Olives Rosemary Whole Wheat Focaccia | Healthy Baking

It’s been a while I turned on the oven. With holidays and both kiddos at home which means literally a lot of work, and the mercury soaring high, I didn’t have any mood to rise the temperature in my kitchen. Gave a break to my oven.

Now daughter is back to school and temperature is slightly lower than what it was last month. So I thought let’s start baking. If you have been following me, you know I bake a lot, that’s cause of the 2 important persons.

One is Subhashini of Fondbites, and another is Aparna of We Knead to Bake. I started baking and learn so much from Subhashini. I used to bake every week without fail. Though not a regular but I did bake a couple of breads and cakes from We Knead to Bake group. Of late due to various reasons my baking is reduced a bit.

Today’s recipe is Focaccia. Subhashini of Fondbites shares with all the members a recipe every week and we follow her recipe and bake. She also gives us the freedom to play around with the basic recipe and appreciates our efforts.

So I went with a classic combination of olives and rosemary with sea salt and used whole wheat flour. This focaccia bread is sooo easy and tastes wonderful! With herbs and seasonings, it adds tons of flavor!! In Spite of using whole wheat flour my focaccia turned soft and fluffy, it was simple delicious!

You can use any topping of your choice. Onions, sun dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs-rosemary, thyme, sage, dried herb, olives, black grapes(for sweeter version). Use you imagination.

So here is my contribution to Bake Along #79 – Olives, Rosemary Whole Wheat Focaccia.

Recipe adapted from Fondbites Bake Along 

Ingredients:-

Instant dry yeast – 1 ¼ tspn
Sugar – 1 tspn
Whole wheat flour – 2 ½ cups
Salt – 1 tspn
Water – ¾ cup(luke warm)
Olive oil – ¾ cup(divided into 3 parts ¼ cup each)

For Topping-
Black whole olives
Rosemary
Sea salt to sprinkle

Instructions:-

1. Take luke warm water in a bowl, add sugar and yeast into the water and mix well. Leave it for 10 minutes until the mixture froths up. If it does not froth, discard the mixture and start again.

2. In another bowl, add flour and salt, mix. Make a well at the center, yeast mix and knead into a smooth dough.

3. Add oil a little at a time and keep kneading well until ½ cup of oil has been completely used up.

4. Transfer the dough to a clean surface, dust little flour and knead for 10-12 mins. Kneading has to been done by stretching the dough and then folding it back, refer to the photo. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and shiny.

5. Grease a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover it with damp cloth and leave it to prove for 1 hours or until the size of the dough has doubled the volume.

6. After an hour or when dough has doubled the size, punch the dough and knead it roughly.

7. Add remaining olive oil in your baking pan and spread. Transfer the dough to the baking pan, spread it across the pan. Turn the dough so oil is coated on the top side as well and spread the dough.You will have to spread the dough across the entire pan. Use your finger tips to spread the dough.

8. Create dimples using your finger tips. Cover the dough with damn cloth and leave it to prove for 20-30 minutes again for the dough to rose again, this is second proving.

9. While dough is proving again pre heat the oven to 220 C.

10. After second proving remove the cloth and add your toppings. I used olives, rosemary and sea salt sprinkles.

11. Bake in the pre-head oven at 220 degree C for 20 to 22 minutes.Do not be over tempted to bake longer. Focaccia will be fluffy and soft, if you bake longer it will turn harder and crisp.

12. Focaccia is now ready to be served. Serve it with a dip of your choice, or as side with soups, make a sandwich with a focaccia bread or eat it as it is, choice is yours. 😀 Enjoy!