2 Ingredient Dough Focaccia
2 Ingredient Dough Focaccia is a healthier twist on a traditional Italian bread. It comes together in only 6 ingredients total and takes just over 30 minutes to have delicious bread that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside!
October 28, 2020 by Nicole Collins
No groceries, no problem!
I lived on scraps for a solid week, and I think I ate some of the best food that I have in a long time!
Well, I'm being a little dramatic. I have 2 freezers and 2 pantries that are fully stocked at all times. So, you don't have to worry about me ever starving. It was my fridge that was looking pretty sad after 3 weeks of no grocery shopping. And, the fridge is where we keep all the good stuff, right?!?
I told you Monday how I was on spending time out. That pesky Amazon app can be a little too easy to use sometimes. And, still being a position where casual socializing is not safe, all that idle time leaves lots of time to daydream and shop.
And then the credit card bill comes, I go into a minor panic, I pay it, and I put myself on spending time out.
Because grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do, being on time out from that is a big punishment for me. And like I said, I have plenty of food in my pantries and freezers. But, it's a little bit of a challenge to come up with fresh meals without fresh produce.
When I was making Monday's pasta, I really wanted to do the carb on carb thing. But, as well as having no produce in the house, I had no bread. Not. One. Slice. So, I'm thinking and thinking about what I could serve with that pasta. I didn't have anything to make a salad. I didn't have any bread. I really didn't even need a side dish for the pasta. But then, the lightbulb went off.
And, that brings us to today's recipe.
Today, we're making 2 Ingredient Dough Focaccia!
You guys know I love that magical 2 ingredient dough. We've made a couple different recipes so far using variations of that basic mix. But, today's focaccia is easily my favorite one so far!
So, we start with the 2 main stars of the show: self rising flour and nonfat plain greek yogurt. These are both things that I keep in the pantry and fridge at all times. Actually, I like to buy the individual servings of the greek yogurt instead of buying a big tub of it, because I feel like the shelf life is prolonged on the small sized containers. On the big guy, once you open the lid, you've started the clock on the time you need to use up the yogurt. But with the little individual babes, you can stretch the life of them a little longer. And, that's how I can always have them in the fridge!
So, we're going to make our basic dough by stirring the flour and yogurt together, then we're going to knead, knead, knead. We don't want our dough to be too tacky, so don't be afraid to add a little extra flour, as needed.
Once our dough is together, we're going to use some olive oil to brush all over the bottom and sides of a round cake pan. Olive oil is what helps to give that crunchy crust that we love about focaccia, so we're not going to be shy about using it.
After our pan in oiled, we're going to press our dough into the pan. This dough is not going to be naturally stretchy like a standard focaccia dough, so it's ok to use a little pressure to press it out into the pan. We want to press it all the way to the edges, and then we're going to use our fingertips to gently press little indentations into the dough. Those little dimples are classic in focaccia, and they help collect the flavorful oil olive that we're going to brush over top.
The great thing about focaccia is that you can make it whatever flavor you like. Rosemary and sea salt are common toppers for focaccia. Some people like to use tomatoes and olives. But, I used what I had for this one, and it was AMAZING. So, we just mix a little Italian seasoning and a little garlic powder into some olive oil, and we brush it all over the top surface of our dough. Don't waste one drop. We want to use it all! Then, we top the dough with some flaky sea salt, and into the oven it goes.
When the focaccia is finished baking, we're going to let it rest in the pan for just a few minutes. I find that any 2 ingredient dough recipe that I make really benefits from this. Then, we can pop it out of the pan, slice it into wedges, and do your best not to eat the whole loaf at once.
This is one of those audible recipes. The crunch factor on that crispy, olive oil laced crust is out of this world. But just like a good focaccia, the inside is nice and fluffy. It really is the best of both worlds!
Here's the thing...does this taste exactly like Nonna's fresh baked focaccia? No. But, is it a really close substitute? YES! The dough is a little tangy on the inside thanks to the yogurt. But other than that, all of the best parts about focaccia are there. And the fact that it comes together in a fraction of the time with the fraction of the ingredients is truly the icing on the cake. Plus, the protein from the greek yogurt makes these little slices of bread heaven pretty filling too!
Rich...check! Crispy...check! Fluffy...check! Comforting...check! Flavorful...check! Delicious...CHECK!
Sounds like a winner to me!
Alright, so far we've had a main dish and a side dish this week. I think it's time for dessert next. What do you think?
I hope you enjoy, and let's eat!
2 Ingredient Dough Focaccia
Serves: 6 Print
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups self rising flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
½ tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp flaky sea salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To a mixing bowl, add flour and yogurt. Mix with a sturdy spatula until ingredients start to come together, then use your hands to fully combine the mix and form a dough. Dust a clean surface with flour. Turn the dough out on to the floured surface. Knead the dough three times, turn the dough a quarter of a turn, and repeat until you've kneaded the dough about 24 times total, dusting the dough with more flour as necessary to keep the dough from getting sticky. The dough should not be tacky.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a 9 inch nonstick round cake pan. Use a pastry brush to brush olive oil all over the bottom and sides of the pan. Add dough to the prepared pan, and use your hands to press and spread out the dough to fill the shape of the pan. Use all of your fingers to press indentations all over the top of the dough, being careful not to poke holes through to the bottom.
To a small mixing bowl, add remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Mix well, and use a pastry brush to brush the mix all over the top of the dough. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top of the dough.
Bake for 28-30 mins until the dough is golden brown on the top. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes. Remove focaccia from the pan, and cut into 6 wedges. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*Flaky sea salt, like Maldon salt, has a nice course texture making it a perfect topping for our focaccia. If you have to use a finer salt, you'll want to use a little less of it. But, the flaky salt can't be beat. I get mine from Amazon.
*The more you knead the dough, the tackier it will start to feel. That's ok! Just give it a little light sprinkling of extra self rising flour whenever necessary, and it'll be just fine.
*Feel free to get creative with your toppings. Rosemary and salt are traditional focaccia toppings. Tomato and feta are also delicious toppings. You have lots of options for changing the flavor profile and making this your own. This is one of those recipes that's more method than recipe!
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