Ayn Rand when I first discovered The Fountainhead, but the further I read it the more weirded out I got by her message. Um, no thanks! It would have taken far less time for me to eat a grape than come to this realization.

Sarah

At the farmer’s market here in Santa Monica someone sells seedless concord grapes. They are pretty amazing. Okay, they are absolutely amazing. My kids are less wowed by them- what with their tougher skins (the grapes) and all, but that leaves more jammy wonderful grapyness for me. Can’t wait to hunt down these grapes- may be a few weeks- and try this recipe out. Thanks!

Ha, I had that exact same concord grape/grape juice/grape candy epiphany 2 years ago whilst visiting a friend’s farm. I’ve been on a fanatical binge (when in season) ever since. I do have to warn you, however, that eating too many at once does something nuts to the inside of your mouth and will mess you up pineapple-style.

I’ve always looked at grape focaccia with a lot of suspicion. Now that it has your stamp of approval, I can’t wait for grape season!

Lois

I grew up with Concoird grapes and love their taste. While they are still in season, you might try making a Concord Grape Apple Pie. I don’t have a particular recipe to recommend since it’s been a number of years since I’ve made it (I’m West Coast now), but I loved the combo of the sweet grapes and tart apples — it somehow heightens both flavors.

Saw this pop up a few times last year, and it looked good then. Still looks good. The color of the grapes seeping into the bread is what looks so cool.

I have never added a fruit to my foccacia…. but now I have to! These look so tasty!

Ingrid

Metric for dry ingredients please :)

Kirsten

I knew right away this was from The Last Course! I love it so…I just keep renewing my library copy (3 times so far) and no one has caught on yet. FYI, after I made your/her buttermilk ice cream, I contacted the Inn and got two really sweet and prompt replies from both the innkeeper and Claudia herself saying that they no longer had any copies to sell and the publisher had no interest in reprinting it. It’s the last part that makes me so sad. Digital media, people– how about a copy on the Kindle so I can at least get the recipes if not the gorgeous illustrations?!

87 degrees is lovely weather. good enough for baking without your home feeling like an inferno. this grapey foccacia would be delicious with some riesling, i’d imagine.

oh I make a superb foccacia… and this looks like I may be adjusting my own recipe very very very soon. And maybe (we’ll see) I invite a few of the girls to help me drink wine and eat bread. Unfortunately its just rainy and humid here, with plenty of heat, but its not in the hundreds so I’m hanging on my porch a good bit.

oh my goodness this sounds utterly amazing, I will DEFINITELY be trying it. I know, so ridiculous advertising such as: made with 10% REAL JUICE! Like we should get excited about that. As usual your photography is lovely!

I have not seen grapes that color since eating them off the vines of my grandfather’s vineyard when I was a child. beautiful.

It looks great! it must be delicious!

stephanie

Love the color of this dish! So lush!

Simone

Deb-I grew up on Kedem Grape Juice & my Dad used to bring home a lot of concord grapes (I HATE those seeds!) for us to eat so, yeah, I know exactly what you’re talking about. However, putting grapes on focaccia bread?!? I never would have thought of that. Thanks for the recipe & a Happy & Healthy New Year to you & yours!

Masterpiece of Tuscany culinary tradition!!! I love it! I did one but never posted…

I would never have thought that grape would be good on focaccia, but the colour is amazing and it looks absolutely scrumptious. Mmmmm.

Yum! I discovered grape foccacia last year using local coronation grapes (no seeds!). I also made the discovery that some grapes taste exactly like – wine! (go figure….) I still have some of the grapes and can’t wait to try them with this recipe. You can also freeze your grapes and enjoy grape foccacia in the middle of the winter, a definite treat!

This looks incredible–I, like other commenters, would happily add some figs in there as well. And why not a version with peaches and figs? I can only imagine it would be great with the olive oil in the focaccia. Yum!

Mmmm, I made this last year (with a lot of tweaks as well) and have been dying to break it out again, now that Concord grapes are back at the market. One suggestion: next time, don’t seed the grapes. Sounds crazy, I know! But it’s so much easier, and the seeds add a nice little crunch to the foccacia.

linda

wonderful!
would love to serve this for a dinner party…do you think prepping the day before & refrigerating changes the texture or anything?

also love socks the monkey, I agree the combination of Jacob and socks is beyond cute! dude, seeding grapes? hummmm. at least they don’t have to be peeled

I’ve seen this a few times lately, but after having a horrid grape tart a few years back, haven’t cared to try anything with baked grapes. Although, I love the how crispy yours looks. Everyone (thing) deserves a second chance, right?

This looks awesome! I recently went to Cinque Terre, Italy, where pesto and focaccia originated and tried TONS of focaccia varieties. I’ve never had grape though, and can’t wait to try!

grapes + foccacia? sounds brilliant!

Nicole

My grandmother used to grow concord grapes, and when I cut her lawn, it would be: cut a strip, grab a handful, spit out seeds, repeat. She used to “fuss” (I believe that was her word) about how she wouldn’t have enough to make jelly and threaten to take it from my pay (which I believe was all of $5 for a HUGE yard). Last week I saw grapes for sale at the end of someone’s driveway and remembered this, but didn’t stop. Now I will be retracing my steps in hopes of remembering said driveway (and believe me, I drive a lot!) and making focaccia in honor of Mom-Mom!!

What a wonderful idea!

Heidi

I make a similar dish and use a combination of red and green seedless grapes…looks really nice with the two colours. I also add fresh minced garlic and shallots, sliced very thin and seperated into perfect little rings. Try putting a little dried rosemary in the dough as well. I don’t usually put sugar on top…just a good sprinkling of kosher salt but the sugar sounds interesting and the concord grapes look yummy too! Try the garlic and shallots…it kicks it up another notch! Yum!

VSE

Happy New Year to you and your family! A propos baking with grapes: I have had success using grapes — even the most commonplace seedless green kind, whole, in any of those cakes where the dough swallows up the fruit as it bakes. This started eons ago with a recipe from “The I Hate to Cook Book” — which seems to enjoying something of a renaissance. The original recipe involved sliced apples. The cake part was so easy to commit to memory — 1, 1, 1, 1, 2 (cup sugar, stick butter, cup self-rising flour, teaspoon vanilla, eggs) that it soon became my “memory cake” (easy to impress your friends when you whip something up without looking!) with endless variations as to fruit and spices. Grapes work well with a bit of nutmeg, brandy instead of vanilla and maybe some almonds sprinkled on top.

I love the rosemary with this. I can almost taste it!! Your pictures are truly wonderful! They make me want to reach our and grab a piece! Thanks!

Regarding seeding grapes: tweezers. I have a pair with little ridges on the insides that get a really grip on things wet and loosey-goosey.

G.guess

Thanks for another Tasty post!
Would love to make this asp, your peach shortbread was unbelievable! Love the taste of brown butter!!!
You guys should watch “king corn” movie for the insight what we are really eating…since you do like corn a lot…

I have never ever seen anything like this recipe! What an awesome and innovative late-summer bread!

i would never have thought to add grapes! this sounds incredible!

We moved from the Upper West Side to Nowhere, MA (pop. 1400) last fall, and were delighted to find wild concord grapes growing everything in our backyard this summer. I mean, it’s surreal. Clusters of grapes for the plucking have appeared everywhere these past few weeks…. and my first taste of a concord grape, before I spit it out due to skin and seeds, was a shocking and slightly horrified “holy crap, this tastes just like Welch’s grape jelly”.

Michelle H

If seeding a grape isn’t your thing, but love the flavor of a Concord, try a Thomcord grape. It is a cross between a Thompson and Concord, giving the great flavor of the Concord without the seed. These grapes are delish! And the bread looks like the perfect mix of bready, sweet and salty.

I have been on a quest for a worthy concord rosemary foccacia for years, and my search is recommenced with new vigor every autumn. Thanks for sharing this gem with your alterations, I can’t wait to try it!

Dana

I have always liked grapes, but disliked anything grape flavored: grape juice, wine(not liking the taste of alcohol either doesn’t help with that one), grape candy. Then I discovered concord grapes, and realized I disliked them just as much as grape flavoring! I guess Homer Simpson was right all along…Purple is a fruit!

I had a focaccia bread disaster last year that kept me from trying again but this looks too tempting!

Kailee

How strange, I was just thinking last week how grapes are almost never used in any kind of baked good. I may just try this!

Pattyk

Hi Deb,
I’ve been following you for years, and love your website. I recently discovered grapes that are a cross between Concord and Thompson seedless. They are called Thomcord I believe. They taste like concord and have tiny little seeds. I’m thinking you wouldn’t have to seed them. They are incredibly sweet and I love the flavor. Thanks for all the great recipes.

YUM! I’m always looking for grape recipes. Last year I made a grape pie (I can’t believe I seeded all those grapes!)

JackieD

Amie

I’ve seen so many sweet focaccia recipes lately… looks like I’m going to have to try one out! This sounds fantastic!

I luv focaccia…there’s a rusticness about it and with these grapes, so beautiful and right together with the rosemary.

that looks so delicious! gonna try it out soon!

Sharon

I was delighted to discover that Amazon has Fleming’s book, listing both new and used (very inexpensive) copies. My apologies if it is not kosher to mention A—–. Your recipe and writing are gorgeous, as always. I was a chef in NYC in the 80’s, and I remember a bakery making a grape focaccia with quite a bit of sugar. It was good, but yours looks fantastic. I only hope I can still get Concord grapes. If not, I might use Muscadines. Some years I manage to make one sour cherry pie and one Concord grape pie–both are fabulous. One year my husband spied the grapes and, sensing a lack of motivation for seeding, surprised me by making grape jam–his first, and sadly, only. I must remind him that it was the BEST ever.

what a flavor combination! Looks delish ;)

This was a great read and a beautiful focaccia! I too, rant about the same thing in my classrom. Advertizers and label makers know that some will believe what they print.

Right on sister! This is my kind of food! I love this one.

Mel

Making homemade grape juice from our garden-grown Concord grapes was a summer tradition with my dad. It was hot, sticky work but that juice was delicious when he would break out a bottle in the middle of the winter.

Kae

Boston/Cambridge, MA area readers may be interested to know that Silverbrook Farms from Westport, MA is selling seedless Concord grapes right now at various farmer’s markets around the city. I have some on my desk right now, can’t wait to make this recipe with them!

Sharon

Hi Deb,
I just ordered one for around $9, including shipping–a “very good” used copy. I never have any trouble with their sellers. Used offerings of this book start at about $1.98, plus standard $3.99 shipping.

What a strange and cool idea! If I weren’t making apple cake for Rosh Hashana I swear I’d be making this.

This must sound very random, but i really like the way your berries and grapes come in these beautiful little blue cartons. Ours usually come in plastic bags or transparent plastic boxes here in Hong Kong. Less pretty and much less environmentally friendly…hmph!

I generally prefer a slightly thicker focaccia. I think I’ll try my own variation of this recipe. I DO have some concord grapes growing away on the vine.

This looks fantastic. I love the idea of using real grapes instead of raisins (love grapes. hate raisins). I’ve never had concord grapes, though! They look pretty amazing!

This looks wonderful!

Anna

The pictures look great, but I couldn’t keep reading past “87 degrees” while it’s maybe 60 and pouring rain in Seattle. Think it will just as tasty with the pitter-patter of rain in the background? Alas, maybe next year we’ll get a “real” summer again.

oooh I’ve been wanting to try a focaccia bread recipe. Never thought to add a fruit to it, but that’s a great idea! And it looks so pretty too!

I thought the same thing the first time I had concord grapes. I was like, “OMG, they taste like grape jelly! No, wait! Grape jelly tastes like these grapes! Ohm an, who knew!”

I’ve made a similar recipe for years. It’s one of my most favorites!

sounds savory sweet… i am not a fan of cooked grapes but i would try this

You do things with grapes that I never do (with grapes).

It’s like dessert and a side dish all in one. Looks so freaking good. Wiping drool off screen.

Magda

Dude, I grew up in Poland, where Concord grapes were all there was. When I moved to the US, I was appalled at what passed for “grapes” here–they tasted nothing like the beloved fruit of my childhood. With the US food scene finally catching up to that of other places, it’s so wonderful to finally have access to these foods again. I’m hoping that wild strawberries will be reintroduced to the American diet next!

OMG it feels like fall here in MN! Yuck! I just wrote today that I wanted my 90 degrees back! hahha….I love Rosemary bread and am very curious about the grapes with it. We have vineyards here during apple picking time, so when I go pick apples I will be getting some grapes too for this!

This looks divine! What an interesting combination of ingredients…but then not really when I think of wine and rosemary bread. Can’t wait to try it. Thank you!

Barbara in N. FL

Leslie

In Toronto we have “Coronation” grapes at the farmers market and grocery store this time of year. They taste just like concord…but are SEEDLESS! No need to seed. This is a great recipe and much easier with Coronation grapes if you can find them. Thanks for taking all the butter/skim milk powder etc out of the recipe, which would have stopped me from trying!

JanetP

Ada

Me too! I always thought the “grape” flavour was artificial or enhanced somehow till I bought concord grapes a couple of weeks ago. They’re so good they’re my new favourite dessert… till I try this focaccia, I’m sure.

Anna

I’ve made this at work quite a few times and never bothered seeding the grapes. The seeds give a wee bit of crunch, and the time savings is worth it. And as long as you’re on a grape kick, make her concord grape sorbet (or bug me for my variation with niagra grapes) – delish!

Oh my YUM! I’m going through my “bread phase” right now and this is definitely being added to the list. It looks out of this world amazing! And the color of the grapes is awesome!

CM

Erica

jarrelle sartwell

i have a question. . . you said use the paddle attachment but in your picture you show the hook attachment. . . which do i use? i think i am going to make this and even though i am a avid baker i have never worked with active dry yeast. so i am a little nervous but i think i will finally do it!

Wow! What an unusual combination – I would have never thought to put grapes on focaccia. Can’t wait to try it!

Dawn Nowak

looks SO yummy! giada de laurentiis has a similar recipe, but it uses premade pizza dough and grapes that don’t require seeding. i haven’t tried it, but it may be worth a second look :)

Kate

Deb, I love your pet peeve. I’m an FDA lawyer, so I spend a ridiculous amount of time explaining to people what they can and cannot say on labels and where/how all of the info must appear. Believe it or not, most label claims are actually based on FDA regulations, which helps explain why they are so ridiculous. “Good source,” “Contains X,” “Provides X” = 10-19.9% of the RDI; “Excellent source,” “rich in” = 20% or more of RDI. Free, low, reduced — all are defined by statute too. Juice names are the most absurd; “pomegranate blueberry flavored juice in a blend of five juices” is just one of the many reasons my clients hate me. I could go on for daaaays because I am a huge dork about this stuff.

Russ

At the Union Square Greenmarket on most Wednesdays and Fridays the past few weeks there are farmers selling seedless Concord grapes and other seedless American grape varieties.

This recipe with the pics sooooo puts me in the mood for fall. I will be making this asap. I have used used olives in bread but not grapes. Very nice photography!

Hi Deb, First time, long time (as a radio caller might say) – I’m smitten with your site, words and photography. I just purchased the lens – THE lens- and have a new relationship with food. I didn’t know I could be seduced by a leaf of lettuce until I looked at its veins through the Sigma. Thank you, but not why the comment…I believe like you that despite your grape encounter that most packaged foods that claim health or real, sadly are neither. Even the ingredients are fractioned off so that sugars and preservatives don’t rise to the top of the ingredient list. The bigger the claim, the more likely the charade. You were not wr,r…I won’t say it – but, perhaps it’s lesson to keep an open mind that some packaged foods can be true. And with that, I am going to try the concord grape…thanks for the inspiration.

i am making these now. RIGHT NOW!

JennyinMinneapolis

Ummm..how did you KNOW I just bought fresh rosemary??? Now I just need some grapes!

I’ve been avoiding your mouthwatering photos and blog for the past three weeks due to being on a cleanse. I’m back with a bang, and can not wait to make this! YUM!!!

Geralyn

Looks so amazing. Love the sweet/salty/herbaceous combination.

I too remember the first time I ate a Concord grape. It was like a light bulb went on. “Ohhhhhh. I get it now. Grape juice isn’t made from table grapes, it’s made from Concord grapes. Duh.” And as much as I love the flavor, I have no patience for the seeds and am content to line Welch’s pockets to get my fix.

Molly

I think I’d be inclined to leave the seeds in. (Grape Foccacia with MORE Vitamin E, flavonoids, linoleic acid, and OPCs!)
My personal favorite nutritional claim? On a bottle of olive oil: “0 mg Cholesterol!”
Well, I should hope so.

Love this combo!!! It looks amazing.

dana

We have these type of grapes growing in our yard, and I mostly just stand out there and eat them. Lovely to have a new idea for them. They are actually easy to grow – and we have a very short growing season here in Maine. We sort of don’t do anything and they keep coming back, with the exception of having to fight off the Japanese Beetles that seem to love them!

I’m a bit of a fan with focaccia so I know I’m going to love this recipe.

Marbarre`

If you are not inclined to seed those concord grapes, King Arthur Flour has a recipe for a Grape and Rosemary Focaccia where they roast seedless red grapes in the oven.
It’s also a soft dough and I have made this with good results. Having said that, I am going for the concord grapes this weekend. I saw them at the Farmers Market and I am interested in comparing the two versions.
PS. I’ll bet your mailbox is overloaded with Sox Monkeys….I know I am tempted!!!!

LovesCooking

I have been your faithful follower for a very long time, now, but never commented. The concord grapes have just broken my tradition. This looks so fantastic – I can almost taste those wonderful tasty bits on my bread. While they are in season, you should also try a concord grape pie (you slip the skins off the grapes, cook the pulp and run it through a strainer, then stir the skins back into the mix) SO YUMMY…

RG

OMG, I have wanted to replicate this from a trip to NYC and an Italian store in the Bronx 10 years ago. It must have been my first experience with that whole salty-sweet idea; I don’t like sweets, but i like salty-sweets

Meagan

I haven’t read everyone’s posts, but if no one mentioned Coronation grapes I’d be surprised — they’re Concords, but seedless. I have them in Toronto; O Canada! :)

Amina

I had a similar epiphany after eating some “real” grapes. I love concord grapes – particularly their gelatinous insides. I can’t get enough of chewy, sweet things.

Love it when things come together that probably shouldn’t! Eating Vosges chocolate infused with coconut and curry at the moment and it’s turned out to be a GENIUS combination!

Bliss

I had the same experience with grapes last year!!! I always thought that grape juice tasted like grape flavoring, I had no idea – and hearing that someone as knowledgeable about food as you makes me feel less silly for taking so long to figure it out!

Jessica

I’ve found the same thing with strawberry flavoured things; Strawberries in Australia taste nothing like strawberry ice cream etc. But recently I was in the UK at the end of summer and the strawberries there tasted exactly like the flavouring I had always assumed was synthetic.

Ellie

Shanah Tovah!

This looks so absolutely beautiful! I would put olives on top too, to surprise my dinner guests with contrast. I have a two ingredient recipe for awesome concord grape sorbet on my site. :)

figbash

I was going to suggest something similar to Russ. I know that at the GAP market on Saturdays, there is a huge grape stand that has seedful on one side and seedless on the other. There are definitely seedless ones that have the same flavor as the Concords (not quite as intense–seedless are always less-strongly flavored), but i don’t remember the name of the precise variety. Don’t waste your time with Thomcords, though, they taste just like Thompsons…and just as industrial, in my opinion.

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who had the grape epiphany after eating a Concord grape. My sister-in-law usually has 50 lbs or more of Concord grapes growing over her backyard fence which my hubby harvests for her so we get the bulk of the pickings. I usually make jam (more jelly like because I use my food mill to get rid of the peel and seeds) but last year I made grape juice which over the summer became grape sorbet – yum, yum. But this looks like a wonderful new grape recipe to try – if we get any grapes at all this year out here on the soggy wet (west) coast. And your sock monkey thief is just the cutest!

Laurie

Stunning Recipe! I have never tried sweet focaccia. This recipe looks appetizing just by looking at the pictures.

This is a great recipe, a lot of our grape crops were ruined this year due to the fungus growing and so we expossed it and got a huge heat wave and killed many of our grape vines, this goes for all of wine country not just us, not sure how the season is gonna be. but our concord grapes that we have just for baking are fine and we have plenty so I’m gonna try this recipe out it looks terrific.

Jane

Forget focaccia you need a slice of my Granny’s concord grape pie! Try seeding and peeling all the grapes for those babies. Hours of labor produced several fillings to be frozen in pie pan shapes and saved to bake for very special occasions. Say, Granny’s birthday when my mom, uncle, Granny, and I took two cuts to the whole pie and each ate a full quarter warm and al a mode! Heaven like you’ve never known in a pie.

sarah

Isn’t it funny? I recently tried fresh concord grape juice at the farmer’s market and was transported back to my youth with that first grapey sip…it’s crazy!

Gah, I don’t know if there are enough hours in the day for all of the things I want to make or read or eat!

i don’t suppose i’ve ever had a concord grape either, but i do agree that most of the “juices” on the market taste nothing like the fruit from whence they came. maybe this is an exception?

I chuckled wihen I saw grapes, thinking “Oh, yeah, right” with much sarcasm. However, after reading your raves and rants, then checking out the cookbook, I thought this girl is onto something. So, this is my next baking adventure and someday hope to buy or receive as a gift (preferably) the cookbook-Last Course. Being a Californian, grapes are in abundance locally from table grapes to Cabernet. Maybe an experiment is in order with different types of grapes ones without seeds.

Michele

This looks like the most perfect thing ever! I do a good foccacia and love dunking it into cream of tomato soup. I’ve been wanting to try making butternut squash soup. I wonder how that might pair with your gorgeous foccacia. tonight’s the night!

Linda

I wonder if a tomato shark would get the seeds out easier and quicker than a paring knife. You might lose a bit more pulp than when using the knife, but the time savings may be worth it.

OMG!!! My mouth is watering. These look sooooo good.

I want to eat these up !

This sounds fantastic. I’m making it next week. And yes! Concord grapes are crazy! My husband grew up surrounded by Concord grape vineyards (which, incidentally, supply for Welch’s) – he and his brother and dog would eat themselves sick every fall in the backyard. Early on in our relationship his parents brought us a basket of grapes when they came to visit and I was flabbergasted – they tasted like grape bubblegum. It was, exactly as you say, a revelation. The answer to a lifelong question. His mother makes grape pie – I’ll have to ask her how she handles all the seeding. I think she boils them first and picks out the seeds – which would be of no use here.

Debra,
This is like Schiachiatta con L’uva….an Etruscan grape bread made for the grape harvest in wine country in Italy.
I made it last year, inspired by Sullivan St. and Grandaisy’s pizza w/ champagne grapes.
Your focaccia is beautiful, I may have to stop being afraid of yeast!
Happy New Year.
Stacey

Vanessa

My husband planted concord grapes last year and we have been so enthralled with their sweetness, after this very hot, humid summer. He has been after me to make something with them, now I know just what to do! Thank you!!

Kathy in St. Louis

It makes me smile to see a circular focaccia cut into squares. When that’s done to a pizza in the Midwest (VERY common), it’s sometimes called a party cut or a tavern cut.

Oh my, the flavors in this focaccia! Wow.

Caity

I saw this post yesterday, thought that it looked fantastic, and promptly forgot about it during my hectic day. Wouldn’t you know that a bunch of Concord grapes showed up in my CSA bag today and this was the first thing that came to mind! I am so making it for a dinner party this weekend and serving with yummy cheese :)

Jamie H

Becca

Doxie

Hi Deb – Can this be frozen? If so, would you recommend baking then freezing, or freezing it unbaked? Thanks!

hello deb,
you don’t know what you did to me… i made this yesterday and first of all it was so beautiful, the creamy white dough with the dark violet grapes on it. and then it came out of the oven and didn’t exist much longer, it got just munched away. this was so good! i used seedless blue grapes. and obviously my flour was different, i needed a lot more water/milk to get the dough together

I know what I’m making this weekend. Thank you for another great recipe Deb!

I love the unexpected addition of grapes to this normally savory food. Rosemary and grapes, sounds delicious. And as for food companies…you are not wrong. They get away with way too much.

Agreed. Concord grapes taste like juice. I had the same experience!

“Lush glass of pink wine.” So funny! Can’t wait to try this recipe.

srs1972

We made this last night, cutting back slightly on the sugar and the salt. This tastes as beautiful as it looks, like flowers and poetry and the end of summer and the beginning of a new year. So thanks so much and shana tovah umetukah!

AnnaDorothy

I made this yesterday and literally–no kidding–ate one of the two loaves entirely by myself. It was UNBELIEVABLE.

Wowza. I just came upon your blog in a search for lobster rolls. Oh dear. And here I am trying to diet. LOVE it ALL! Cheers!

Kate

Label dork, back again! Good news on the loopholes: FDA is attempting to crack down on food and supplement labeling, as much as they can. The new FDA administration is decidedly pro-public health, so much so that industry was none too pleased with the appointments. The agency has such limited resources though, and understandably, is allocating most to food and drug safety. However, enforcement is underway. I am the least fun person ever to grocery shop with because I get so annoyed by the claims, so seeing an official smackdown over, for example, Diet co*ke Plus (because adding vitamins to that chemical soup is going to make it healthy?) was a happy day for me. (Lawyers have to find joy where they can; we’re a fun bunch.) Anyway, my biggest beef is with “natural,” which has no official definition. Oh, and products that claim to deliver antioxidants — unless you can see a substantial amount of vitamins A, C, or E in the Nutrition Facts, the claim really has no meaning. The functional claims (e.g. “Rice Krispies will help your child develop a germ safe bubble in which to dwell”) are becoming so absurd that I have hope they too will be targeted, much like Airborne was. Right now, they just have to be “truthful and not misleading” — a line many manufacturers are quite willing to take a flying leap across in the name of exclamation point-y packaging. Aaaand I will stop talking now…

Coronation Grapes are frequently seedless and offer the same amazing grape flavor with less work. Plus they burst nicely and release their juices which caramelize beautifully. In Italy grape bread is usually made with wine grapes with the seeds left in, but I think you have to be Italian to “get” the crunch factor. I’ve made Flemmings recipe too and don’t really like it. But I’ve perfected mine over the years (http://www.lemontart.ca/2009/10/grape-bread-schiacciata-con-luva.html) and I can’t show up at a harvest dinner with it! Thanks for reminding me that its time….:)

Chaja

I had exactly the same experience. As a European, anything grape-flavoured always tasted exactly like the Welch juice, which when I first tried it I couldn’t believe to be actually fruit-based. I still cannot trick my mind into thinking that the grapes actually naturally taste fake. Alas. I have been looking for some ‘proper’ grape juice. If nayone has any advice, I’d be thankful.

jana

I had to post this. I live in northern California, and I saw seedless Concord grapes in thw store today!

jana

Sorry, I forgot the name of the store. It’s Safeway.

Mina

I love this combo of flavors and so agree with you about labeling. I am so going to have to try this one out. Thanks for the great post.

I CHICKENED out yesterday in the store- went to an indoor green market and there were a few lonely Concord Grape containers. I lifted 1 up to examine the contents and left them in the store. Sadly, I was feeling just too LAZY to pit the grapes! And usually tasks like that don’t really get to me!

Just a tip for those mixing the dough by hand: for high hydration (sticky) doughs like this the easiest way to handle and “knead” them is with wet hand, not floured, and by folding. Get your hands wet all over, scoop or pour out the dough onto a wet surface, using your hands or a bench scraper (much easier) scoop up half of the dough and fold it over. Keep rotating the dough and folding. Occasionally pick it up and let it stretch out to fold it more easily. If you do this for about 5 minutes it kneads it really effectively, and I think it improves the final texture of the bread.

tony

I had to smile! I was born in Australia and had never ever eaten a concord grape (as far as I know they are not imported or grown there). We did however have grape sherbet sweets which tasted nothing like any grape I had eaten. Until last fall in new England when I had my first concord. That is the flavour of the grape sweets!!

what an intriguing flavor combination… this marks superb chef skills and a recipe i can’t wait to try!
thanks for the inspiration!

Michelle T

I had my first concord grapes just last year. And I will never eat another ‘red’ or ‘green’ grape again. Concord grapes are bursting with flavour!

Scott

I have made dozens of recipes from your website and they have ranged from amazing to divine. I have a hard time choosing a favorite, but this was as good as any of them.

Pam

This recipe worked very well. Instead of concord grapes, I used champagne grapes which are milder.

Just discovered your blog tonight. Your images make me so hungry! I need to get onto cooking…

Sharon

I hope I didn’t lead anyone on a wg chase with my tip about Fleming’s book. I just received the Wrong book by the Wrong author. So sorry for the misguided directions.

This is a very pretty treat. I love to make them. My family loves them, too. I always get the comments form my family like, why did it take you so long to make them again? I like to mix things up a bit, that way my family thinks that it is hard and special.

Tiffany

Joey

Got flame grapes and figs in this week’s farm box, so clearly two batches of this was needed — one with grapes, one with figs. I just pulled the second batch out of the oven. I can’t speak to the fig batch yet, but the grape is AWESOME. The salt and rosemary with grapes is fantastic!

Becca

Just made this, and it is indeed delicious. Being a huge fan of rosemary, I actually wanted a little more of that flavor – I think next time, I will chop the rosemary and mix it with the bowl of seeded grapes and let them all hang out together for a while before spreading on the dough.

There are different gourmet seasonings and recipes out there. This is an interesting combination. There are so many ways to be creative when cooking.

ohhhhh my goodness, this looks amazing. my recent obsession has been with all things rosemary…i must try this recipe!:)

Eileen

I could hardly believe the very same quart of concord grapes was calling out to me at my local farmers market in WV!! So of course I had to make this. Unfortunately, my habit of swapping whole wheat was not so successful this time around. The focaccia is okay, but not actually deserving of the perfect pops of grape juice on top. I just need to work on moisture ratios with whole grains, as it was a bit dry. I enjoyed all 30 minutes of seeding the grapes, a lovely saturday pastime :)

painterchic

This looks not only delicious, but beautiful. Somedays I’m not sure which I love more, your food or your photographs. I now have a new use for my rosemary, the sole survivor in my pathetic little garden!

Michelle G

I grew up eating concord grapes straight off the vine so I have always loved Welch’s grape juice. There is something better though, homemade grape juice poured straight out of the mason jar. I LOVED the week when we couldn’t eat at the table because it was covered in mason jars and the big juicer that looked like a big barrel with a long hose. I loved watching that purple juice go through that hose and into those jars. Plus, it was always amazing when Mom would pull down a jar at dinner. She rationed them so they would last all year until she could can more.

This looks/sounds FANTASTIC! I would love to try a similar recipe and use blueberries instead of the grapes, I make a blueberry pesto that would be absolutely killer with a modified version of this focaccia bread.

This sounds like total heaven; I wish I was eating it right now!

Taylor

Deb, just wanted to tell you I made this and it turned out AMAZING! Thanks for such a unique inspiration!

Great recipe – I made it and it was wonderful! Very original, I got a lot of compliments.

Natalie

Hi Deb-
Is it possible to make this dough ahead of time? I’d love to bring it to a dinner this week, but won’t have time to make the dough (silly work!). Thanks!

Chris

I was lucky enough to score some seedless Thomcord grapes at my local Publix. I ended up making a grape rosemary gorgonzola flatbread like the one I had seen here – http://www.wearenotmartha.com/2010/02/sausage-grape-and-gorgonzola-flatbread/. (I left out the sausage and onion and worked some fresh rosemary into the dough.) Soooo yummy. This was the first time I had eaten Concord grapes and I’m afraid I will never be able to go back to the regular old red ones again!

prairiebutterfly

lindsey

Oh my goodness. Everyone else has said it already, but this was incredible. First off, the focaccia recipe is the best I’ve ever made, and was as good as the piece I had in Italy in a town that claimed to INVENT focaccia. The grapes on top were a stroke of genius, then the salt, sugar, and rosemary ties it all together. I only used about 2/3 of the salt on top, and next time I would cut it back to 1 teaspoon, but other than that, perfection.

Linda

This is a special Tuscan treat when wine grapes are harvested. The Tuscans, of course, use wine grapes and don’t remove the seeds. My favorite had lots of sugar on top. The rosemary is essential and certainly the olive oil. Great that you posted this recipe.

susan

To me there is nothing comparable to concord grapes. They are DIVINE. Pesky seeds, yes, and tanin yes, but the flavor! Also discovered seedless concords this summer. They don’t have the same intense flavor and you still get the errant seeds but well worth it.

Absolutely delicious!!! We had it with a glass of ice wine – magical! Thanks so much!!!

modgie b

kate: i’m a dietitian and am SO THANKFUL that you are out there fighting the good fight! muchas gracias!

This looks incredible. Can’t wait to try it! I plan to make like the Tuscans and use wine grapes.

oooo-eeeeeeeeee this looks amazing! Aren’t concord grapes a trip, who knew that purple grape jelly was actually (maybe) made from grapes. I’ve never cooked anything with a concord grape (just munch them as is), but this is a great excuse to try something new. btw, I LOVE your site.

I swear someone made this for the artists’ open houses at the Invisible Dog in Brooklyn last week, and I had a slice & it was fiiine. Sadly, there was no one in that particular corner of the studio when I was there, so I don’t know who is your artist-reader, but it was immediately recognizable.

POAndrea

Why bother seeding them? ‘Round these parts, we have muscatine grapes this time of the year, and I put them whole on top of the focaccia. Yum! Especially with some goat cheese and/or blue cheese.

My friend and I are making this recipe in conjunction. We both have Kitchen Aid mixers, and neither of us could get our dough hooks to really throw the dough–the hook just sort of whirled around in the top part of the dough without ever pulling the dough off the sides or bottom of the bowl. When we use a less sticky, heavier dough, the hook really picks the whole wad of dough up and smacks it around inside the dough, effectively kneading it. I recommend kneading this by hand if you’re having the same trouble kneading in your mixer as we did. My friend ended up kneading hers by hand, but I put mine in my oiled bowl to rise, just to see what happens if I follow this recipe word for word. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.

Adrianne

I made this last night and it was delicious! I do not have a stand mixer, so I made it by hand (skipped the kneading, the dough was wet enough to just give a few good stirs). We have dairy allergies in my family, so I also skipped the milk (used water). It still turned out perfect, tender and delicious. No concord grapes, but my grocer had some delicious local, seedless red that were very sweet. I’ve made a similar version if this with blue cheese and honey (added after it was cooked) – that was good, but this one was better. Thanks for the recipe.

Clara

I made this last night and it was amazing. I made the dough by using the “dough” setting on the breadmaker and it was spectacular.

Thomas

tinytim

Yum! Made this last night and I can’t eat any until my hot date comes over tonight….or can I? Anyway, great recipe. I couldn’t find concord so used black, and they just aren’t going to be the same, (nor did I toil over the seeds, which seems like part of the deal ;-) My mistake? sprinkled the sugar on the bread and spilled a little on the pan…450 in the oven is hot enough to burn the sugar on the pan and sure enough ;-( the smoke alarms went off! Silly tinytim!

Twyla

I made this on the weekend and it turned out GREAT!! I’m getting requests for more. When I looked at the pictures again (just now) I realized I could have used a whole lot more grapes. We do have concord grapes in the store right now, but won’t be for long, so I’ll have to make more soon. My bread rose more, wasn’t as flat as in the pictures, but still was soooo….. good! Love your site!

teacherbaker

We have guests coming over Friday night, and I’m working until 4. Is there any way to make this ahead of time? Can you store the dough overnight at some point in the process?

You can make any bread dough in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to a day. Bring it back to room temperature and resume where you left off. It helps to put it in there as you begin one of the “rises”.

Ashley

This was AMAZING. and, yeah, pretty much impossible to not eat the WHOLE THING in one sitting. Thanks for sharing.

Kristan

Chick

I’ve been browsing your site for a while now. When I saw Concord grapes at the market on Saturday, I decided to try your delicious looking focaccia recipe. All went well until I tasted the finished product which was curiously very salty. Turns out what I thought was coarse sugar was actually salt. I’m so bummed. Some how this has to be my husband’s fault. Right?

Sabeen

I had an abundance of concord grapes from my CSA, and this was the perfect way to use them. The focaccia is delicious. I did cut the salt a little bit and next time, I would reduce it to 1 teaspoon. I love the sweet and savory combination. It is especially delicious when topped with a little ricotta and drizzled with honey.

We have some friends in Stow, MA, the next town over from Concord, and their neighbors have a fence the length of their property laden with grape vines. If anyone says “ooh, concord grapes!”, though, they always reply, in a gruff new england manner, “they’re stow grapes”, though the varietals are indistinguishable as far as I can tell. Anyways, we always try to visit those friends in September when the neighbors are practically begging everyone they see to take as many grapes as they can carry, and so I’m scouring the web for things to do with all of them. This time/lbs-of-grapes-used ratio on this recipe looks a bit high but i’m definitely trying your pickled grapes recipe, and writing a warning label that they contain seeds. it doesn’t help that we picked nearly 30lbs of apples on the same trip

I had the same Concord grape-iphany last fall, when I had a concord grape pie from a little cafe in Brooklyn. I bought a bunch for my daughter this year so she could experience it for herself. She prefers “different grapes”. More for mama, I say. I will try this recipe. It looks outstanding.

Elise

Deb, do you read xkcd? If you don’t, you should – I think you’d love it – but that’s a separate subject. Either way, this (http://xkcd.com/641/) reminded me of this post, especially the whole FDA discussion in the comments. Enjoy!

JJ

Read this recipe a few days before going to mom’s farm – where she grows Concords amongst other things. Somewhere in between eating them off the vine we made a batch of the focaccia – Delicious! No dough hook so used a wooden spoon to whip it for the 8-10 mins and eventually had to add about another 1/2c of flour after the first rise to make it anything but runny (although still not really kneed-able). I would also use fine sea salt flakes and cut the amount next time – but there will definitely be a next time!

JenB

Yum! Just made my third batch of this! I didn’t seed the grapes though, and it is still seriously tasty.

natek

i discovered concord grapes a week after reading this post, and was reminded of this recipe. It was as delicious as it sounds, especially if you like the sweet/salty combo. Thanks for a great bread recipe Deb!

jen

made this last night the lazy way – i had some fresh pizza dough and used that instead of making the dough myself. and it was delicious! next time i will make it the real way.

Disappointed

Waaaaaay too salty! Such a disappointment, after seeding the grapes, waiting for the dough to rise. The salt sprinkle overwhelms the sweetness of the sugar and ruins the entire recipe. Cut is down by 2/3 at the very least.

Mary

Long time S.K. addict, first time commenter… I used roughly 1/2 the amounts of salt and sugar sprinkled on top. Even then, it was a bit salty for my taste, but that may be due to my use of kosher rather than sea salt (?). Overall, YUM! The first round was gone in about 5 minutes. I had the same grape epiphany- what a joyful experience (“Hey kids, come smell these grapes!”)! I did, however, have to rig up a crazy towel set up to “cover” because even with the olive oil smothering the dough, it stuck like the dickens. I am making more because, what else can I do with these beautiful grapes?!

Judy

I also thought it was way too salty. I couldn’t believe I had to toss it after all that work, especially seeding the grapes. Really looked forward to it and at first thought I had not followed the recipe correctly but, no, I had the right measurements and even used the coarse sea salt on top. And I usually like the salty sweet combo but the salt was all I could taste. Couldn’t even convince my husband to take more than one bite. So, seriously, all of you who liked it used that same amount of salt? So disappointing and left such a “bad taste in my mouth” that I doubt I would even try again with modifications to the salt.

Sorry to hear that some are finding it too salty. I actually did find it salty, but also sweet and loved the way the two contrasted each other. In my version, they were in good balance. Question: What kinds of salt are you using? Swapping, say, a Kosher salt for a sea salt can make it much saltier (especially if you are using Morton). A fine salt will give you twice the saltiness of the same volume of coarse salt. And finally, a fine table salt (i.e. all table salt) will be much saltier than the same volume of fine sea salt. I’d love to clarify if it is the ingredient, or the recipe. Thanks.

i’ve made this tree times now. deb, wonderful. i have not encountered a disgustingly salty taste. i’ve been using rock sea salt that’s very coarse. i’ve been crushing the sea salt with a spoon before i measure, so it isn’t too chunky. i have enjoyed the sweet/salty combo (obviously, 3 times ha ha) and never been disappointed. i’m also thinking that table salt may be the case here.

Kim

liz

Hi – This is beautiful and I’d like to make it with dried cranberries for my small child’s class party next week. Do you think this will work? Also, how many would you make to feed 30 pre-school children? I’m guessing 2 or 3? Thank you!

Sarah

I’m reading this from a chilly dorm room in Washington DC and yet somehow your descriptions of pumpkins at farmers markets and cardigans night night have called back a rush of memories from the end of this August, right before I left New York for college. You capture that late summer feeling so perfectly it makes me homesick. Not to mention the fact that my dorm kitchen’s oven is far too cantakerous to allow for anything as gourmet as baking bread and I don’t have nearly have enough money in my bank account for the concord grapes and rosemary necessary to make this foccacia properly anyway. Next summer, perhaps, when I’m still in New York and my mom’s paying.

yes that looks simply amazing. and the grapes! —wow. unbelievably gorgeous.

Jen

Jillian

WOW! this recipe is delicious! I couldn’t find concord grapes (it’s only April after all) so I used seedless black grapes. The grapes are not nearly as sweet as concord so I used about 2/3 of the salt instead of the full amount in the recipe, specifically fleur de sel. I also used a bit more rosemary. Probably one of my favourite recipes in a long while, thanks so much for posting! And thanks for the ‘surprise me’ button that showed me this recipe.

Vrushali

Don’t know if I am going wrong somehwere but mine swells like 2 inches thick after baking. It never looks thin like yours :-( but very very tasty!

I made this during the weekend but I topped it with Pear, Rosemary and Goat Cheese. It was delicious!!! Love the foccacia recipe – i like it better than regular foccacia since this is almost like flatbread or pizza doug.

Claire Muscat

I love Giada sooooo much. And she makes great foccacia. But yours is absolutely fab. Love ya

Hannah

This dough made me cry just a little. It was so sticky that even though it was generously coated with olive oil, for the second and third rise it kept sticking to the dishtowel! I finally got it into the oven, but it suffered a lot of abuse. I hope it comes out ok….how can I keep the dough from sticking to whatever I’m covering it with? I’ve never had this problem with pizza dough!

Shannon

This is absolutely delicious! I made this last year for a Fall party and it was devoured. I cannot wait until concord grapes are available this year so I can eat this with a lovely glass of wine.

Jessica

I made this bread with cherries instead of grapes (Martha Stewart’s idea) and it was heavenly! I made it as a snack and we ended up eating it for dinner because it was so delicious!

Amie

Alright, I’m getting started, I love to cook but I’m terrible at baking, and have never used yeast, oh yea and no bread paddle or hook so going at it the old fashioned way. Say a prayer for me :) I may be back to let you know how it went :)

Tamara

Kaylarkin

YO. We tried it — bomb.

Flavors here were good, but mine turned out more like pizza dough than focaccia. Was kinda disappointed after seeding all those grapes. I’ve made focaccia before, and the texture of this dough was not the same (mine was not sticky at all…maybe too much flour?). I plan to make this again, because the flavors are dynamic, but this go ’round was a bust for me.

@Camille B.
I agree, not exactly the focaccia I was expecting. Mine did turn out looking like the picture though. I even added 6 tablespoons of olive oil to the dough right off the bat by accident. Whoopse! I also needed to bake for more than 15 minutes to get brown, more like 35 in my oven. I think the high heat probably had something to do with it too…Excellent flavors and I’m going to try again!

Susan

I made this bread a couple of weeks ago when I happened on some seedless concord grapes at the farmers mkt. Yes! Seedless..very handy. I liked it okay..the grapes were really sweet and reminded me of grape jelly on a rustic pizza crust. I cut back on the salt a bit as I’m not a big salt user anyway, but left enoughto contrast the sweet/salty thing which I really liked alot. I came across a bread called Schlotzsky’s Bread that is apparently from some chain deli that I’d never heard of, but I was intrigued by the name and impressed by the comments of the cult followers! It’s a batter bread focaccia, but uses milk as part of the liquid and is baked in two pie or 8″ cake pans so rises taller and is split to use for sandwiches. It’s crumb is like the no-knead bread; chewy and porous. I’m going to try that with the grapes next time I find them.

Rachel

Made my third batch of this today, and will be making more tomorrow. It’s THE BEST. I ate a whole batch by myself. If only I had more time to seed those grapes…

This came up in my search for focaccia with grapes and it’s the best recipe I’ve seen!

Laura

Phew.. 3 hours later and the focaccia is out of the oven! It does not look nearly as amazing as yours, and I really struggled with the recipe. I only had 1 cup of AP flour, 1/2 C of bread flour, and 1/2 of wheat flour, so that’s what I used. Then I accidentally added all 6 T of oil at the beginning. I tried to get most of it out, but ended up taking some flour with me, so I think the dough was stickier than it should have been. And those concord grapes! Oh my lord! I gave up and just had most of the skins and insides separated. I made one with just rosemary, and added the grapes to the other. Honestly, I’m not sure about the concord grape flavor. I’ve never been a fan of that type of grape flavor- I always thought grape juice and concord grape jelly tasted so fake! This was my first experience with a concord grape, and I now realize… that is just how they taste! Anyways, the focaccia is still delicious, but I don’t think I can go through the hassle of concord grapes again. Maybe I’ll try a different grape next time. Thanks for the recipe!

Kate

Kate

Mmm! The pieces on the edge turned out especially well. Oh…and I used pitless grapes on sale at the store called “blauwe druiven” (they’re not red or white grapes, but a dark purplish color that looks similar to the concord grape), so not sure exactly what kind of grape that is. I might try to make this again in the fall when more of the strongly flavored wine grapes are ripe.

Oh yum! I made a version of this for a food and film blogger club (the movie was Sideways). I used red seedless grapes and added pine nuts, and I served it with fresh ricotta cheese that I made myself. To die for! I ate both rounds by myself (spread over 2 days), lol.

Jennie B

I just made this after dreaming about it for a year…..added all 6 tablespoons of EVOO in the beginning, only let it rise for an hour total and used thyme instead of rosemary. I thought it might be a disaster but it was still DELICIOUS!!! And even though de-seeding those grapes is awful, it’s sooooo worth it!

Suzanne

Made this in the food processor, and the dough came out great! Used the dough blade and processed for about a minute until it really came together. Just a tip for those without stand mixers.

This was so good! I served it with fresh homemade ricotta :-)

Kay

been planning to make focaccia for ages now, but never got to it until now, and I’m glad I made first one with grapes, it turned out freaking delicious! I used grapes from family vine, no concord grapes in this part of europe but nevertheless it was worth all the wait!

Brian

Loved this recipe! I had to add prob 3-6 more tablespoons of flour to my dough in order for it to not be so liquidy and to be the right consistency to clear the bowl.

Nadia

Yes, sadly, way too much salt. And specifying “coarse sea salt” is totally not helpful–even 2 teaspoons (1 tsp per focaccia disk–it’s a pretty small loaf, surface area-wise) overwhelms the sweet/tart balance. An entire hour seeding those lovely grapes only to have to throw away the result: very sad. You might add a note about the salt situation at the head of the recipe. Definitely want to warn eager bakers to think it through–seems as if, judging from the comments, that most people here haven’t actually tried making this.

Hi Nadia — Sorry that you found it too salty. First, see my response/questions in Comment #281. Also, I will add a note up top now too. More: Salt is so tricky as no two brands or varieties provide the same saltiness per teaspoon and these issues come up frequently. However, UNDERsalted dishes are so bland and disappointing, I prefer to give a suggested amount and clarify the variety when I can, so there’s less likelihood of error.

Rachel

For the last two years, I slavishly devoted myself to the task of seeding grapes for untold hours, so that my husband and I could consume grape focaccia pretty much daily during the grape season. This year, we’ve got SEEDLESS Concords. Can’t wait to dive back into focaccia making and see how they work out. This is one of my favorite recipes, ever. Indescribably delicious, thanks so much for sharing it!

Erin

Oh wow. I made this with the Concord grapes that grow in the park at the top of our hill and it was so amazing I’m doing it again four days later. I accidentally added all six tablespoons of oil at the beginning and mixed it in, but although it was sticky it still tasted great, so no worries if your reading comprehension is like mine.

Hi Deb! I made this focaccia two days ago and fresh from the oven it was absolutely perfect. However, after just one day wrapped in plastic it became dry to the point where I had to toss it out. I’m just wondering what I could’ve done wrong that made it so dry. Just to let you know I kneaded it for 8 mins by hand in lieu of a dough hook, and refrigerated it before taking it out for the final rise. Maybe one of these things affected it? Or not using enough oil? Any help would be great!

Esmee

What a great day it was here in sunny breezy red and gold upstate NY to make this… It’s a beautiful adaptation, Deb. I’ve mad a lot of foccacia and usually I’m not a great fan because I just think it’s too ready. But this is crisp and just absolutely delicious. We’re having it for dinner with goat cheese and a tomato salad and well I haven’t quite figured out what else yet. For the last person who posted,I’ve found that any kind of delicate bread or pastry doesn’t do well being wrapped in plastic …you completely lose the texture. Try wrapping it in wax paper or even aluminum foil.

Esmee

Tsk. BREADY not ready.

Esmee

PS… Seeding the grapes was no worse than peeling the chick peas.

Jen

My only complaint about this was that it was so good I ate almost all of it before dinner… Made half with normal grapes and half with black olives – both were fab. And my 5 year old loooooved the feel of the dough – she wants to make it again, high praise indeed!

jake

this sounds great! if you dont see yourself eating the whole recipe immediately, could you freeze some of the dough balls and then bake as needed?

Paula

Thank you! This came up as I searched for something to do with my Concords. So good, and yes, ate way more than I shoulda. Worth every carb calorie. I added coarse black pepper to both and just a little red pepper flake to one. There are so many places to go with this! My first time with focaccia, but not my last. There was a learning curve with seeding the grapes, and by the time I was done…no problem! I hope, since discovering this wonderful grape, you have enjoyed them on a more frequent basis. I discovered them because it was the closest to the grapes of my Southern childhood, muscadines and scuppernongs. Thanks again!

StevenHB

StevenHB

deb l

i’ve been dying to try this and finally have a bunch of concord grapes in the fridge! btw it’s called Schiacciata all’uva – Florentine grape bread, and the recipes i have don’t call for seeding the grapes – they say that tuscans like the crunch of the seeds!

EL

Many of the juices out there are 100% juice because they add apple juice. They almost never say 100% grape, cranberry or orange juice (the orange and cranberry juices are the ones I get caught on). I know as a child that I loved green grapes and was disappointed that grape juice didn’t taste anything like those grapes.

Joanne

September 2016 and this recipe is still a family favourite! Just made my first batch of the season, love this.

Olivia

Just made this again and I want to eat the whole thing. One teaspoon of Morton coarse kosher salt was the perfect amount for me. The last time I made it, it was indeed too salty.

Zara

Elizabeth

I made it this morning, with a teaspoon of dry rosemary in the dough and a bit of fresh on top with the grapes. It tasted delicious, but the grapes left the top of the loaf soft with juice when the grape skins broke. I wondered if you couldn’t fold the grapes into the focaccia and then drizzle the top with just the oil/rosemary/salt? I will probably try and report back!

Danielle

So excited to try this, and got out my knife for the cutting and seeding of Concord grapes, and it turns out that my grapes are “Coronation” grapes–like the Concord grapes, but no seeds. Even more excited now.

Ellen

I’d love to make this, but with two little ones underfoot, probably won’t have time to de-seed the grapes. Would regular “supermarket” red grapes work? Another fruit? Thank you!

Kay

I’ve made this recipe over 5 times, it’s an end of summer near fall staple in our family.

Martha

I made this 9/18/2021 and used black “Moon Drop” grapes, rosemary leaves, and molten salt on one (half the recipe’s ingredients). On the other I followed her recipe for roasting mushrooms in Deb’s Crispy Mushroom Focaccia recipe (halved) on the other. Used the mushrooms and parmesan but omitted lemon juice and chives. Both look delicious. Will see tonight!
(Those grapes are elongated so may be worth cutting them in half crosswise next time?)

Susan

I am lucky enough to be in Tuscany right now during harvest season! We are staying in a villa surrounded by grapevines. My husband and I picked some grapes straight from the vine this morning (San Giovese? Cabernet? Merlot?), and made this focaccia! It was spettacolare!! Grazie mille per questa ricetta!

Janet A

We have a sixty year old grape vine in our backyard that produces vast quantities of Concord grapes, at least, till marauding gangs of raccoons denude it. I can’t believe that, in the twenty plus years we’ve lived here, I haven’t done more than nibble some of them. Till the pandemic, when it seemed a sin to waste any food, even seedy, foxy flavored Concord grapes. So…I made jam and shrub, and brandied grapes this year, but I just now saw this recipe. No question as soon as we get ripe ones coming on next year, this is going to be made, and probably made often!

flitcraft

Christie

Well, I am pleased! This was an excellent combination. My two year old loved it, we loved it. We ate it with chèvre, and talked about how we would be thrilled to be having this at a fancy restaurant. I will say that I have a favorite focaccia recipe from NYT Cooking that I used instead, but the toppings really make it shine.