Of all the foods we crave on a gluten-free diet, bread is always at the top of the list.
Focaccia Flatbread is a quick, easy bread with loads of flavor.
We gluten-free folks really love our bread! But many of us assume that there isn’t time to bake bread when we barely have time to get dinner on the table… let alone fuss with yeast and rising, etc.
But there’s something special about baking your own bread… the aroma, the hands-on feel, the pride in serving something you made yourself. Plus, you have complete control over what goes into it and how it looks.
Help is on the way!
I wrote my latest cookbook, 100 Best Quick Gluten-Free Recipes, to help you if you want to cook your own food at home but have limited time. So throughout the book, the recipes illustrate several principles to shave precious time from meal preparation.
Help Heat Penetrate More Quickly in Baking
One of these principles is to bake the item in a manner that allows the heat to penetrate more quickly to the center, thus baking the contents faster. This works beautifully with bread dough. Here’s how it works:
Try My Focaccia Flatbread
Focaccia is one of my most popular recipes because it is virtually fail-proof and extremely tasty because it is studded with flavorful Italian herbs. But the traditional version requires mixing, then rising, and then baking… which can take far more time than a busy cook can spare. So, I applied the principle of baking it so the heat penetrates more quickly. In this case, instead of baking it in a 7×11-inch pan I spread the batter more thinly in a 9×13-inch pan…producing more of a flatbread because it is somewhat thinner, but still packs that lovely Italian Focaccia flavor.
Start Bread Dough to Bake in a Cold Oven
The second technique—which applies only to certain sizes of yeast breads—is to start the flatbread dough to bake in a cold oven. I know this defies everything we know about baking bread. But, trust me, it works beautifully in my KitchenAid oven and should work in yours….unless it is a gas oven or a quick-pre-heat type. Then, do the usual rising of the dough in a room-temperature place until the dough is doubled and then bake in a preheated oven.
Why does a cold-oven start work? For thin or small loaves (such as French baguettes, breadsticks, pizza, and this focaccia) the bread rises as the oven preheats which shaves significant time. It works in these smaller, thinner breads because the heat can get to the center more quickly and it still browns the crust very nicely. It DOES NOT work with standard-size loaves of bread such as 4×8-inch or 5×9-inch pans because there is simply too much mass (bread dough).
Give This Flavorful Bread a Try
Imagine serving this flatbread with an Italian spaghetti dinner or lasagna; it is the perfect complement to a quick dinner. See the recipe headnote on preparing the dough ahead. Or, speed things up by pre-measuring the dry ingredients the night before so you can mix the dough right away when you start preparing dinner. Prepare the remainder of the meal while the Focaccia bakes. Enjoy!
Carol’s new book in stores October 7.
Focaccia Flatbread
Reprinted with permission from 100 Best Quick Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Fenster (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)
Focaccia is a cross between flatbread and pizza. Here, it is spread in an ultra-thin layer for a shorter baking time. Or, make the dough up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake—but be sure to use cold milk and eggs. This bread is delicious dipped in extra-virgin olive oil—just like they do in restaurants.
Focaccia
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup warm (110°⁰F) milk of choice
1 1/2 cups Carol’s Sorghum Blend (see below)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed in your palm
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Topping
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese or soy Parmesan, for garnish (or use shaved Parmesan)
[1] Make the flatbread: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk. Set aside to foam for 5 minutes. Generously grease a 9×13-inch nonstick pan (gray, not black).
[2] Whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, rosemary, salt, and onion powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast-milk mixture, the eggs, olive oil, and vinegar and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the dough thickens, about 1 minute. The dough will be soft and very sticky.
[3] Transfer the dough to the pan and smooth the top with a wet spatula into a thin layer. Sprinkle with the topping ingredients: the olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, and Parmesan cheese.
[4] Place the pan on the middle rack of a cold oven. Turn the oven to 400°⁰F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top of the bread is lightly browned. To serve, cut into squares or tear into pieces while still slightly warm. (Or, to serve to a group place the pieces on a platter and garnish with arugula, as in the photo.)
STORAGE: Store leftover flatbread at room temperature, tightly wrapped in aluminum foil, for up to 2two days. Then freeze in the foil for up to 1one month. Thaw at room temperature in the foil and, if desired, reheat on Low power in the microwave oven in 10-second increments.
Makes 10 servings; per serving: 110 calories; 3 g protein; 3g total fat; 1g fiber; 19 grams carbohydrates; 38 mgs cholesterol; 181 mgs sodium
Carol’s Sorghum Blend
1 ½ cups sorghum flour (or brown rice flour)
1 ½ cups potato starch (not potato flour)
1 cup tapioca flour/starch
Whisk together until thoroughly combined and store, tightly closed, in a dark, dry place.
