Holiday photodump part 1

Gearing up for the rest of the holiday season, and things are busy!

Don't have time for a proper post right now, so I'm just going to photo dump for a while. Enjoy!

My Kind of Baking: Yeastless Focaccia

I wanted to try some baking, but I didn't have any yeast on-hand, so I decided to look through some recipes that didn't require it.   I stumbled upon a handful of Focaccia and other flatbread recipes and realized this was what I was looking for.



I prefer unleavened bread anyway, so even if I had yeast, I'd probably stick my tongue out at it right now.

This recipe turned out to be so simple and tasty that I made it 3 times.  (well, 2 times so far, still have a ball of dough in the freezer for another day... we'll see how it works after being frozen)   This could easily be made without all the spice on top and used as a flatbread pizza crust or a something along those lines. As is, this is a great side for a simple pasta dish or salad. Best of all, I was able to make it without going out and buying any special ingredients.  I just happened to have all of this stuff at hand.

Anyway, I'll get right to the recipe.

ingredients

1 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon avocado oil
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

instructions
This is a pretty basic dough from what I understand.   I'm an incredibly novice baker though, so who knows.  Whatever it is, it was easy to make and it ended up tasty, so I'm happy.

Preheat oven to 425

(I don't have a mixer, so this part took some elbow grease)
In a large mixing bowl, stir together water, flour, baking powder, and salt. Once it is mixed thoroughly, turn it out onto a dry, floured surface and knead until it turns into a ball.  At the end of the kneading stage, add the minced garlic and fold it into the dough.

Grease a 9x13 pan and plop the dough in the middle. Spread the dough out to the edges of the pan, should be about 1/2 inch thick throughout. Rub the top of the dough with oil, and sprinkle with the basil, garlic salt, and cayenne (I used two kinds of cayenne because it seemed like a good idea).

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes,  then add the grated Romano cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy the garlicky smell in your home and on your breath.