Gluten Free Focaccia

This gluten free focaccia is airy, soft, and full of herby flavor. Perfect for a snack or served alongside spaghetti! This gluten-free Italian bread is such an easy recipe.

This is one of my husband’s favorites – and he’s the pickiest gluten free eater I’ve ever met, so praise from him means you’re doing something right! 

Even though I’m not personally strictly gluten-free like he is, I really enjoy this recipe as well. The soft, springy focaccia bread with the infusion of garlic, rosemary, and oregano really is perfect. 

What is gluten-free Focaccia Bread? 

Gluten free focaccia is a simple yeast bread, baked on a sheet pan with origins in Italy. A chewy, crispy-crusted flatbread with an airy, springy interior texture makes it perfect for dipping in herbed oil or marinara sauce. The dimples in the top make it perfect for holding on to that sauce!

It’s most commonly topped with herbs, such as rosemary and oregano, which you see here, or basil, thyme, or any herb you prefer. Garlic is also commonly used (and highly recommend!), and it can be topped with vegetables such as tomatoes (usually cherry tomatoes), onions, and olives (I know, some of those are fruits)

Focaccia is very similar to gluten-free pizza, and in fact, you can use it for your pizza crust recipe if you want! It’s also a perfect side dish to serve with spaghetti. 

One of the unique benefits of making gluten-free bread recipes is that there’s no kneading – there’s no kneading in gluten free recipes – even gluten-free sandwich bread.

What is Gluten-Free Focaccia Made of? 

Ingredients for focaccia are very simple, so you likely already have them in your pantry for the most part.

• Gluten free flour blend (more on that below)
• Yeast 
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Warm water
• Warm milk
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Garlic powder

Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top before baking is also nice.

It should be noted that some vegan recipes use all water rather than milk. Dairy-free focaccia is delicious, but I like to use milk because it helps the bread hold moisture and produces a cohesive crumb. In other words, it keeps your bread from drying out and getting crumbly. 

Do not settle for dry focaccia! We’ve been conditioned to accept dry, crumbly gluten-free baked goods, but the whole point of making them yourself is to have the highest quality. This should be a good bread that you actually enjoy eating!

Gluten Free Flour Options

As a rule, the higher the quality of your flour blend, the higher the quality of your end product. 

If you want a focaccia that rivals the best out there, you need good flour! 

But that doesn’t necessarily mean expensive or hard-to-get flour. 

So far, my favorite mix of flours for this particular recipe is: 

• 3/4 cup of quinoa flours from Judee’s Ingredients
• 1/2 cup cornstarch (arrowroot powder also works well)
• 1 3/4 cup King Arthur gluten free all purpose flour blend

You could choose to use all King Arthur blend since it’s easy to pick up at the Grocery store (you usually have to order quinoa flour from Amazon), but in my opinion, the quinoa flour adds body, cuts down on the starchy feel, and balances out the flavor, and cuts down on the starches. Other good flours if you prefer not to use quinoa, are superfine rice flour and sweet white sorghum flour. 

A note about xanthan gum. I’ve noticed that many gluten-free focaccia recipes specifically state that you should use a gum-free flour mix. While you can see that adding extra flour to the mix does cut down on the amount of gum in the recipe, I don’t completely cut it out. For me, this gum-light but not gum-free version has yielded the best, fluffiest, most cohesive, but not overly gummy result. 

How to Make this Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipe

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, you’re simply going to flour, yeast, baking powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. 

Then you’re going to add your water, milk, and oil and mix it all together  

 

Beat or whisk the mixture until it’s nice and smooth, then cover and set aside to rise in a large bowl until double.

Once it’s risen, turn your gluten-free focaccia dough onto a well-oiled baking pan, and spread with oiled fingertips to about 10×12 inches rectangle.

Let rest in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450º.

Press fingers into the batter here and there to make small indents, and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Sprinkle with herbs, garlic powder, and salt. Pro-tip: use flakey sea salt or pretzel salt for pops of salty flavor.

Bake in the center of the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the bread is golden brown on top.

FAQs and Tips for Making Homemade Gluten Free Focaccia

This is such an easy gluten free bread, but I do have some tips for success as well as frequently asked questions. Making gluten free focaccia doesn’t need to be intimidating!

Can you make this focaccia vegan?

To make this recipe vegan, you simply need to swap out the milk either for water or vegan milk. There are many vegan milks out there that will work, but cashew milk is my favorite. Almond milk and coconut milk also both work well.

Should You use Fresh or Dry herbs?

I personally like to use fresh herbs, especially for the rosemary, because they do make a difference in texture. So it’s fresh rosemary for me. However, I like to use garlic powder rather than minced garlic. Basically, it’s a matter of personal preference, so use what you have or what you want.

Why is my focaccia dry?

The most common cause of dry focaccia is overtaking. The baking process dries out the baked good over time, so make sure your bread is fully baked, but don’t overtake it.

Another cause can be too much flour. You want to make sure your dough is thin enough to easily spread over the baking sheet with a spatula. you shouldn’t have to fight it, and if you do, you’ve got too much flour. Add a teaspoon or two of milk/water at a time to course correct.

A third cause might be that you forget the oil. I know it sounds silly, but for me, forgetting an ingredient when I’m busy is a real risk. 😅The oil, as well as the fat (and protein) in milk, help keep the moisture in your focaccia so that it doesn’t dry out.

How to store Gluten-Free Focaccia

For a day or two, you can transfer completely cooled focaccia into an airtight container such as a Rubbermaid food container or ziplock bag on the countertop.

To store for longer, place in the refrigerator for up to a week, or double bag and freeze for several weeks.

To reheat, let thaw in the refrigerator or countertop still sealed for several hours, then bake in a preheated oven for 18-10 minutes until hot.

More gluten free breads to try:

• Gluten-Free cornbread
• Gluten-Free sandwich wrap bread
• Gluten-Free English Muffins
• Gluten-Free Irish Soda Bread
• Gluten-Free Zucchini Cheese Bread

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