Carb OVERLOAD!

Carbs. They are my world. I LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEE making them and I LOVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEE eating them. This girl ain't goin on no carb diet. *snap fingers*

It's been a while since I've felt like baking at home since I bake 5 days out of the week at work and at school. It's hard to drag my sorry lazy butt into the kitchen and watch dough rise. Until...last week. I reminisced about the pizza and foccaccia we made back in Faulkners breads class. I dug into 'The Professional Pastry Chef' book by Bo Friberg and viola! This came out.

I love this recipe because unlike most other foccaccia recipes I've come across, this one literally pours a cup of olive oil ontop of the risen dough before baking so it makes it crispy on top and SOOOOO tender and soft on the inside. It's amazing!
Focaccia - 'The Professional Pastry Chef' by Bo Friberg

Sponge

1 1/2 oz fresh compressed yeast (3/4 oz dry active yeast)

3/4 C warm water

1 TBS granulated sugar

8 oz high-gluten flour

Dough

2 C warm water

3.4 C olive oil

3 oz granulated sugar

2 TBS salt

1 lb high gluten flour

14 oz bread flour

1/4 C olive oil

Topping

Herbed garlic oil (1 oz each fresh rosemary, fresh sage and fresh basil; 1 C olive oil heated, 2 heads garlic, roasted and pureed)

1 ts kosher salt

Procedure

1. Sponge: dissolve yeast in warm water, add sugar and high gluten flour, knead using dough hook for 5 minutes
2. Cover, let rise till sponge starts to fall
3. Dough: add warm water to sponge with olive oil, sugar, salt and high gluten flour. Knead with dough hook and add enough of bread flour for a soft, smooth, elastic dough
4. Form into ball on floured surface, cut X into dough and pull out to form a rought square. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
5. Coat bottom and sides of sheet pan with 1/4 C olive oil. Place dough in pan and with oiled hands stretch out dough to all sides of pan. Let rise till doubled.
6. Stretch dough again to cover entire pan and let rest for a couple minutes. Press fingertips into top to make dimples
7. Let rise till 1.5 times original size.
8. Spread herbed garlic oil over surface of dough and sprinkle with kosher salt.
9. Place in preheated oven at 475 degrees F then reduce to 375 degrees F when pan is placed into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes
10. Herbed Garlic oil: chop herbs finely and add to heated olive oil with garlic. Let stand for 1 hour.
    

As if the focaccia isn't enough carb for me, I decided a couple days later to make pizza. So I concocted a pizza sauce and it actually came out really tasty.

Val's Pizza Sauce

1 can of tomato puree
1 ts of dried Oregano
1 ts dried basil
2 heads garlic, chopped
Olive oil
1 1/2 TBS Brown sugar
pink of salt

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Add garlic and sautee till golden brown.
2. Add dried herbs and sautee till fragrant and add in puree.
3. Add in brown sugar and a pinch of salt and combine. Adjust salt and sugar to taste.
   

This is also the best pizza crust I have had in a long time. Like the Focaccia, the dough is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Bo Friberg's Pizza dough 'The Professional Pastry Chef'

1/2 oz fresh yeast (1/4 oz dry active yeast)
3/4 C warm water
1 ts granulated sugar
2 TBS olive oil
1 ts salt
1 TBS honey
10 oz bread flour

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let dissolve
2. Mix in sugar, olive oil, salt and honey
3. Add flour and knead in mixer with dough hook till smooth and elastic, 10 minutes
4. Place dough in oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover and let rise till doubled in volume
5. Place in refrigerator covered for at least 2 hours. Return to room temperature before proceeding. (I didn't put it in the fridge. I used it right away)
6. Divide dough in half, and roll and stretch dough on floured surface into a 10-12 in circle.
7. Top as desired and baked at 450 degrees F.

Val's pizza topping of choice

muenster pepper jack cheese
Shredded colby jack cheese
Finely diced onions
Finely diced Tomato

Oh yeah, I ate the whole pizza. I would TOTALLY win a pizza eating contest!