Using gluten-free flour, this gluten-free focaccia recipe is just as good as the traditional version. It’s easy relatively easy-to-make without kneading. When topped with fresh and dried herbs, this Italian bread remains soft and airy on the inside.
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What Is Focaccia Bread
The Italians love their bread. Bread is served at every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in one form or another. There are different varieties of bread in different regions across Italy. Although traditional focaccia is from Liguria, it’s possible to find different versions across the country.
Although traditionally made with wheat flour, it is possible to make a gluten-free version of this tasty Italian bread.
If you’re not gluten-free or celiac, then check out our recipe for traditional Ligurian focaccia.
What Is Gluten-Free Bread
I was curious if it were possible to make a tasty focaccia bread gluten-free, for when we have friends over who don’t eat traditional bread. Now, gluten-free bread often doesn’t taste as good as its counterpart.
Traditional breads are made with flour, water, yeast, and some other simple ingredients. The mixture of these three ingredients makes a dough that is soft, stretchy, and glue-like. This substance can be difficult for people to digest.
An alternative to traditional bread is gluten-free bread, which is made with alternatives to traditional flour. This can include flours made with rice, lentils, chickpeas, and other ingredients that offer an alternative that is easier to digest.
This is just one type of gluten-free Italian bread. There are a variety of options to make Italian-inspired breads gluten-free and celiac friendly.
Ingredients For Focaccia That Is Gluten-Free
The base of this recipe includes gluten-free flour as an alternative to traditional wheat or plain flour. The flour is mixed with warm water and dry yeast. The yeast mixture is blended with honey, salt, and olive oil.
This recipe includes honey to add a sweetness to the bread. It’s one of the ingredients in a traditional version. But, if you are looking for gluten-free vegan focaccia, swap out molasses for the honey.
The bread is topped with dried Italian herbs, like rosemary, to give it an Italian flair.
List Of Ingredients For Focaccia That Is Gluten-Free
- Gluten-free flour
- Warm water
- Dry yeast
- Honey
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Dried herbs
How To Make Italian Focaccia Gluten-Free
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Pour the gluten-free flour into a bowl. Mix it with salt, and set it aside.
In another bowl, combine two tablespoons of olive oil, dry yeast, honey, and warm water. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, you can do a simple test. The water should be warm to keep your hand comfortable. Mix everything with a whisk and leave for 10-15 minutes. Foam will appear on the surface of the water from the yeast.
After that, you can pour the yeast and water into a bowl of flour and stir everything. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave it in a warm place for half an hour. Because the flour is gluten-free, there is no need to knead the dough a lot or let it sit overnight to raise. This makes it easy-to-make focaccia.
Cover the baking sheet with baking paper and brush with a spoonful of oil. Gently transfer the focaccia dough and smooth, make small dimples and drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil, thyme).
At this stage, the dough will settle, so you can let it sit for another 20 minutes so that it increases in size. If you want fluffier focaccia, place it not on a baking sheet, but in a medium baking dish.
Place the baking sheet in a hot oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. If you see that the focaccia has acquired a golden hue before this time, then you can remove it.
Let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes, after which you can cut it into pieces or just break it with your hands. Serve with aromatic olive oil mixed with garlic, herbs, and spices.
Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipe
Gluten Free Focaccia
Gluten-free focaccia is just as good as regular wheat flour focaccia. Dough with gluten-free flour does not require long kneading. Its structure is very different from the usual bread dough. However, focaccia is tasty and aromatic, especially when dried herbs are added. Inside, the focaccia remains soft and airy.
Ingredients
- 250 grams gluten-free flour
- 150 milliliters of warm water
- 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian dried herbs
Instructions
- Add the gluten-free flour into a large bowl. Add the salt and set aside.
- In a small to medium-sized bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, dry yeast, honey, and warm water. Mix with a whisk and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Foam will appear on the surface.
- Pour the yeast mixture into the flour. Blend with a rubber spatula to mix the flour. You can knead with your hands for a few minutes to ensure everything is blended. The dough will be looser than a typical dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and place it somewhere warm for 30 minutes. You can preheat the oven now, and place the dough on the stovetop as a possibility.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Cover the baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with a tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the parchment paper.
- Flatten and stretch the gluten-free focaccia dough to the edges of the baking sheet. Use your thumb to imprint dimples in the dough.
- Drizzle the dough with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian dried herbs. Allow the dough to rest for another 20 minutes before baking.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the top of the dough is lightly browned. Cut into pieces and serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
If you want a fluffier, more soft focaccia bread, you can cook it in a glass baking dish instead of a baking sheet.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 158Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
This nutritional data is provided by a third-party source and should not be relied on if you are on a strict diet.