Whole Wheat Focaccia, a Versatile Dish

Continuing our Healthy Snack theme, today we are featuring a very versatile recipe. Whole Wheat Focaccia can be a great afternoon snack, or serve as part of a delicious dinner!

This recipe was kindly provided by Ana, from Ana's Chronicles, a cooking blog.

Whole Wheat Focaccia

Servings: 10-12 portions

Wheat, in its natural unrefined state, offers many benefits that are being recognized more and more by consumers. Recent studies show that the consumption of whole wheat can help you manage your weight and lower the risks of developing type 2 diabetes. It is also a great source of key ingredients like vitamin B &E, iron, fiber and magnesium as well as other valuable antioxidants.

Ingredients:

- 1 ¼ cups of whole wheat four

- ¾ cup of all purpose flour

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- ¼ teaspoon of sugar

- ½ teaspoon of salt

- ½ tablespoon of yeast

- 1 cup of lukewarm water

- 10oz of low fat mozzarella, sheered

- 12 kalamata olives, pitted

- 8 cherry tomatoes, thin sliced

- 3oz of canned mushrooms, sliced and drained

- 2 large basil leafs, roughly chopped

Combine the flour, water, salt, yeast, sugar and olive oil in a bowl. Using a large spoon, mix all ingredients until well combined and dough is soft and leaves sides of the bowl. 

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Spray a separate bowl with cooking oil and transfer dough to prepared bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

Heat the oven to 385F. Spray to 8 inches baking pans with cooking oil. Divide dough in half. Cover the bottom of each pan with dough. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 15 to 20 minutes. Top it with equal amounts of cheese, olives, tomatoes, mushrooms and basil.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Source: Ana's Chronicles