Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia Bread

By Rachel Conners @bakeritablog
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This Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia Bread is a simple seven-ingredient focaccia recipe that’s made with gluten-free sourdough discard. It’s easy to make, super fluffy and soft, and absolutely delicious! Perfect for dunking in olive oil, using as sandwich bread, or making into sourdough croutons.

Early in my gluten-free sourdough bread journey, I wanted to try making focaccia. I had never made focaccia before — gluten-free, sourdough, or otherwise, and I was a bit lost on where to start. I scoured some recipes that used sourdough and all seemed longer and more complicated than they needed to be. They also used eggs, and I want to keep this recipe vegan. So, as it always does, I couldn’t find what I was looking for and had to start on my own journey in focaccia land.

Thankfully, the focaccia gods were smiling upon me and it turns out – gluten-free sourdough focaccia can be EASY. It can be made with sourdough discard, doesn’t need eggs, and doesn’t even need a whole lot of ingredients. In fact, this recipe uses just seven ingredients…and two of those ingredients are water and salt.

This recipe is adapted from my gluten-free sourdough pizza crust – a major winner in itself that you’ve got to try if you haven’t yet!

Here’s what you need to make gluten-free sourdough focaccia:

  • Psyllium Husk: this recipe uses whole psyllium husk to provide chew and elasticity to the bread.
  • Water: filtered is best for all things sourdough!
  • Gluten-Free Sourdugh Starter: here’s a how-to make your own gluten-free sourdough starter. It doesn’t need to be super active here, new discard works just fine, just don’t use discard that’s been sitting in your fridge or freezer for a while.
  • Starch: I like using potato, tapioca, or arrowroot starch here.
  • Gluten-Free Flours: I typically use a combination of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and/or quinoa flour here. You can also use flours like cassava, teff, buckwheat, etc. Grain and pseudograin flours tend to work best.
  • Sea Salt: for flavor!
  • Olive Oil: a must for focaccia, make sure to use a good one to drizzle all over your bread before drizzling and baking!
  • Toppings of your choice: sometimes I leave the sourdough focaccia plain, other times I press tomatoes into it, as pictured, or top with herbs…but be creative here! There’s tons of great toppings you can use for your focaccia…(see my idea list below!)

How to make gluten-free focaccia:

Full recipe is in the recipe card below!!

  1. Mix up the psyllium husk and water and give it a few minutes to let it gel up, then add the sourdough starter.
  2. While the psllyium gels, combine all of your flours and the salt.
  3. Mix the flour into the psyllium starter mixture and stir to combine. You’ll have a thick, but soft and squishy dough.
  4. Press into a well-oiled 9×9″ pan, or press into a similar sized shape on a baking sheet.
  5. Let rise for three to five hours, or until it feels light and puffy.
  6. Drizzle with olive oil and use your fingers to dimple the dough, being careful not to press too much that you deflate it.
  7. Add your toppings!
  8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and baked through.
  9. Let cool…or tear into it while it’s still warm!

The best focaccia toppings:

In case you need some inspiration, here are some of the best sourdough focaccia toppings to use! Use them alone, or pick a combination.

  • Tomatoes (slow roasted or raw)
  • Fresh or Dried Herbs
  • Cheese (vegan or regular)
  • Onions (raw or caramelized)
  • Edible Flowers
  • Your favorite seasoning blend, like everything bagel seasoning, dukkah, za’atar, etc.
  • Caramelized Onions
  • Artichoke Hearts
  • Roasted Garlic

…and so many more. Whichever you choose, I always recommend a healthy sprinkle of flaky sea salt before it goes into the oven!

Best ways to enjoy focaccia:

  • Dunk into olive oil and vinegar as an appetizer
  • Turn into gluten-free sourdough croutons
  • Serve with your favorite soup recipe
  • Use as delicious sandwich bread

Want more gluten-free sourdough goodness?

  • Gluten-Free Sourdough Bread
  • Easy Gluten-Free Sourdough Pizza Crust
  • Gluten-Free Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Gluten-Free Sourdough Scones
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Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Rising Time: 4 hours
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes
  • Yield: 9 large slices 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia Bread is a simple seven-ingredient focaccia recipe that’s made with gluten-free sourdough discard. It’s easy to make, super fluffy and soft, and absolutely delicious! Perfect for dunking in olive oil, using as sandwich bread, or making into sourdough croutons.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 20g psyllium husk (see Notes)
  • 450g filtered water, room temperature
  • 225g gluten-free sourdough starter, can be active or fresh discard (see Notes)
  • 120g starch of your choice, such as potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch
  • 215g gluten-free whole grain flours of your choice, such as quinoa flour, sorghum flour, brown rice flour, or combination. I have tested with these three.
  • 15g sea salt
  • Olive oil, for drizzling on top
  • Toppings of choice: herbs, sea flaky sea salt, tomatoes, raw or caramelized onions…be creative!

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9×9″ square baking pan with olive oil; set aside.
  2. Combine the psyllium husk and the water in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it thicken and gel up for about 5 minutes. Add in the sourdough starter and mix to combine.
  3. Add in the starch, flour, and salt. Mix until a smooth dough forms. If the dough seems sticky, let it rest for a few more minutes to let the psyllium and flours absorb.
  4. Press into your prepared pan, or press it into a similarly sized shape on a baking sheet.
  5. Let rise for 3 to 5 hours at warm room temperature, or for up to a day in the refrigerator. The dough will feel lighter and puffy when it’s ready.
  6. An hour before you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425ÂşF.
  7. When it’s fully risen, drizzle the dough with a healthy glug of olive oil and use your fingers to press dimples into the dough.
  8. Add toppings if desired, or just sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
  9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through.
  10. Let cool for 30 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire baking rack (this keeps the bottom from getting soggy). 
  11. Store at room temperature for two to three days, in the fridge for up to a week, or slice and freeze in an airtight container for up to six months.
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: sourdough, focaccia, gluten-free, sourdough starter, sourdough discard

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