The season is short so make this Concord grape focaccia recipe quickly before they're gone!
I went to the market for apricots this last Tuesday. And instead of coming home with a bagful of apricots, I returned with a big basket of Concord grapes. It wasn't that I forgot about the apricots, but rather I think I missed the season. Baskets of Concord grapes were tucked away in the corner of just about every market stall selling fruit.
Oddly enough, before this year, I had never noticed the Concord grapes, but this week, they popped up everywhere: at the markets and grocery stores, even on the menus of my favourite restaurants. I figured I might as well give them a try.
When I slipped a basketful into my market bag, I picked up some rosemary. I was thinking grape pizza, mainly because I had a good-sized ball of dough leftover in the fridge. Then when I sampled a grape, I decided to scale back my pizza plans and turn the pizza dough into a sweet focaccia.
Well, turns out I really like Concord grapes if you scatter them over a generously olive-oiled pizza dough with sugar and rosemary. In fact, I loved it so much, I kinda ate the whole thing that very day. I had one of those afternoons, where I ate a slice and walked away, you know, for the sake of being "healthy," and then I went back for another. And then another. And then another until there was one piece left, at which point I said "screw it!" and I finished it off. Really, this is best eaten fresh the day it's made, right? Right!
If you have more Concord grapes to bake with, I highly recommend this Concord grape peanut butter crumble, which is a ridiculously good dessert and not difficult to make. Or if you are looking for other focaccia recipes, try this savoury carrot focaccia.
Concord grape focaccia with rosemary
Equipment
Ingredients
- 454 grams (1 lb) pizza dough, homemade or store-bought
- 300 grams (⅔ lb) seedless Concord grapes, or other ripe flavourful seedless grapes
- 30 mL (2 tablespoon) olive oil
- 30 mL (2 tablespoon) granulated sugar
- 2 branches rosemary
- 10 mL (2 teaspoon) turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Spread/roll the pizza dough until it's about ½ inch thick then transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise 10 minutes.
- Drizzle the olive oil over top and massage it into the dough, tucking a little of the oil under the edges of the dough too.
- Let the dough rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the oiled focaccia dough and scatter the grapes over top and then the leaves of rosemary (discard stems). Top with turbinado.
- Bake for a good 30 minutes, until it is a nice golden brown color. Let cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Nutrition
ahu says
This post is hilarious! I loved it - and yes the logical solution is to eat an entire bread every ballet day! The focaccia looks beautiful.
Sarah says
Not only does this look fantastic I absolutely adore the backstory. and totally what would happen if I made this. in fact anytime I make a bread product this happens... and today is my bread making day....
Janice says
It's hard not to eat homemade bread when it's so fresh and yummy!
torviewtoronto says
looks wonderful and colourful
Cindy @ Hun What's for Dinner? says
My husband LOVES concord grapes. I just picked up two baskets today! This looks like a great way to use some of them up, since I am not a big fan of them fresh off the vine.
Janice says
I prefer them cooked as well! Regular grapes are awesome for eating, but I find these too juicy for straight eating.
Dana says
Concord grapes are so good. I tried them for the first time a couple years ago. I would have never thought of cooking them.
Janice says
I think I prefer them cooked. Just wait til my next recipe with Concord grapes 😉
Our Fresh Kitchen says
Well this is a recipe we definitely need to try. Looks delicious.
Melanie @ Bon Appet'eat says
Your shots are looking absolutely beautiful! Following you from now on! And pinning this recipe too!
Aimee @ Simple Bites says
I have whole wheat pizza dough in the freezer and concord grapes in the fridge...hmmmmm.
Janice, this is STUNNING!! And I loved your story.
Janice says
Thanks! Aimee, if you have grapes and pizza dough on hand, you have to make this. It's so tasty and especially easy if you have the pizza dough already made 🙂
Melissa says
i have absolutely no idea how anyone could think you have a belly or how you could possibly have to squash yourself into anything!!! You are so tiny! but you made me giggle and i love concord grapes and pizza and sugar and olive oil and this is beautiful!
Janice says
I seriously get the "tuck in your breakfast" comment just about every week!
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
Hey Janice! I discovered your fabulous blog through FBC 🙂 So glad I did! What a beautiful site with great recipes and photos! This focaccia looks amazing! Yummy! I love the combination of grapes and rosemary.
Teresa says
What a wonderful way to enjoy those grapes! The focaccia looks gorgeous. I'd make a meal of it, too.
Liliana says
I loved your story! Your focaccia brought back memories of the ones my paternal grandma used to make. She called it Schiaccata a l'Uva (focaccia squashed with grapes). Thanks for the memory and now I have to make it and eat all of it too.
Kristy @ She Eats says
Oh Janice. Carbo-laden waistlines? You and me both sister. I have finally come to the realization that I'm never gonna be a totally toned and skinny minnie type-o-gal because I do indeed, have a food blog. And it's laced and stitched and splattered with carbs. I love em. And I'm okay with that. I even bared my wine belly at the beach the other day, owned that shit and didn't even try to suck it in. Scary? Yes. As scary as pink tights and block stockings while trying to look graceful and fabulous? Probably not (I have about zero grace - walls have met my face more times than I care to admit. Simply walking around them)..... But damn it felt good.
PS. Your concord grape rosemary focaccia would also feel good. You bring that, I'll bring the vino. Yes?
So glad to be a part of FBC with you!! xo!
rex says
I want to try this.
is it much bother with the seeds in the concord grapes?
Janice says
I didn't even notice the seeds, actually. I later made a concord grape & peanut butter crumble with several more bunches of Concord grapes, and for that recipe, because I was using so many grapes, I did peel & cook them to draw out the seeds. The seeds were really quite tiny though. Maybe the Concord grapes I got were seedless?
rex says
maybe! the concord vines growing in my yard produce grapes with rather noticeable seeds. maybe I'll make this and just crunch through them.
La Cuisine d'Helene says
You made me laugh about your ballet story. This is an amazing recipe. Love focaccia, especially dessert focaccia. If you have a moment could you tell me what camera you like to use for your food photos?
Janice says
Thanks, Helene! I use a Canon Rebel XSi with a 50 mm lens.
N says
Saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen years ago. Deb had adapted it from Claudia Fleming. Nice work-I guess grape and rosemary focaccia is a much more intuitive combination than I would have imagined if several people are independently coming up with this recipe.
Janice says
Thanks for visiting! Actually, to be fair, neither Deb of Smitten Kitchen, nor Claudia Fleming can actually be credited for a focaccia with grapes & rosemary. In fact, fruit focaccias with olive oil and rosemary are an Italian tradition, and honestly, I was inspired by a recipe I made years ago for an apricot & cherry focaccia. In any case, I didn’t base myself on any of those recipes. I just made a few of fruit focaccias along the way until I came up with the right ratio of ingredients that worked for me.