Easy One Bowl Gluten Free & Vegan Focaccia (bonus recipe included)
Money isn't real, but bread is! Especially the type of bread that is fried in a copious amount of olive oil. We're talking about the crispy, oily and delicious focaccia. To those that don't know, the correct pronunciation is faux-cah-chia or faux-cah-sha. When I was first introduced to focaccia, I looked up to the server and asked "what is faux-see-sho?" I was around 12 at the time, intrigued by something new on the menu, and quickly embarrassed by the roar of laughter coming from all around the table. As I've trained cooks & chefs on bread baking, I now know that this bread is constantly mispronounced... my pre-teen ego has since been restored. Regardless of the name, this bread is EASY! Even if you mess it up, it will still be stellar.
This recipe is a GEM! With simple flips in the recipe, you can make yourself either focaccia or a beautiful loaf of bread. I have listed BOTH recipes below.
Chef Notes:
Psyllium Husk vs Flax Seed Meal: to me, these ingredients are NOT interchangeable. I've seen many bloggers and recipe developers mention that they are, and after testing I fully disagree. Psyllium is gluten-acting in bread making, while flax is more of a gel-like stabilizer. Both ingredients will have a drying effect if overused.
For the focaccia, I recommend flax seed meal, which results in an airier crumb. The psyllium results in a tighter crumb, best used for bread loaves.
This recipe is in between a batter and a dough, so it will not work for shaped loaves like the sourdough boule.
I prefer the King Arthur AP flour in this recipe. The Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 works great, but will be soft and cakier.
If you cannot find the Fava Chickpea flour blend, replace it with the red bagged Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour. This is different from their 1-to-1 AP, in a blue bag.
Rosemary Focaccia
The Dough
3-1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cup Fava Chickpea flour
1 tablespoon flax meal, or 2 teaspoon psyllium husk powder
1 tablespoon instant yeast, also know as bread machine yeast
1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2-2/3 cup water
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
The topping
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoon roughly chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, or coarse sea salt
Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with half of the olive oil listed under 'the topping'. The remaining olive oil with be drizzled on after proofing.
Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl, whisk to incorporate.
Combine the liquid ingredients, and pour over the dry mix.
Mix until shaggy, add in the salt, and mix until fully incorporated.
Place the batter-like dough into the prepared pan. With oiled hands, press the dough to the pans edges and smooth out the surface.
Wrap with plastic wrap and allow to proof in a warm space until doubled in size, between 1-1.5 hours.
Once proofed, preheat the oven to 425ºf.
Drizzle the remaining olive oil over top, and sprinkle with rosemary and salt.
Using your fingers, dimple the surface to create that signature focaccia look. I call this "doing the cat paw prance".
Bake for 13 minutes, rotating the pan half way through.
Move the pan closer to the top of the oven, increase the oven temperature to 450ºf and bake for another 5 minutes.
Cool completely in the pan before slicing.
BONUS: turn this recipe into a fluffy loaf of bread with a few alterations. I will be releasing more bread loaves, and boule recipes in time!
Easy Gluten Free Bread Loaf
3 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
2 cup Fava Chickpea flour
2 teaspoon psyllium husk powder
1 tablespoon instant yeast, also know as bread machine yeast
1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2-2/3 cup water
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1-1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
The topping: Optional for browning
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons water, or dairy-free milk
Prepare an oiled 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper, making sure to cover the sides for easy removal
Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl, whisk to incorporate.
Combine the liquid ingredients, and pour over the dry mix.
Mix until shaggy, add in the salt, and mix until fully incorporated.
Place the batter-like dough into the prepared pan and smooth out the surface.
Wrap with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 1 hour in a warm space until doubled in size.
Once proofed, preheat the oven to 365ºf, and brush the surface with the baking soda mixture.
Place the loaf pan on a sheet tray and bake for 35-40 minutes The loaf should be golden brown and spring back when poked. For the pros, the internal temperature should read between 205ºf-210ºf
Allow the loaf to rest in the pan for 10 minutes before removing, place on a wire rack and cool completely before slicing.
As always, tag me in your bakes, I love to see what you all bake up.
Keep it cheeky,
Mason