2 Ingredient Dough Christmas Focaccia
2 Ingredient Dough Christmas Focaccia- a quick and simple no yeast dough made from only self rising flour and Greek yogurt decorated to help celebrate the Christmas season.
December 18, 2020 by Nicole Collins
Anybody else going through it right now?
I mean, we’ve all been going through it all year. But, I’m finding myself more “blah” than usual these days.
I know that I struggle this time of year. I hate the cold. I hate the dark. I miss being outside. So, I guess this is normal grumpiness on top of quarantine grumpiness.
But, I’m having a really hard time getting in the holiday spirit. And, that’s how I know that this year has really impacted me more than I thought. I usually have my Christmas tree up as early as possible (we’re talking first weekend in November is the latest I usually wait). I turn my house into a winter wonderland. I go on shopping overload because I love wrapping the gifts with The Santa Clause playing in the background.
But this year, I couldn’t even find it in my spirit to put my tree up. It just feels like such a chore. That’s never happened to me before. Anyone else experiencing the same thing?
I’m REALLY trying to find other ways to remember the joy of Christmas. I painted a Christmas project with the doggies. I’ve been making Christmas themed snacks. I’m only listening to Christmas music in the shower these days. I’m trying to put myself in the mood however I can, successful or not.
But I always know that when all else fails, food will always make me happy. So today, we’re finding our Christmas spirit in the food.
Today, we’re making 2 Ingredient Dough Christmas Focaccia!
Have you guys seen those pictures of garden focaccia that blew up the internet this summer? Basically, you take a loaf of focaccia and use vegetables to decorate a beautiful scene on top of the dough before you pop it in the oven. Onions and pepper become beautiful flowers. Rosemary becomes grass. Some people are just so creative!
Well, consider this recipe the garden focaccia’s winter cousin. And, we’re using that 2 ingredient dough focaccia recipe that everyone seemed to really LOVE as the base of our bread. So, this gorgeous bread comes together with no yeast, only a little kneading, and basically no time at all.
And, that gives you more time to decorate!
So, our 2 ingredient dough starts with non fat plain Greek yogurt and self rising flour. That’s it! That’s all you need to make a quick and filling bread. Now, we’re putting a lot of veggies on this dough, and veggies need salt. So, it’s a good idea to salt this bread at all layers. I don’t usually do this, but for this recipe, it was the right move to add a little salt into the dough too.
After we mix and knead our dough, we’re going to press it into a really well oiled pan. This does two things: 1 keeps the bread from sticking to the pan and 2. Helps the bread develop a nice golden crust along all of the edges. Once the dough is in the pan, we’re going to give the dough the traditional finger indentations to help collect all that delicious flavor we brush on top. Then, we’ll brush the top of the dough with a little garlicky olive oil and sprinkle it with some good flaky sea salt.
Once the dough is prepared, it’s time to decorate. It would’ve been easy to use rosemary to make the tree design on our bread. But, I wanted to stretch the limits a little bit and get creative. So, here’s what we’re using. Sliced green onions work perfectly to create a wispy tree design. Then, we can chop up those green onions to fill in the tree. For our ornaments, mini pepper rings and grape tomato slices fit perfectly on our tree. Then, to give our tree a base and our bonus ornaments some hooks, capers are the perfect choice. These ingredients are super simple, super approachable, and super delicious!
Once our dough is decorated, into the oven it goes. And when it’s finished, it’s truly a piece of art. The cool thing about this project is that you can decorate the dough however you like! Want to add a little snow to the scene? Dust on some grated parmesan! Want to add presents? Cut thin pepper strips to create the box then tie up some chives to make the bow! This is totally your chance to let out your inner Van Gogh!
On top being so pretty, the bread is totally delish! It’s savory thanks to the flaky salt and garlic. It’s a little tangy on the inside thanks to the Greek yogurt. It has pops of freshness thanks to the veggies on top. It’s really a showstopper all around!
If you guys make this bread, make sure you tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your creativity at work!
I hope your loved ones and you LOVE this focaccia as much as I do.
Enjoy, and let’s eat!
2 Ingredient Dough Christmas Focaccia
Serves: 9 Print
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups self rising flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ cups nonfat plain greek yogurt
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp flaky sea salt
about 3 green onions, green parts only
2-3 mini sweet peppers in red, yellow, and/or orange
2-3 grape tomatoes in red and/or yellow
about 1 tsp capers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To a mixing bowl, add flour, yogurt, and ¼ tsp salt. Mix with a sturdy spatula until ingredients start to come together, then use your hands to fully combine the mix and form a dough. Dust a clean surface with flour. Turn the dough out on to the floured surface. Knead the dough three times, turn the dough a quarter of a turn, and repeat until you've kneaded the dough about 24 times total, dusting the dough with more flour as necessary to keep the dough from getting sticky. The dough should not be tacky.
Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a 9x9 inch nonstick square pan. Use a pastry brush to brush olive oil all over the bottom and sides of the pan. Add dough to the prepared pan, and use your hands to press and spread out the dough to fill the shape of the pan. Use all of your fingers to press indentations all over the top of the dough, being careful not to poke holes through to the bottom.
To a small mixing bowl, add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic powder. Mix well, and use a pastry brush to brush the mix all over the top of the dough. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top of the dough.
Take the green onions, and slice them in half vertically and then again horizontally until you have thin pieces of green onion. Arrange the green onion strands on top of the dough to create a wispy Christmas tree shape. Take any remaining green onion pieces, chop them, and sprinkle them in the center of the tree to somewhat fill it in.
Slice pepper into rings and tomatoes into thin slices, and arrange them in the center of the tree like garland. Take a half slice of a mini yellow pepper, and use a small star cookie cutter to create a star for the tree. (You could freehand this with a knife, as well.) Use the capers to form the base of the tree. Use 2 tomato slices with 1 caper to create ornaments in the blank space next to the tree.
Bake for 35-38 mins until the dough is golden brown on the top. Allow the bread to cool for 5 minutes. Remove focaccia from the pan, and cut into 9 squares. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*Flaky sea salt, like Maldon salt, has a nice course texture making it a perfect topping for our focaccia. It also kind of looks like snow around our Christmas tree. I get mine from Amazon.
*The more you knead the dough, the tackier it will start to feel. That's ok! Just give it a little light sprinkling of extra self rising flour whenever necessary, and it'll be just fine.
*Feel free to get creative with your design! Focaccia art is your moment to let your inner Van Gogh out. You can also use this base recipe to create a garden scene in the spring/summer.
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