Gluten Free Focaccia

Last week I received a special recipe request —-from a very seasoned foodie.  I was asked if I could conjure up a GF focaccia recipe, because her mother (a celiac) missed the taste of the flavorful flat bread.  Isn’t that sweet??

So I searched through my old recipes, artisan bread books, gluten free baking books, and of course the internet, to Frankenstein together a recipe that will hopefully please dear Mom.

I must say, that I am happy to have gotten this request, otherwise I may have never known (so soon) the glory of baking gluten free bread.  It was pretty easy.  And no kneading!!  One thing I will certainly do the next time I make this is add some dimples. [ I know, how could I have forgotten to dimple  my focaccia?? ] I guess I was so immersed in slicing little tiny tomatoes, that I totally neglected the dimples.  It certainly didn’t effect the taste any though.  This stuff was really good.

This focaccia can be topped with pretty much anything … brush a little olive oil on before adding toppings to achieve a darker golden top.

If you do not eat gluten and, like me, think the GF breads in the frozen section of your grocery store are really really bad, try this… it makes an excellent sandwich bread too.

Gluten Free Focaccia

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup almond meal, packed
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp rosemary
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp agave
• 3 tsp EnerG egg replacer frothed with 4 tbsp warm water
• 2 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 tsp sugar

Topping:

• black salt
• grape tomatoes, about 6
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, blend brown rice flour, potato starch, almond meal, xanthan gum and salt until well combined.  In separate, smaller bowl, mix together prepared egg replacer, agave, olive oil and rosemary.

In another bowl, proof yeast by combining yeast, warm water and sugar. Let rest about 5 minutes. It should get foamy, like so:

If your yeast is good to go, mix everything together in large mixing bowl until all is well combined.
The dough will be much more like batter.

Lightly, but making sure to cover the entire pan, oil an 8 or 9 inch cake pan and sprinkle the bottom with almond meal.  Using flat edged spatula,  spread your bread batter into the pan evenly.

Slice grape tomatoes thinly and place on paper towel to soak up any excess moisture.  Sprinkle the top of your focaccia with black salt and chopped garlic.  If desired, dimple the top of the dough using a wet fingertip.

Arrange sliced tomatoes on top of bread dough.  Let rise about 1 hour on top of warm oven (not in!).  It should grow a little bit:

Bake in preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until color turns dark golden around rim.

Let cool for about 10 minutes.  Run knife around the edge of the bread and pry out using a butter-knife under one section.  The bread should easily pull out of the pan once you get the first area loose.  Let cool on wire rack.  The bottom of the bread will get soggy if it is on a non breathable surface, or left in the baking pan too long… I highly recommend placing on a wire rack.

Here is what the bottom looks like. :)

I devoured a piece topped with avocado and extra salt… super yum.