Miracle Low-Carb Focaccia with Caramelized Onion, Asiago and Rosemary

During the first wave of pandemic shopping, grocery stores ran out of yeast, not just toilet paper and bottled water. But lucky for me, I have the “2- Ingredient Miracle Dough Cookbook” with non-yeast recipes for rolls, breads and pastries, and this “miracle” low-carb focaccia. The dough is lower in carbs, higher in protein and only takes a few minutes to make.

The two “miracle dough” ingredients are self-rising flour (which you can make at home by adding salt, baking powder and soda to regular flour) and Greek yogurt. The dough is naturally lower in carbs and calories because half of its bulk is protein-rich yogurt. You can use fat-free, low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt, writes the author, Erin Mylroie of St. George, Utah. And you can swap in gluten-free flour. Part of the “miracle” is there’s no rising time, and very little kneading required.

Having won thousands of dollars and prizes in national cooking contests, Erin knows how to create flavorful, fabulous recipes. During my tenure as food editor at the Deseret News (2000-2011), she was a finalist in all three of the “triple crown” of cooking contests —  Pillsbury Bake-Off, National Chicken Cooking Contest and National Beef Cook-Off. 

When I first met her while covering the Pillsbury Bake-Off, I wondered how she could calmly chat with reporters and film crews during the heat of competition. There was a million-dollar grand prize at stake! She was equally relaxed at the National Chicken Cooking Contest, where she took won $1,000 for her Crispy Chicken Salad. And she was unflappable when she appeared on “The Rachel Ray Show” to make her grand-prize winning Burger Bash burger. I decided that her confidence came from developing recipes that were easy to follow, but creative and plain-out delicious.

Erin said she was skeptical when she began seeing “Two-Ingredient Dough” touted around the Internet. As a dedicated baker, she was used to spending hours of mixing, kneading, and rising time.

But she became a believer when she tried making bagels with some leftover Greek yogurt. Using the basic dough, she began creating dozens of great recipes — bagels, dinner rolls, pizza, stromboli, pretzels, empanadas, kolaches, sweet rolls and more. By the time she was done, she had a whole cookbook full of dough ideas.

I put her book to the test by making an improvised version of the Caramelized Onion, Asiago and Rosemary Focaccia. It was assembled and baking in the oven within a half hour — my kind of recipe! I started the cooking the onions on the stove first, and while they caramelized on medium-low heat, I mixed the dough. By the time I had the dough spread out in the pie pan and sprinkled with cheese, the onions were wilted, golden and ready to go on top.

Since we’re social distancing and avoiding grocery store trips, I improvised with ingredients I had on hand. None of my swaps seemed to hurt the results, though:

1. The recipe calls for two large onions, but I only had one. My finished foccacia still seemed plenty onion-y.

2. I used freshly ground whole wheat flour. It’s healthier, and I don’t have much white flour in my pantry. I’m grinding and using up my whole wheat now. The soft white wheat I used has a milder flavor than the hard red food storage-type wheat, and didn’t hinder the texture or flavor. If you’re in doubt, try half-white, half whole wheat.

3. I used shedded Italian blend cheese (mozzarella, romano, and parmesan) since I had no asiago. I ended up with a nice savory flavor, although different from asiago.

4. I used fresh rosemary, since I have a rosemary plant. And since my parsley patch is doing so well, added some chopped fresh parsley for a color and flavor boost.

The moral of my story is, if you can’t get to the store, or if an ingredient is sold out, go ahead and stretch your culinary creativity a little. Meanwhile, Erin’s book is available in many online bookstores, so check it out!

Self-Rising Flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

*For gluten-free dough, use 1 cup gluten-free flour (Erin recommends Bob’s brand gluten-free flour), plus 2 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt.

—“2 Ingredient Miracle Dough Cookbook” by Erin Myroie

Caramelized Onion, Asiago and Rosemary Foccaccia

Caramelized onions:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Focaccia:

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (can be fat-free, low-fat or full-fat)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon dried rosemary or fresh rosemary needles, plus more fresh rosemary for garnish, if desired

¾ cup Asiago cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Caramelized Onions: In a medium saucepan, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and stir around to coat with oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the onions to cook until they are golden brown and wilted, about 20 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Cook the onions for 3 minutes and set aside.

For the focaccia, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, yogurt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and rosemary with a wooden spoon until shaggy dough forms. Set the spoon aside and knead the dough in the bowl with your hand for 1 minute, or until the dough forms a smooth ball. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a glass pie dish. Press the dough into the dish right on top of the drizzled olive oil. Sprinkle the cheese onto the dough. Scatter the onions on top of the cheese. Drizzle again with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake the focaccia for 22-24 minutes, or until the onions brown and the dough is risen and somewhat firm to the touch. Let the focaccia cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh rosemary, if you like. Slice into eight wedges.

—“2 Ingredient Miracle Dough Cookbook” by Erin Myroie