Gluten Free Focaccia Bread

Ingredients

• 110 g white basmati rice
• 110 g brown rice 
or red rice
• 110 g dried chickpeas
• 55 g almonds
• 30 g whey, kefir, yoghurt or 15 g cider vinegar
• 370 g water
• 55 g potato flour or potato starch or cornflour (corn starch)
• 1½ tsp xanthum gum
• 1½ level tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp honey or unrefined cane sugar
• 1½ tsp instant yeast (or 1 x 7 g sachet)
• 50 g olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling

Optional toppings

• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary needles
• grated zest of ½ lemon
• 50 g green or black olives, halved, stones removed
• sun-dried tomatoes, cut in pieces
• roasted garlic, peeled
• ½-1 tsp sea salt flakes, e.g. Maldon

Method

1. Grind basmati rice, brown rice and chickpeas 2 min/speed 10.
2. Add almonds and grind 30 sec/speed 10.
3. Scrape down sides and base of TM bowl with TM spatula, add 270 g water and 30 g whey then mix 20 sec/speed 3; transfer to a bowl and cover bowl with a plate (or leave in your covered TM bowl if you don’t need it for something else) and set aside 6 hours or overnight.
4. Add potato flour, xanthum gum, sea salt, honey, yeast, 50 g olive oil and remaining 100 g water, then mix 20 sec/speed 5.
5. Grease a 20×30 cm baking tray with olive oil, spread dough evenly on tray using TM spatula dipped in water. Set aside to rise in a warm place 30-60 minutes or until dough looks a bit puffy and slightly risen; meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 7.
6. Sprinkle dough with one or more toppings if using. Dip your fingertips in water then press into dough all over to make little dimples – this creates the traditional appearance of focaccia, and if you’re using toppings it helps them stick to the dough.
7. Drizzle top of focaccia with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt flakes, then bake 20-25 minutes until golden with browned, crispy edges. Aga ovens: bake 18-23 minutes on rack on floor of roasting oven.
8. Remove from baking tray and immediately check if fully baked by tapping gently on underside of bread with your knuckles – it should sound hollow; if not, return to oven for a few more minutes to finish baking. Allow to cool on a wire rack then cut or tear into chunks and serve.

Janie’s Tips

1. This is a very flexible recipe – if you’re in a hurry, feel free to replace some or all of the rice and chickpeas with a bought variety of GF bread flour such as Doves Farm (in UK), however it does taste best when you grind the flour fresh.
2. Freeze leftovers for up to 1 month. Refresh in a hot oven until hot through, then cool on a wire rack and serve.
3. This recipe is gluten free (GF) – please read ingredient labels to ensure all your ingredients are gluten free.
4. For dairy free (DF) use cider vinegar instead of whey – please read ingredient labels to ensure all your ingredients are dairy free.
5. This recipe is vegetarian.
6. For vegan use unrefined cane sugar instead of honey.

Links

• See more about Sally Fallon Morrell
• See more about Lesley Collins
• See Adriana Rabinovich’s books