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If you’re looking for an easy gluten free bread to make, my Gluten Free Focaccia is the perfect solution.
With a crisp, crunchy exterior and fluffy inside, this gluten free vegan focaccia recipe is one of my favourite breads.
It’s made from simple ingredients and you can flavour it with herbs, olives, cheese, tomatoes and more.
Plus it’s actually a gluten free VEGAN focaccia bread – perfect for anyone avoiding egg or dairy.
Get creative and use this gluten free focaccia as a base recipe for your own gluten free baking session to create a masterpiece!
Table of Contents
- What is focaccia bread?
- How do you make gluten free focaccia?
- What ingredients do I need for gluten free focaccia bread?
- Making this vegan focaccia
- Other tips for making this focaccia
- My gluten free focaccia recipe
- Need some more gluten free bread inspiration?
- Gluten Free Focaccia (Dairy Free, Vegan) Recipe
What is focaccia bread?
If you haven’t tried gluten free focaccia yet then honestly, wait no longer!
This Italian bread is very similar to a pizza bread and is made using olive oil.
As well as adding extra virgin olive oil to the recipe, you also coat the focaccia in it before baking it, which produces the most gorgeous, crisp crust.
Focaccia became popular during the first lockdown as you can use all sorts of additions to create beautiful, artistic-looking breads.
For my gluten free focaccia recipe I have stuck to the basics of using sea salt and rosemary to flavour it.
I think the beauty is in the simplicity of this gluten free focaccia – even the gluten-eaters will love it.
How do you make gluten free focaccia?
Making this gluten free bread couldn’t be easier – you just need to mix everything together!
The focaccia is then left to prove (aka rise) in a warm place for an hour before baking.
A 20-minute blast in a hot oven produces this delicious crusty focaccia, which is best eaten fresh from the oven.
All of the ingredients for this gluten free focaccia can be found in the supermarket which makes it really accessible for everyone.
The recipe is also dairy free, egg free and vegan – so the perfect bake if you have multiple dietary requirements.
What ingredients do I need for gluten free focaccia bread?
There’s a full printable recipe card below, but here’s what you’ll need for the shopping list:
- 250g FREEE Gluten Free White Bread Flour
- 7g dried yeast
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 250ml warm water
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling/greasing)
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Pinch Maldon sea salt flakes
I always use the FREEE Gluten Free White Bread Flour because it’s readily available in UK supermarkets.
It also always produces a great result – I haven’t yet tried this with a plain or all purpose flour blend to know if it works.
I’d certainly recommend using gluten free bread flour if you can.
The sugar is necessary in the recipe to ‘feed’ the yeast and allow it to activate and the bread to rise.
I’ve also added some extra xanthan gum because it gives the gluten free focaccia a much better texture.
There’s no dairy or eggs in the recipe either, so that means this is a vegan gluten free focaccia bread.
Making this vegan focaccia
There are a few very basic stages to this recipe that I have photographed below to give you an idea that you’re on the right track.
I also have a recipe tutorial video below this to help you visualise the process.
First up you want to activate your dried yeast.
This is done by mixing it with warm sugared-water and leaving it in a warm spot to start going crazy.
The water should be around the same temperature as your body, so when you place a finger in it, it’s almost as if you can’t feel it.
Too hot or too cold and it simply won’t work.
It should form a head when it’s ready and look like the photo below; if it doesn’t it’s likely you’ll need to discard the mixture and start again.
Once you’ve mixed everything together, you’ll end up with a dough that is kind of like a thick batter.
Gluten free bread mix behaves very differently to normal stuff so don’t worry if it seems kinda sticky.
The dough should look a bit like this once you’ve mixed it all up…
If you need to handle the gluten free focaccia batter, the best way to do this is to oil your hands beforehand.
Definitely make sure you oil them before poking the dimples into the proved dough.
Once you’ve mixed it all up, proved the dough and got it oven-ready, it should look like this…
If you want even more of a visual on how to make this gluten free focaccia then stand by – I now have a video tutorial too
You can watch me demo how to make this easy gluten free bread right here:
Other tips for making this focaccia
Really this recipe is super easy and there’s not many places you can go wrong!
You’ll know the gluten free focaccia bread is ready in the oven when it’s a gorgeous golden colour.
If you tap it, it should sound hollow and feel firm to the touch.
For serving, I’d dish it up as a side dish with pasta or even dip it in soup.
However, this focaccia got demolished on it’s own because I couldn’t stop slicing bits off it and just eating it plain!
You can also drizzle it with a bit of extra olive oil or serve it with an olive and balsamic vinegar dip.
My gluten free focaccia recipe
This easy gluten free focaccia recipe is made in a 20cm tin and is perfect eaten fresh from the oven.
Serve it up for lunch, drizzled with extra olive oil or as part of a gluten free charcuterie board.
It also makes a fab alternative to garlic bread and is great served with pasta or soup.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
Gluten Free Focaccia (Dairy Free, Vegan)
Gluten Free Focaccia is an easy gluten free bread recipe which can be flavoured with herbs of your choosing. Dairy free, egg free and vegan. This focaccia is best eaten fresh from the oven while still warm but it can be sliced and frozen.
Ingredients
- 250g FREEE Gluten Free White Bread Flour
- 7g dried yeast
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 250ml warm water
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling/greasing)
- Fresh rosemary sprigs
- Pinch Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Place the warm water in a jug (it should be around skin-temperature) and stir in the caster sugar until dissolved. Add the yeast, stir and then cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm spot for 7-10 minutes. It should form a head like on beer - when it does it's ready to use.
- Add the gluten free flour, xanthan gum and 1 tsp salt to a large mixing bowl and stir.
- When the yeast mixture is ready, form a well in the centre of the flour mix and pour in. Mix together with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick batter.
- Add 3 tbsp olive oil to the mixture and fold in with the wooden spoon until mixed well.
- Use 1 tbsp olive oil to generously grease a 20cm-diameter round tin. Pour the bread mixture in and use oiled fingers to spread it out evenly in a flat layer. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and place in a warm, draft-free spot for around an hour to prove.
- Once the dough has proved, it should have expanded in size. Heat the oven to 220'C / Fan 200'C / Gas Mark 8. Use an oiled thumb or finger to poke dimples into the top of the focaccia dough and press sprigs of rosemary into these at random.
- Drizzle with extra oil (around 1 tbsp) and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. The focaccia should be golden and crisp on top and sound hollow when tapped.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the sea salt flakes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out of the tin and slicing up to serve.
Notes
- This bread can be cooled completely, sliced and frozen. I would recommend refreshing it in the oven before eating once it has defrosted.
- If your yeast mixture doesn't form a 'head' after 10 minutes you will most likely have to discard the mixture and start again. It may be that the water is too cold/hot or your yeast is past its best.
- Feel free to jazz up the flavours - you could try adding sliced olives, caramelised onions, figs, feta, other fresh herbs of tomatoes - go crazy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 310mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g
Need some more gluten free bread inspiration?
Once you have mastered this gluten free vegan focaccia bread, why not give some of my other gluten free bread recipes a go?
These are all perfect for beginners and much more fun than buying bread.
- Easy gluten free white loaf
- Gluten free brown seeded loaf
- Soft white gluten free rolls
- Gluten free bagels
- Crusty gluten free baguettes
- Easy yeast-free soda bread
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
Like this Gluten Free Focaccia recipe?
Make sure you pin these recipe cards below for later!
Do head over and follow me on Pinterest too for more gluten free recipe inspiration.
About the author
Sarah Howells is a UK gluten free blogger and author. She has been living with coeliac disease since 2002. Her debut recipe book, Delicious Gluten Free Meals, is out now in the UK and to pre-order in the US.
After mine was under proofed and didn’t rise the first time I tried a second time — made the water for proofing the yeast a bit warmer and added a little apple cider vinegar. Turned out much better and delicious! For those wanting US measurements, here’s what I used. Oven temp: 425. Flour: 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tsp. Yeast: one packet. Sugar: 2 tsp. Water:1 cup plus a little bit more. Xantham gum: 1tsp. Salt: 1 tsp. Hope this helps!
do i need xanthan gum because it is a gluten free flour? can i do without it?
Can you make this receipe and let it rise overnight in the fridge? I have made a regular focaccia loaf this way and it is so easy.
Thank you so much for this! My daughter has colitis and is gluten free so I’m now making it as her regular treat. She loves it x
Perfect, super easy , golden in 25 oven minutes. Guar Gum also worked instead of Xanthan gum. Thanks!
Hi… My dough did not rise though the yeast was perfect… I used the mixer instead of the wooden spoon.. I let it proof for 2 hurs since it would not rise. .also it did not brown at all… temps were 428f… let me know what you recommend please to solve my issues..it was still delcious…
Hmm that sounds odd – are you in the US as you’re using F? I am in the UK so it could be the different flour mix. As for the proving, it should have risen – was it in a warm, draft-free spot?