Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Focaccia Bread

It’s finally here! My recipe for Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Focaccia Bread!

I remember watching Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix and being in agony when I watched them make focaccia bread. I had not yet found a good gluten-free vegan recipe for focaccia (or any gf bread really), and watching that segment felt like pure torture. I remember thinking, will I ever get to experience eating something like that again? (For context – I’m celiac!)

I will admit that this is likely no where near as delicious as the focaccia bread they made on that show. BUT – it’s still pretty darn good! And well worth the effort to make. Make sure that you use good quality olive oil and some really yummy flaky salt (hello, Maldon!). You can also choose to top if with herbs – like rosemary!

Please read the tips below as they are important to ensuring you like this recipe as much as I do!

THE MUST-USE INGREDIENT TO MAKE THIS delicious GLUTEN-FREE vegan focaccia BREAD

The most important ingredient when making gluten free bread is the flour blend of course! I developed a Gluten-Free Bread Flour blend and that is what I have used in this recipe. Please, please, please use that blend. I cannot guarantee that any other flour blend will work. Gluten Free flour blends are all over the map — some are predominately bean flour, some are high in rice flour, some are mostly starch, some have xanthan gum and some do not. Sadly, if you want tasty gluten-free baked goods, you have to use exactly what the recipe says to use. If you use a different blend, you will not achieve the same results.

How to make this delicious gluten-free vegan focaccia bread

My gluten-free bread recipes sound like a broken record–but these two instructions are very important!

Weigh the flour: Precision is key. We all scoop and measure things out different, and flour is one of the most consistently incorrectly measured ingredients. In order to ensure best results, I have indicated the flour only in grams.

Hydrate the Flour: Gluten free bread is great in some ways — you don’t need to worry about gluten! Regular flour bread recipes often have very specific instructions because the way you work with gluten will effect the texture. Many people think that because there is no gluten in gluten-free bread, you don’t need to knead the dough or work it at all. But, you do. This dough is way too wet to knead, but you need to beat it for 5 minutes to ensure that the flours hydrate. I use a kitchen aid hand mixer with dough hooks, but my mom has had success using her food processor. You can do it by hand, but you’ll need some strong arm muscles! After 5 minutes of beating, your dough should almost look like butter cream frosting in texture.

Other Gluten-Free Bread recipes:

• Easy Sandwich Bread
• Orange Cranberry rosemary Bread
• Cheese Olive Bread

MAKE SURE TO USE MY BEST GLUTEN-FREE BREAD FLOUR MIX FOR THIS RECIPE! YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE OPTIMAL RESULTS IF YOU SUBSTITUTE WITH A DIFFERENT BLEND.

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Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Focaccia Bread

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Rise time

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 25 mins

 

This delicious gluten-free vegan focaccia bread is easy to make! It has a wonderful texture and fantastic flavour from the olive oil!

Course: Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Bread, focaccia, Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 300 gr The Best GF Bread Flour Mix (link in notes, no substitutions)*
• 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• flaky salt
• herbs, such as rosemary (optional)

Instructions

1. Whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Combine the water and 2 TBSP of olive oil in a measuring up.

3. Using a stand mixer with the dough attachment, or a hand mixer with the dough attachments, slowly incorporate the liquid with the dry ingredients at a slow speed. After you have added all the liquid, beat the dough for a full 5 minutes. You will notice the texture of the dough change. This step is very important to ensure that the flour hydrates properly.

4. Leave the dough in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1-1.5 hours, until double in size. Rising time will depend on the temperature of the room -- if it's cold, it will take longer to rise. If it's warm, the rising time will be shorter.

5. Prepare a baking sheet or a cast iron pan to cook your focaccia bread. I used a 10 x 15 inch baking sheet for the bread shown in the photos, but I've also successully used a 10 inch cast iron pan. Spread 2 TBSP of olive oil on the bottom of the pan.

6. After your dough has had its first rise, take an oiled spatula (this will prevent the dough from sticking) and mix it to get the air out. Transfer the dough onto the oiled baking sheet.

7. The dough is extremely sticky. You will need to wet your hands to spread it out.** Once the dough is spread, create the the dimples with your fingers. You may need to wet your hands again to do this.

8. Drizzle the remaining 1 TBSP of olive oil on the top of the bread and sprinkle generously with flaky salt. Feel free to add herbs, such as rosemary, at this stage.

9. Cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes. It may not double its size, but it will rise!

10. While the dough is in its second rise, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Make sure your oven is hot - I do this by turning my oven on at the beginning of the dough's second rise. This gives the oven about 30 minutes to get hot.

11. After the 30 minute rise, remove the cover on the dough and place into the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, until the bread is a deep golden brown.

12. Let the focaccia bread cool for at least an hour. This will help the crumb set and will improve the bread's texture.

13. This focaccia bread is best eaten the same day. The texture does dry out after a day, especially after it's been cut.

Recipe Notes

*I worked a long time to create a perfect flour blend and this recipe was designed specifically to work with this blend. I have not tried this recipe with other blends and cannot guarantee you will achieve the same results. There are sooo many gluten free flour blends out there and they are all so different. I highly recommend using my blend.

**If you want your focaccia bread to be thicker than what is shown in the picture, just don't spread it out as much and it should be just fine!

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