Juicy cherry tomatoes & pops of salty olives nestled atop a soft savoury flatbread….always a winner! Using a blend of gluten free flours, this is a deliciously simple yet hearty little loaf, 100% plant-based & gluten free.
Feel free to personalise the extras on top. If you don’t like rosemary, ditch it or swap it out for basil. If olives or onions aren’t your thing, consider popping in some capers or sundried tomato. I’ve given a few substitutions in the dough ingredients list too – happy baking!
For the dough:
1 tsp (coconut) sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tsp dry active yeast
½ cup milk of choice (I use rice milk)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
½ cup sorghum flour (or buckwheat flour)
½ cup tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour)
½ cup (brown) rice flour
¼ cup chickpea flour
2 Tbsp psyllium
2 tsp salt
light sprinkle of olive oil for the top
Optional toppings:
6 – 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
¼- ½ red onion, sliced
16 black olives, pitted
scattering of rosemary leaves
a few grinds of rock salt and/or black pepper
Start by blooming the yeast: dissolve the sugar in the warm water in a large bowl, then sprinkle the active yeast on top (don’t use hot water, it can kill off the yeast) Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
Add the vinegar to the milk, stir, then put aside to curdle slightly.
Check on the yeast – it should have blossomed & puffed up nicely over the surface of the sweetened water.
Add all ingredients to the bowl (except the olive oil for the top) and mix well, making sure you ease out any lumps of tapioca or chickpea flour in particular. Remember to add the vinegared milk too, mixing thoroughly.
Pop a clean tea-towel over the bowl and set aside for at least an hour, preferably somewhere warm if you can (it will look wet & thick – don’t worry, it’ll become more dough-like as the psyllium & yeast work their magic) After the hour, it won’t puff and bubble like gluten dough, but you should notice some rising & expansion.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 175C. Lightly grease a baking tray and put the dough on the baking tray.
Use clean hands to press it out a little and sculpt it into a flatbread shape of your choice – I tend to make a round one, like a big thick pizza. (for an idea of size, my round pizza-shaped dough measured around 23cm wide and 1-2cm thick)
Brush/spread some extra olive oil on top. Add any optional extras on top now too, pressing them lightly into the dough.
Bake for 30 minutes. Allow the focaccia to cool a little on the baking tray before slicing & devouring.
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