Carb Conundrum and Whole Wheat Onion-Rosemary Focaccia

Carbs are the bane of my existence. Every and all type of carbs needs to be in my stomach. Potatoes, bread, oatmeal, cereal, pasta, rice, tortillas, etc. etc. etc. However, I find that as I'm getting older and my metabolism is getting worse and worse, I can only process so many carbs and sugar products at a time. Ethan can pretty much handle anything, so I like to make bread and rice products for/with him. Eating a plate of chicken and veggies without a side of rice or pasta practically depresses me. It's pathetic. When I was in London in spring, I was incredibly good at cutting out carbs and didn't miss them at all, but toward the end of the semester, I gave in...and the trend continued. That's probably why I gained so much weight in London. I suppose I want to have my cake and eat it, too...literally.

Yesterday, I had a craving for a realllly good sandwich for dinner. I didn't want to use the whole wheat bread we have in the pantry, so I decided to go for some focaccia. This version has been "healthified" using whole wheat flour rather than all-purpose flour (I haven't had anything at home with all-purpose flour for about two months, which seems absurd to me), and onion and rosemary were mixed in. I've been on a rosemary kick recently (and still wishing I had fresh rather than dried, but since I already bought the bottle, why bother? Poor college student decisions!), and this herb is incredibly common for focaccia bread. I added the fresh onion for a bit of extra flavor and texture, and I think it was a nice touch. I wanted to make Ethan a delicious dinner (which was accompanied by healthy-ish Cottage Cheese Brownies, a recipe I found online that I'll be posting soon), so when I got home from Central Park, I got to work in the kitchen!

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

Whole Wheat Onion-Rosemary Focaccia

Ingredients:

-1 tsp. sugar

-1 packet active dry yeast

-1/3 c. warm water

-2 c. whole wheat flour

-1 tsp. garlic powder

-1/2 c. onion, diced

-2 tbsp. dried rosemary

-olive oil

-plenty of fresh cracked black pepper

-sea salt, to taste

1.       Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2.       In a bowl, combine sugar, yeast, and water. Let sit until smooth, around 10 minutes.

3.       Add flour and stir well. Spoon in more water, 1-2 tbsp. at a time, until dough comes together in a nice ball. Pour onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two. Be careful not to over-knead!

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

4.       Oil a larger bowl and place the dough inside. Flip it around a few times to lightly coat it with the oil. Cover with a damp towel or a couple damp paper towels and let rise for about 30 minutes or until doubled in volume. Make sure you place it in a warm area so it can rise properly.

5.       Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it again briefly, adding garlic powder, diced onions, and 1 tbsp. rosemary. Make sure the ingredients are combined well.

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

6.       Flatten to desired thickness and place on oiled baking sheet. Brush with a little olive oil. Sprinkle the other tbsp. rosemary on top and lightly press to ensure it won’t fall off. Crack fresh black pepper and salt over the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

If my focaccia looks like there's too much black pepper on top, always remember that you can adapt it! Not only do I love black pepper, but my grinder broke open while I was grinding and all the peppercorns and "pepper debris" fell out onto the dough...that's the third time in the last few weeks! Grr!

Photo Copyright 2011 Katie Peters

Oh, and the sandwich I ended up creating? Oven-roasted chicken breast, extra sharp cheddar, tomato, lots of basil, red onion and lettuce, plus light mayo combined with pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and sweet chili sauce. Mmmm!

Happy Eating!