This Schiacciata Toscana is a simple Tuscan flatbread with a golden, crusty top and soft, airy center. Serve it warm with olive oil and salt, or fill it Florence-style with pistachio pesto, stracchino, and mortadella.
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Schiacciata Toscana is a rustic Tuscan bread made with simple ingredients and a generous amount of olive oil. It reminds me a little of focaccia, but it has its own character. It’s a bit thinner, crunchier on top, and just right for eating warm or slicing open as sandwich bread.
In Florence, schiacciata is a popular street food, often split and stuffed with savory fillings. My favorite combination is pistachio pesto, stracchino, and mortadella, though you can use it the same way you’d reach for piadina or any other Italian flatbread when you want an easy lunch.
Why I Love This Schiacciata Bread Recipe
Simple dough: Some schiacciata recipes use a poolish or pre-fermented dough, but my version keeps it more straightforward with yeast, flour, water, olive oil, and time to rise.
Tuscan schiacciata: Olive oil gives this bread its signature flavor and helps create that crunchy, well-baked top.
Crunchy, salty texture: Schiacciata Toscana is known for its contrast in texture, with a crisp, salty exterior and a soft, chewy inside.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast: Active dry yeast helps the dough rise and gives the schiacciata its light, chewy texture. Let it sit with the lukewarm water for a few minutes before adding the flour so it has time to activate.
- Water: Use lukewarm water, not hot. If the water is too hot, it can kill the yeast, but if it is too cool, the dough may rise more slowly.
- Flour: This recipe uses a mix of bread flour and 0 flour. Bread flour gives the dough structure and chew, while 0 flour keeps the texture softer and more traditional for an Italian bread.
- Salt: Salt is added to the dough for flavor, then rock salt is sprinkled on top before baking for that classic crunchy, salty finish.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is one of the most important ingredients in a Tuscan olive oil schiacciata. It flavors the dough, helps keep the inside soft, and gives the top its golden, well-baked crust.
How to Make Schiacciata Toscana
Start by activating the yeast in lukewarm water, then mix in the flours, salt, and olive oil until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms. The dough should feel compact but not dry, so adjust with a little flour or water only if needed.
Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl until doubled. This first rise is what gives the schiacciata its softer, chewy interior, so don’t rush it.
Oil the baking pan generously before adding the dough. This helps create that crisp, well-baked bottom and gives the schiacciata its rich olive oil flavor.
Gently stretch the dough with your fingertips, then dimple the surface and let it rise again in the pan. After the second rise, stretch the dough a little more, add more dimples, then finish with olive oil and rock salt.
Bake it first at a higher heat so the top starts to set and crisp, then lower the temperature and finish it directly on the oven rack for a crustier bottom.
recipe tips
- Choose your pan size based on texture:Â Use a smaller baking pan if you want a slightly taller schiacciata with a softer center. For a thinner, crustier bread, stretch the dough onto a larger baking sheet.
- Do not use a rolling pin:Â Schiacciata should be stretched gently with your fingertips. A rolling pin presses out the air bubbles in the dough, which can make the bread flatter and less chewy.
- Use a kitchen scale if possible:Â Bread baking is more precise when the flour and water are measured by weight. This is especially helpful for a simple dough like schiacciata, where small changes can affect the texture.
- Try a little honey: Some recipes add a small spoonful of honey near the end of mixing to help balance the salty olive oil flavor and encourage a softer inside with a crunchy exterior. I don’t feel the need to do that, but experiment with it if you like.Â
Ways to Serve Tuscan Schiacciata
- Serve it warm and simple: Schiacciata is delicious right from the oven with its crunchy olive oil top and salty finish. Cut it into squares and serve as an appetizer, snack, or alongside a simple lunch.
- Make a Florence-style panino: In Florence, schiacciata is often split lengthwise and filled like a sandwich. I love it with pistachio pesto, stracchino, and mortadella for a creamy, salty, savory filling.
- Serve it Rome-style: Instead of slicing the bread open, spread the pistachio pesto on top, add the stracchino, then finish with mortadella.Â
- Use your favorite sandwich fillings: Once you have the bread, you can fill it with whatever you like. Try Italian cured meats, soft cheeses, grilled vegetables, fresh tomatoes or arugula.
Tuscan Schiacciata is a simple yet flavorful bread that showcases the beauty of traditional Italian baking. With its crisp golden crust, soft airy interior, and generous drizzle of olive oil, it’s perfect served on its own, alongside a meal, or filled with your favourite meats and cheeses. Once you taste this classic Tuscan flatbread fresh from the oven, it’s easy to see why it has remained a beloved staple for generations. Buon Appetito!
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 6¾ ounces water lukewarm (¾ cup + 1-2 tablespoons)
- 5¼ ounces bread flour (1 cup + 3 tablespoons)
- 5¼ ounces 0 flour (1 cup + 3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5-6 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1-2 rock salt
EXTRAS
- ½-¾ cup pistachio pesto
- 4-5 slices mortadella
- ½ cup strachino cheese
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In the stand mixer add the water and sprinkle the yeast on top, let sit 5-10 minutes then stir to combine. Add the flours and start to knead add the salt, knead one minute add one tablespoon of olive oil and knead for 5-8 minutes until you have a compact soft slightly tacky dough (if the dough is too sticky then add a bit more flour, too dry a bit more water), move to a lightly floured flat surface roll into a ball and place in an oiled bowl (about 1-2 tablespoons) turn the dough over in the bowl, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area until doubled in bulk approximately 2 hours.
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On a well olive oiled (about 2-3 tablespoons) baking pan 33×22 cm / 13×9 inches (or even a bit smaller) spread the dough. Place the dough in the pan, with your fingers spread the dough to ¾ of the pan, make dents in the dough with your finger tips, cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for approximately 1 hour.
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Spread the dough a bit more to almost fill the pan, make more dents. Top with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with rock salt.
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Pre-heat oven to 425F / 220C.
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Bake the dough for 10 minutes then lower the heat to 350F/180C, carefully remove the schiacciata from the pan and bake for approximately 10 minutes directly on the oven rack. Serve warm as is or make the famous Florence / Rome sandwich. Enjoy!
In Rome the bread is served spread first with the pistachio pesto, the stracchino on top and then the mortadella. In Florence the schiacciata is split in the middle lengthwise then stuffed with the same ingredients. Of course this is one of many ways you can make a schiacciata sandwich!
Store leftover schiacciata in an airtight container or wrapped well at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. To bring back the crusty texture, reheat it in a warm oven or air fryer until the outside crisps again. It is best enjoyed the day it is baked, especially if serving it warm or making sandwiches.
The nutrition value is just for the plain schiacciata.
Calories: 1708kcal | Carbohydrates: 223g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 52g | Sodium: 2344mg | Potassium: 339mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 9mg | Phosphorus: 325mg
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