This fat free garlic and herb focaccia recipe was a result of me accidentally pouring in more than the required amount of water while making my Fat Free Indian Spiced Swirl Bread. I had been meaning to try out a fat free version of focaccia since it’s one of my favorite breads but I wasn’t sure what omitting one of the main ingredients — olive oil — would do to the crumb and texture of the bread. This accident gave me the perfect opportunity to experiment with the recipe. And after a few tweaks I think I have a pretty good recipe for those of us who don’t hate carbs and love breads while wanting to keep dietary fats to a minimum.
Fat-free Garlic and Herb Focaccia
Ingredients
Dough
- 420 g Unbleached all-purpose flour
- 100 g White whole wheat flour
- 350 g Water lukewarm
- 46 g Potato flakes
- 125 g Fat-free cottage cheese
- 23 g Non-fat dry milk
- 2¼ tsp Instant yeast
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 3 tsp Salt
- 2-3 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
Topping – optional
- 2 tbsp Black olives sliced
- 2 tbsp Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sprigs of fresh rosemary/thyme
Instructions
- Mix all the dough ingredients together in a stand mixer and knead until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will still be sticky to touch since it's a relatively higher hydration dough.
- Transfer the dough to a well greased bowl. Wet your hands before handling the dough to prevent the dough from sticking to our fingers. Let the dough rise until doubled, approximately 60-90 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread some cornmeal on top of the parchment to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Use wet hands to transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and then flatten the dough to form about an inch and a half thick rectangle. Keep wetting your hands as you work with the dough else the dough will start to stick to your hands making it really difficult to shape.
- Add the desired toppings on top and cover with a greased plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for another 30-45 minutes until puffy.
- Dimple the focaccia with your fingers (wet your fingers, if necessary) and place it in the oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. If the toppings start to get darker than you like, tent the focaccia with a piece of foil.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving
