Dr. Igor’s Garlicky Half Buckwheat Focaccia with Hemp Oil Recipe

Freshly Baked Half Buckwheat Half Wheat Flour Focaccia with Ground Flaxseed & Psyllium Husk, brushed with Seasoned Hemp Oil with Fresh Rosemary, Garlic, Oregano & Flaky Sea Salt

DAIRY-FREE/OVO-PESCATARIAN/VEGAN/VEGETARIAN

Garlicky Half Buckwheat Focaccia with Hemp Oil

Feed your body and soul with this tasty yet highly nutritious twist on the traditional flat oven-baked Italian bread. This bread tastes like a regular focaccia studded with garlic, slathered with oil and smells of yeast and floral rosemary; but this recipe incorporates health conscious ingredients such as hemp oil, white buckwheat flour (husk removed), flaxseed meal and whole psyllium husks. Save the guilt for later because your gut (as well as your tastebuds) will thank you for the extra boost of protein, omega fatty acids and dietary fiber. Below are the key ingredients I’ve used for this recipe.

Baking your own bread might seem intimidating, but don’t you worry, all you need to do is follow this easy step by step recipe that teaches you how to make this simple and healthy focaccia bread to accompany any meal, or to be eaten fresh out of the hot oven!

Ingredients

DOUGH

• 1-½ cups of warm (110F) water
• 1 tablespoon of agave nectar
• 1 0.25 oz package of instant dry yeast
• 1-½ cups of white buckwheat flour
• 1-½ cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder
• 3+1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt

HEMP OIL

• 2 tablespoons of hemp oil
• ½ sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano

GARNISH

• ½ sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon of flaky sea salt (I used maldon)
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder

Steps

1.) Start by heating some water in a microwave or tea pot. Test the temperature with a thermometer and make sure it’s at 110-112F. This activates the yeast. If the water is too hot, wait a little bit for it to cool down. Add the agave and stir to combine.

2.) Activate: Add the instant dry yeast and stir. Seeing bubbles means the yeast is activated! Measure out all your dry ingredients, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and add them in the same bowl.

3.) Kneading process: Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to mix everything into a rough looking dough. With gloved hands to avoid sticky fingers knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together more. Dump the whole thing onto your cleaned countertop and begin working the dough for another 5-7 minutes to develop the gluten (this is crucial in making the dough rise). Add a little bit of flour at a time if the dough seems sticky. Once everything comes together uniformly, shape it into a ball. 

4.) First rise: Place the ball of dough in a heatproof bowl with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil and top with another ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Make sure to smear the oil all over the dough so that it isn’t dry and it doesn’t develop cracks. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place it in a warm location (I set mine beside my stovetop range) and let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until it has nearly doubled in size.

5.) Second rise: Knead the dough again on a lightly floured surface for about a minute. Using a rolling pin, flatten it out into a rectangle, and transfer it onto an oiled baking tray (the extra 1 tablespoon of olive oil).

6.) Second rise continued: Soak a towel with water and ring it so that it is damp. Cover the flattened dough with the damp towel and set in aside in the same location as before when you did the first rise, then leave it for another hour to rise a second time.

7.) While waiting, make the infused hemp oil by mixing the oil, chopped rosemary, minced garlic and dried oregano. Preheat the oven to 400F.

8.) Once the dough has almost doubled in size again, poke holes using your fingers to form the indents you normally see in a focaccia, brush the whole thing with the oil mixture while getting all the fresh garlic and oil in those holes, sprinkle flaky sea salt and garlic powder all over the dough, and tear a sprig of rosemary onto the unbaked focaccia.

9.) Bake: the focaccia for 18-20 minutes in the middle rack of the oven. When it’s done, let it rest for 10 minutes on the tray, move it onto a cutting board after, slice, serve and enjoy!

Tips

• If you have a bread maker or stand mixer with a dough hook on hand, definitely use it. It might be faster in and not as messy.
• Keeping your hands or surfaces lightly floured and/or oiled can help prevent sticking.
• Use a large enough bowl or container during the first rise so that there is room for it to double in size.
• If you’re not working on the dough, make sure to cover it all times with plastic film or a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

Q&A

• What is proofing? Is a step in baking that activates the yeast in the leavened dough. The yeast consumes the carbohydrates in the dough, causing it to ferment and expel gas, making the dough rise.
• Can I make this recipe with all buckwheat flour, and no all-purpose wheat flour? You can definitely try to but baking a mix with all buckwheat flour won’t react the same way. Wheat flour has gluten that feeds the yeast, therefore making the focaccia rise. A 100% buckwheat flour dough could be dense, unrisen and be eaten very dry. Try making a flatbread instead if you’d like to bake a gluten-free option.
• I want to pre-make the dough for the next day, can I let the dough rise in the fridge overnight instead? Yes! I’ve tried this before and it was successful. The yeast in the dough remains dormant in cold temperatures so it might only rise a little overnight in the fridge. Starting from the “first rise” step, take it out of the refrigerator and place the bowl of unrisen dough in a warm place for about 2-2.5 hours and let it almost double in size. Continue with the next steps.