Fabulous Focaccia my ‘Whey’

Oven ready

Today it is my pleasure to WOW you with my protein rich, colorful focaccia. Pronounced Fo-Ka-Cha

Pari of Fooddelicious had this ever so tempting post on her blog last week and I knew I simply HAD to make it – I had all the fresh home grown ingredients for it and I said, hey, let’s do it and I did. It turned out to be a phenomenal success (which is measured in how many minutes it takes to get devoured by my kids) and truth to tell, I am happy I got a minute to take the pictures before my kids went gung-ho with it.I had some when sitting around in the fridge left over from making some paneer. I used it in a couple of ways: one in the soup I made to accompany the focaccia and two, in the focaccia itself. While the taste did not change any, it felt better that with the carbs, there was also some protein. If you are a vegetarian, you know how difficult it is to avoid carbs – even if you are seeking the complex kinds. Anyway, without further natter, I present to you my fresh, really fresh, Focaccia

Baked to a nicety!

Ingredients

For the dough

• 3-4 cups of bread flour ( I used King Arthur’s unbleached bread flour)
• 1tbsp of instant yeast
• 2tbsp crushed fresh rosemary
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp sugar
• 4cloves of freshly squeezed garlic
• 2tbsp of olive oil
• 1cup of warm whey (I subbed whey for the water which is the original way to go - Curd or milk would also be a good idea should you want to try)
• 2tbsp warm water
• Some more warm water as need to get the right consistency

Home grown tomatoes, onions and Rosemary

For the Garnish

• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (any kind)
• 2 sprigs of Rosemary
• 1-2tbsp of olive oil
• 3small onions diced
• 2tbsp fresh garlic chives, chopped

Method

1. In 2tbsp of warm water, add the sugar & yeast and allow it to froth
2. In the meantime, combine flour and salt and all the chopped herbs and spices and mix dry
3. Add the olive oil and mix
4. Add the frothing yeast to the flour and mix in well
5. Now add the warm whey and knead either in your mixer or by hand
6. Knead until it is a smooth ball that lifts off without sticking to the sides of the bowl
7. Put a plastic cover (I often use grocery bags) and let it sit for a couple of hours
8. About 15 minutes before the dough time is up, chop your onions and chives
9. Get your pan ready and sprayed and set the oven to 350 deg. F
10. Take dough out and punch down to release the air.
11. Roll or knead it out to the shape of the pan (I used a rectangular one)
12. With the knuckle of you index finger, make dots or dips in the spread dough
13. Brush with olive oil
14. Arrange your tomatoes appealingly (:
15. And you onions and chives
16. Allow this to sit for about 20 minutes (keep covered if need be) This will help the dough to rise a bit more)
17. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until you see that the crust is brown and the top is starting to brown lightly too.
18. Remove, cut and eat…

Optional: grate some fresh Parmesan Cheese

A side view of the yummy crust

Hope you enjoy the visuals and please try to make this at home and show off to you family your gourmet chef qualities :) Adios amigos until next time