Now is the time of year when grapes are in season. It’s a tradition for winemakers to bake bread with grapes in celebration of their harvest. And it is Friday, so it is pizza night at our house. Let me explain how these two things are related.
Fridays are long days for me that start early but I get to spend much of the day in a beautiful spot outdoors (regardless of the season) doing volunteer work. I have just a bit of time in the late afternoon to wrap up anything I am working on, catch up on the day’s e-mails, and complete any tasks that need to get done. Once Eric gets home from work, it is officially the start of the weekend. We put together a homemade pizza, discus the events of the week, and make plans for the weekend with Adele or Frank Sinatra playing in the background. Yes, Friday nights are low key and perfect!
The pizza we make on Fridays varies from week to week. These past few weeks, we have been perfecting this flatbread pizza. We make it for dinner, but it can also be used for a snack or appetizer. It is our new fall harvest tradition!
Grape & Blue Cheese Flatbread
Grape & Blue Cheese Flatbread (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 2 hours, Active Time: 30 minutes, Makes 1 flatbread pizza
Ingredients:
- 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups bread flour
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 pound red grapes (1-1/2 cups)
- coarse sea salt
- 3 ounces (1/2 cup) blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon snipped chives
Instructions:
If using a bread maker, add the yeast, sugar, flour, water, olive oil, rosemary, fine salt and pepper to the bowl of the machine in the order required by the manufacturer and select the dough setting.
To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup of the flour. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water and let it stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, fine salt, pepper and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a draft-free spot until billowy and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Make the dough in a bread maker on the dough setting or by hand.
When the dough is done rising, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the pizza stone in the bottom of the oven to preheat with the oven. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a 14-inch round, then transfer it to a lightly floured pizza peel. Press the grapes into the dough and sprinkle the crust with sea salt.
Press the grapes into the dough.
Slide the flatbread onto the hot stone and bake it for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the grapes have begun to release some of their juices.
Bake the flatbread until the crust is golden and the grapes begin to release their juices.
Sprinkle the blue cheese on top of the flatbread and bake it for an additional 2 minutes, until the cheese melts.
Add the blue cheese to the flatbread.
Then bake it until the cheese melts.
Slide the flatbread onto a work surface and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Drizzle the flatbread with the honey and sprinkle the chives over the top.
Drizzle the honey over the crust and sprinkle the chives over it all.
Cut it into thin wedges and serve.
Unusual, yet delicious!
Wine goes well with this creation! ~Linda
Grape & Blue Cheese Flatbread (adapted from foodandwine.com) Total Time Required: 2 hours, Active Time: 30 minutes, Makes 1 flatbread pizza
Ingredients:
- 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups bread flour
- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 pound red grapes (1-1/2 cups)
- coarse sea salt
- 3 ounces (1/2 cup) blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon snipped chives
Instructions:
If using a bread maker, add the yeast, sugar, flour, water, olive oil, rosemary, fine salt and pepper to the bowl of the machine in the order required by the manufacturer and select the dough setting.
To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, whisk the yeast and sugar with 1/4 cup of the flour. Stir in 1/4 cup of the warm water and let it stand until slightly foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary, fine salt, pepper and the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir until a dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a draft-free spot until billowy and doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
When the dough is done rising, preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the pizza stone in the bottom of the oven to preheat with the oven. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Press and stretch the dough into a 14-inch round, then transfer it to a lightly floured pizza peel. Press the grapes into the dough and sprinkle the crust with sea salt.
Slide the flatbread onto the hot stone and bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the grapes have begun to release some of their juices. Sprinkle the blue cheese on top of the flatbread and bake it for an additional 2 minutes, until the cheese melts. Slide the flatbread onto a work surface and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Drizzle the flatbread with the honey and sprinkle the chives over the top. Cut it into thin wedges and serve.