Whole Wheat Skillet Focaccia Bread

I love making Focaccia because it's the low-maintenance girlfriend of the bread world. It's delicious, adapts to suit pretty much any topping you like, and only takes about an hour to make from start to finish. We're pretty hard core about sodium in our house so I didn't add any to the dough, but if you'd like a little hint of salt with your bread, feel free to sprinkle a small amount of Kosher Salt on top before baking.

Whole Wheat Skillet Focaccia Bread
Serves 4-6

1 cup warm water (between 105-110 degrees F)
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tbsp olive or avocado oil, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried crushed rosemary
1 tsp dried onion flakes

Preheat oven to 200 degrees, and grease the inside of a 12" cast iron skillet with oil.

In a medium bowl, combine water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast is dissolved and the surface is bubbly.

In a separate bowl, combine flours and seasonings. Stir to combine.

To the yeast mixture, add the oil. Stir in half the flour mixture, and once combined, stir in the remaining half. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, continue roughly stirring the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and isn't sticking to the sides of the bowl as much. You can also turn it out onto the counter and knead by hand, but focaccia is meant to be a soft, slightly sticky dough, and it's easy to add too much flour if you knead by hand.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a roughly 12" circle. It doesn't have to be perfect, because you can work it a little to make it fit once you place it in the skillet. Cover with a damp towel, and place in the oven for 20 minutes to proof.

Remove from oven, and increase the temperature to 400 degree. Using your fingers, or the floured end of a wooden spoon, press small dents into the top of the bread. Sprinkle the top liberally with oil, and whatever seasonings you desire (I usually top it with a little more dried rosemary and some dried onion flakes).

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool for 2-3 minutes, and then remove from skillet to a cooling rack.

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No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Muffins

 

I am not a morning person. "Cave troll" would probably be the most accurate description of what I'm like in the morning. But now, with having to make all our food from scratch, it took me about 2 days to discover I didn't want to wake up early enough to make breakfast for the family every.single.morning.

The answer? Making muffins and overnight oats the evening before. They have been my savior. Not only that, but my picky toddler will actually eat muffins because she thinks they're "cake cake". This recipe was  born out of my desire to make muffins that are actually healthy, but have *just enough* sweetness to continue tricking my toddler. I know you feel me moms of toddlers ((fist bump)) 

These aren't overly sweet, but I promise they don't taste like your typical "healthy cardboard" muffins. They're really dense and moist, and I imagine if a sweet potato pie and a muffin got together and had a baby, this is what would happen. 

And if blueberries aren't your thing, I think toasted pecans would be an amazing substitute! 

No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Muffins

Makes roughly 1 1/2 dozen

About 2 1/2 cups boiled and mashed sweet potatoes 

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a medium bowl, combine mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, honey, and vanilla. Stir in baking powder and baking soda (I know it's weird to add them to the wet ingredients, but it actually distributes the levening agents better than mixing them with the dry, which is important because these muffins are dense and need all the help they can get).

Add the flour and cinnamon, and stir until just combined. Right before spooning into the muffin pan, gently fold in blueberries. 

Spoon batter into muffin pan, filling almost to the top (these won't rise much). Bake for 25-30 minutes, erring on the lower end because baked goods make with honey instead of sugar tend to brown faster (but it all depends on your oven). 

Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

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