Rosemary Focaccia

My taste buds were in serious need of a shake up. After ending the night before on a low with the Ginger White Rice they needed to be shook up.

My morning started out with a cup of coffee, 2 egg whites, and bacon. Bacon is my love. I would give up my first fourth child in return for a lifetime supply of bacon. I say my fourth child because I only have one and I don't see Mr. Sideline Chef and I having more than 2 more babies. Knock on wood we don't end up with triplets on our next attempt because then it will be adios numero four. For lunch I continued on with eating up some of the leftovers, Ginger White Rice and the Baked Italian Shrimp. Both of those weren't worth a damn for leftovers. As you read from yesterday's post the rice was bland and the Baked Italian Shrimp aren't good reheated since the breaded crust gets soggy. I also grabbed 3 pieces of Hormel's Natural Choice Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and rolled them up and ate them as a quick snack.

Bacon was the highlight of my diet for the day. Bacon never lets me down. By the time dinner rolled around I wanted something with flavor and a change of pace.

I did some searching on MyRecipes.com and found a recipe for Rosemary Focaccia. Done. Also while reading some of my favorite blogs that I follow I came across a recipe for Mesa Grill's Pumpkin Soup. Done. I'll be sharing more about the pumpkin soup tomorrow.

After 3 hours spent in and out of the kitchen I had made my dough, let it rise, prepared my pumpkin puree, punched my dough down, another rise, and then had fresh baked Rosemary Focaccia to go with my pumpkin soup. My timing was not the best considering the fact that I was sitting down for dinner at 8 p.m. My bedtime is usually around 10 p.m. and dinner is usually around 6 p.m. Not a big advocate for myself eating dinner so close to bed time but I made an exception. Once again I am left hoping that my afternoon workout will do my waistline justice after eating four pieces of the focaccia. It was so delicious and addictive. When is fresh bread not?

My taste buds were very grateful for fresh baked bread and a nice big bowl of spicy pumpkin soup. The Rosemary Focaccia had a beautiful airy texture with a slight bite to it. The rosemary salt topping was incredible. My first time making focaccia bread and it was a success and so easy to make.

Going to be using the bread for turkey sandwiches and a side to my pumpkin soup. Wahoo for flavor!!!

Rosemary Focaccia

MyRecipes.com and Cooking Light, January 2005

Makes 14 servings

Stars of the Show:

• 1 1/4 cup boiling water
• 3 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, divided - I used dried rosemary.
• 1 tbsp honey - I used sugar free honey. Trying to keep my sugar intake to a minimum with the knowing that holiday cookie trays are just around the corner.
• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 cup olive oil, divided - I ran out of olive oil after adding what I needed to my dough and had to use vegetable oil when I did my egg wash.
• 1 tsp salt
• cooking spray
• 1 tsp water
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp sea salt

And Action:

Combine boiling water, 1 tsp rosemary, and honey in a large bowl, cool to cool to 100° to 110°. Sprinkle the yeast over the honey mixture, and let stand for 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Add 3 1/4 cups flour, 2 tbsp oil, and 1 tsp salt to the honey mixture, stirring to form the dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes. Add enough of the remaining flour 1 tbsp at a time to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray and making sure to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°) free from drafts, I choose putting it on the dryer while it's running, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Gently press two fingers into dough. If the indentation stays then the dough is ready. Punch it down. Pat dough into a 14x12-inch rectangle on a coated baking sheet. Cover and let rise 20 minutes or doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350º.

Uncover dough and make indentations on the top of the dough using your fingertips or a wooden spoon handle. Combine 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp water, and the egg yolk, brush over the dough. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with remaining rosemary and sea salt.

Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 166 (25% from fat)
Fat: 4.6g (sat 0.7g,mono 3g,poly 0.6g)
Protein: 3.9g
Carbohydrate: 27.1g
Fiber: 1.1g
Cholesterol: 15mg
Iron: 1.7mg
Sodium: 335mg
Calcium: 9mg