Last week I found myself really missing focaccia bread something fierce. It feels like it’s been ages since I last sunk my teeth into a nice chewy, flavorful piece of focaccia. That’s probably because it has been. And up until now, I wondered if it was something that I’d ever get to enjoy again.
Thankfully, I came across a focaccia recipe that looked really promising, and sometimes you’ve just got to go with promising. Especially when you are focaccia-deprived, and ready to beg, borrow or steal, in order to fill that toothsome, chewy, bread craving. For those of you who are gluten-free, I know you know what I’m talking about.
Anyway, back to that focaccia recipe. It was really good. I made the recipe almost exactly as written (and even made two batches, because my friend Kittee was coming over for lunch, and she is gluten-free too). The only thing that I did differently was to bake the bread for 30 minutes. With gluten-free baking, I’ve found that it usually works best to err on the side of slightly over-baking, as there’s nothing worse than a stripe of under-baked rubbery dough on the bottom. Next time I will probably bake it in a cast iron skillet, just because I like to roll that way, and it will probably contribute to a really nice crust. The bread was delicious, and I think that you could adapt it a bunch of different ways. Next time I make it I’m going to press pitted olives into the top, along with the rosemary. It would also be scrumptious with sliced Roma tomatoes and garlic, or fully baked, and then topped with caramelized onions, olives and thyme. Just remember that it needs to cool before eating. That just seems to be the one caveat of gluten-free baked goods and bread. The texture is best once they’ve cooled.
So here’s the link to the focaccia recipe (here). And, if you make it, I’d love to hear what you think, or what changes you made to it. The bread is super-quick and easy to make. It takes about 5 minutes top to mix, 30 minutes to rise and 30 minutes to bake. Shoot, that’s faster than running to the store to buy a pricey loaf of mediocre gluten-free bread.
Thanks for finding this, you finder of awesomeness! I totally feel the understanding for the need for foccacia. I’ll pass this recipe around!
White focaccia bread or anything wheaty just doesn’t do it for me anymore. This looks fab–wish I could’ve shared a warm slice with you warm, friendly friends. xo
hey Julie! I finally had a chance to make this recipe. I had been looking everywhere for bulk Teff flour and finally found it in bulk at Alberta Street Coop (I didn’t want to buy a whole bag of Bob’s Red Mill because the recipe called for 1/2 cup only). Anyway, it was SO good! My sister loved it too. So tender and chewy. I did not have the quick-rising yeast so I used regular yeast…I don’t think it made too much of a difference. Anyway, thanks for posting it. take care Jill