Gluten-Free Focaccia

Look at this Gluten-Free Focaccia, everyone! If you are thinking “hey, that must be amazing!” you’re absolutely right. It IS amazing. Truly amazing!

The perfect amount of crispness on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. And flavorful. Perfectly flavorful. I simply can’t believe how fabulous this focaccia is.

I’m recovering from my second surgery within two months (I’m progressing as expected–thanks!). My dear friend Linda Etherton, who you all probably remember as Gluten-Free Homemaker, came to visit for several days this past week to help out and just be some good company for me.

How lucky am I to have such a good and kind friend? Extremely lucky is the answer. Especially when she made safe and fabulous focaccia for us!

Linda, formerly Gluten-Free Homemaker, mixing up the gluten-free focaccia dough and allowing me to take a quick snapshot.

When she asked if she could come check in on me, I replied pretty quickly, “Yes!” But to be honest, I probably would have responded even more quickly had I known she was going to make this incredibly good Gluten-Free Focaccia!

Those of you who followed Gluten-Free Homemaker before she retired her site know that she’s an outstanding baker and unbelievable bread is definitely one of her specialties. Given that successful homemade gluten-free bread can be a nemesis for so many of us, it’s a real gift to be able to share Linda’s recipe with you today. Thank you, Linda!

This Gluten-Free Focaccia is not hard to make at all. Just several simple steps for which you’re rewarded by warm, incredibly good focaccia. (Note Linda’s trick or putting her hand in a baggie or Ziploc bag before she smooths out the dough and later adds the indentations before baking. Update: She emphasizes that you still have to spray the outside of the baggie or bag that will touch the batter with non-stick spray for this trick to work properly.)

Linda smoothing out the Gluten-Free Focaccia dough using her baggie trick.

Although bread this good will understandably disappear in no time, there were just the two of us and we had other delicious gluten-free food we were enjoying. So there was still plenty of focaccia left two days after making it and I am happy to report that it was just as good as it was the first day. 

Gluten-Free Focaccia dough all olive oiled, salted, seasoned, and ready to go in the oven.

We stored it in a Ziploc bag during that time. If you’re going past a few days, I’d probably place that bag in the fridge or freeze it between slices of parchment paper simply because of the focaccia’s moisture content. 

We quickly grabbed those end pieces of the Gluten-Free Focaccia when it came out of the oven.

When the focaccia came out of the oven, I enjoyed two slices with butter. (Smart Balance in my case.) 

Gluten-Free Focaccia slice. One delicious buttered bite quickly leads to another!

That evening, I enjoyed two more slices warmed with butter with my leftover salmon fillet. The next morning I used two slices to make a fried egg sandwich. Oh, my goodness, this focaccia is heavenly every way!

Linda says after she makes her latest batch of Gluten-Free Focaccia, she soon mixes up more to be ready for next time. Update: Linda said: “I just wanted to clarify what I said about making extra dry ingredients for the bread. I don’t do it after I mix up a batch. I do it at the same time. I get out three bowls, then as I measure each dry ingredient, I do it three times. After I make the dough for one, I whisk together the other two bowls and put the mix into glass jars to store. I omit the yeast since that is kept in the fridge, and I put a note on top of each jar reminding me to add that and noting what the mix is for.” So smart!

As she shares in the recipe, she doesn’t just make this recipe as the traditional Italian flatbread, she also uses it to make gluten-free hamburger buns when her family is having burger night. I don’t have to tell you that either of those beat out any gluten-free version that you can buy at the store!

Gluten-Free Focaccia (Small Round Loaf) and Hamburger Buns

Incidentally, I think most of you all know that I don’t usually post this many photos of a recipe but I think you’ll agree that this focaccia is such a thing of beauty.

More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes To Check Out

~ The Best Gluten-Free Bread Recipes (A Bountiful Bread Basket–the whole series.)

~ The Best Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipes (today’s recipe plus more focaccia recipes for you, including grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and/or vegan options)

~ Easy Gluten-Free Pita Bread

~ Easy Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

~ Grain-Free Paleo Bread

Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipe

Yield: 12 to 15 slices

Gluten-Free Focaccia

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This Gluten-Free Focaccia earns amazing as its description! It's just crispy enough on the outside and wonderfully soft on the inside. And it's perfectly flavorful overall. What a special treat! This recipe can also be used to make wonderful hamburger rolls or dinner rolls.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cups brown or white rice flour
• ⅔ cup sweet rice flour (also known as mochiko flour)
• 1 cup tapioca starch  (also known as tapioca flour)
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp xanthan gum (or 1 tbsp ground psyllium and 1 1/2 tsp ground chia seeds)
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 – 1 ¼ cup warm water
• 4 large eggs
• ¼ cup mild-tasting vegetable oil
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

For the top

• olive oil, enough to brush on top of dough
• Italian seasoning, enough for sprinkling evenly on top of dough
• coarse salt, enough for sprinkling evenly on top of dough

Instructions

1. Mix the wet ingredients together in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) using 1 cup of the water.
2. Combine the flours, yeast, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar in a separate bowl.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes. (A hand-held mixer can be used instead.) Add more water if the dough is too dry. The dough should be very soft and sticky.
4. Transfer the dough to a greased pan. This recipe will fill a large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.
5. Let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. (Turning your oven on to 350F and then turning it off after a minute of preheating works well as the warm place with the door closed.)
6. Preheat oven to 400F. Use your fingers to create indentation in the top of the dough. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning. (Omit for hamburger buns.)
7. Bake at 400F degrees for about 15 minutes. The top should be nicely browned so bake longer but keep checking if it's not browned enough at the 15-minute mark.
8. Let sit a few minutes before slicing (using a sharp knife).

Notes

Linda mixes up the ingredients for two more batches as she makes the current one. She said: "I just wanted to clarify what I said about making extra dry ingredients for the bread. I don't do it after I mix up a batch. I do it at the same time. I get out three bowls, then as I measure each dry ingredient, I do it three times. After I make the dough for one, I whisk together the other two bowls and put the mix into glass jars to store. I omit the yeast since that is kept in the fridge, and I put a note on top of each jar reminding me to add that and noting what the mix is for."

This recipe can also be used to make hamburger buns by spooning the dough into 10 to 12 greased English muffin rings. Omit the Italian seasoning and salt on top.

Did you make this recipe?

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