Gluten-free rosemary and olive focaccia
What makes a perfect focaccia? Is it the crunch when you bite it, the give of the spongy, chewy interior or the salt crystals that dissolve on your tongue?
I didn't have focaccia growing up - it wasn't available at the "Hot Bread Shop", and my dad, who did a lot of the cooking at home, never made bread. He often bemoaned that he couldn't get "real bread" - but he was referring to Maltese bread to make his ħobż biż-żejt - but that's a story for another day. It wasn't until I travelled to Italy in 1990 that I discovered this fabulous style of bread.
Focaccia is an oven-baked Italian flatbread with a high olive oil content and signature dimples pressed into the dough before baking. It can be simple, with just salt flakes sprinkled on top, or include other ingredients such as cherry tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts and fresh herbs. A quick internet search can show you true food art, with fabulous designs created using food baked into the bread.
The perfect interior of focaccia has large air bubbles. This gives us the chewy, spongy texture that combines well with the olive oil crust. To achieve this, the dough has a higher moisture ratio than other breads. When using wheat flour, this is around an 80% to 88% water-to-flour ratio. This is one recipe where it's not as simple as swapping GF flour for wheat flour.
I love focaccia as it is quick to make, perfect on its own or for soaking up the flavours of dishes such as chicken cacciatore, or served with any soup. It's not identical to its wheat-based cousin, but my non-gluten-free family still fight over the last piece. That makes this a true winner!
Serves 8-10
- 500 g bread flour (GF), preferably Italian
- 450 ml water
- 7 g yeast
- 3 tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra for sprinkling
- 3 tbl olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling
- 1 tbl fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 1 cup pitted olives (optional)
Brush a 20 cm x 30 cm baking tray generously with olive oil.
Heat the water in the microwave to 40-45°C. Add the yeast and stir.
Place the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Once the yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture and olive oil to the bowl and mix using the paddle attachment until combined.
Using a large spoon, place the batter onto the prepared tray. Lightly oil the base of the spoon and use it to spread the batter to fill the tray. Using your fingers, press dimples into the batter. Press the olives into the surface and sprinkle with rosemary leaves. Drizzle olive oil over the batter. Cover the tray with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C.
Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the top with extra salt. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Remove immediately from the tray and allow to cool on a wire rack.
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