Easy Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread
This Easy Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread Recipe has just eight ingredients and the dough comes together quickly and easily! This fluffy focaccia can be made with a wide variety of toppings and is ready in under two hours, including the rise time. Vegan & Top-8 allergen-free.
Looking for a sourdough version? Try this Easy Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia!
Fluffy, delicious, gluten-free bread that you can tear into while it’s still warm and is ready in under two hours…dreams do come true!!! This focaccia is the manifestation of all my gluten-free bread baking dreams. Focaccia, with all of it’s olive oil-y goodness and it’s ability to transform based on the toppings you choose, is one of the best kinds of bread, in my opinion. Whether it’s dipped in more olive oil and balsamic, used as toast or sandwich bread, or served with pasta, it’s always a winner, and this recipe seriously makes me swoon.
If you like this recipe, you’ll want to check out all of my delicious gluten-free bread recipes!
Ingredients for gluten-free focaccia
- Yeast & Sweetener: yeast is used to help the bread rise, and the sweetener is used to help feed the yeast and make it active.
- Psyllium Husk: this is used to help bind the dough and make it easily workable. It also adds a nice chewy texture to the focaccia.
- Starch & Whole Grain Gluten-Free Flours: the combination of starch, like potato starch or tapioca starch, plus gluten-free whole grain flours, like brown rice flour, sorghum flour, quinoa flour, etc. create a wonderful flavor and texture for the dough and bread.
- Olive Oil: no focaccia is complete without olive oil! We use a generous amount in the pan and on top of the dough before it goes into the oven.
How to make gluten-free focaccia bread
Step 1. Activate the yeast by mixing it with warm water and the sweetener of your choice. It should get bubbly after a few minutes.
Step 2. Mix together the psyllium and water and let it sit to form a gel while you mix the flours.
Step 3. Combine the starch & whole grain flours with the salt in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Step 4. Mix the yeast and psyllium mixtures into the flour and stir to completely incorporate. Use a scraper to ensure that all of the flour is completely hydrated.
Step 5. Spread the dough into an oiled pan and let it rise for one hour, until puffy.
Step 6. Cover with oil and dimple with your fingers. Add your toppings now too, if using!
Step 7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. You’ll want to remove it from the pan as soon as you can without burning yourself to prevent the bottom from getting soggy at all.
Step 8. Serve, and enjoy!! The most important step :)
Topping ideas
This is a great time to be creative, and if you search Instagram or Pinterest, you’ll find a TON of ideas, but here are a few to get you started! And of course, simple with just a little flaky sea salt is always great too :)
- Sliced shallots (what I used in the photos) or onions
- Fresh or dried rosemary, or other herbs
- Tomatoes, sliced, or cherry tomatoes
- Roasted garlic
- Roasted red peppers
- Marinated artichoke hearts
Tips for the best gluten-free focaccia
- Make sure your ingredients are fresh, especially the yeast! If your yeast is old, it won’t activate as well and your bread won’t rise as much.
- Use the correct water temperature to activate your yeast. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast, and if it isn’t hot enough, it won’t activate. The right temperature should be warm enough that you can hold a finger in the water without it burning you, but should still feel warm/hot to the touch.
- Use a baking scale! I don’t really give you a choice here, since I list all of the ingredients in grams, and it’s for a good reason. Baking by weight will give you much more consistent results.
How to serve focaccia
I love serving this warm from the oven with an olive oil dipping sauce. You can add in herbs, like oregano, rosemary, and thyme, along with chili flakes if you want a little bit of heat. Balsamic vinegar is great in this mix too.
You can also use this focaccia as sandwich bread, serve it with a marinara sauce for dipping, serve it alongside pasta, salad, or any other Italian-style dinner, or just use it as you would use any other toast. It makes great garlic bread or gluten-free croutons, too!
How to store focaccia
- Room temperature: store in an airtight container for up to two days.
- In the fridge: in an airtight container for up to a week.
- In the freezer: slice and freeze in an airtight container for up to six months.
To reheat: to refresh the focaccia, whether kept at room temperature or in the freezer, place the bread into a 400℉ oven and heat until crisp and warm for about 5 minutes.
You may need…
More gluten-free bread recipes to try
- Homemade Gluten-Free Bread
- The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
- Gluten-Free Bagels
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread
- Easy Gluten-Free Sourdough Focaccia
Easy Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rise Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 9 pieces
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Easy Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread Recipe has just eight ingredients and the dough comes together quickly and easily! This fluffy focaccia can be made with a wide variety of toppings and is ready in under two hours, including the rise time. Vegan & Top-8 allergen-free.
You’ll need a good kitchen scale for this recipe for the most delicious and consistent results!
Ingredients
To activate the yeast
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7g (2.5 tsp) active dry yeast
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100g warm filtered water
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20g maple syrup, honey or cane sugar
For the loaf
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12g whole psyllium husk
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275g filtered water, room temperature
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80g starch of your choice, such as potato starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch
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220g gluten-free whole grain flours of your choice, such as a combination of sorghum flour, brown rice flour, quinoa flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour, etc.
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10g sea salt
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Olive oil
Instructions
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Grease a 9×9″ square baking pan with a generous amount of olive oil; set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine the yeast with the sweetener of your choice and warm water, between 100-110℉. It should feel very warm, but not too hot, to the touch. Let it sit to activate for about 10 to 15 minutes. You should notice it start to to bubble, and then it will get nice and foamy on top.
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Combine the psyllium husk and the water in a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Let it thicken and gel up for about 5 minutes.
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In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the starch, flour, and salt. Add in the activated yeast mixture and thickened psyllium gel mixture. Mix until a smooth dough forms, making sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom to make sure all of the flour is hydrated. If the dough seems sticky, let it rest for a few more minutes to let the psyllium and flours absorb.
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Press into your prepared baking dish, or press it into a similarly sized shape on a baking sheet.
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Let rise for 1 hour at warm room temperature. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 425ºF. The dough will feel lighter and puffy when it’s ready.
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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.
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Add toppings if desired, or just sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
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Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and baked through.
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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). You can also serve this one while it’s still warm – it’s so delicious that way!
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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.
WOW! I was BEYOND excited to try this recipe and boy was it even more tasty than I could have imagined. The recipe is incredibly easy to follow and having all the ingredients on hand from making the gluten free bread recipe made it even more convenient to make! It will definitely become a new staple in our house!
Woohooo!! So glad you’re loving it, Brenna :)
I made this focaccia bread with rosemary and ohh God. It is really delicious. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside!!
So glad you’re loving it :D
Just made this focaccia bread! Rachel, you are truly a master with your craft! So delicious!!! Thank you!!!!
Thank you!!! So happy you love it :)
Can’t wait to try it. Could I use psyllium powder if I only used 80% of the required amount?
That should work, but I haven’t tested it that way so I can’t make any guarantees!
Hi Marge. Wondering how the psyllium powder worked out for you? That’s what I have in hand as well. Glad I saw your comment or I wouldnt have even noticed that the recipe calls for the while husk.
I’m not sure if she’ll see this, but others have let me know that it works with about 80% of the called-for amount if you’re using the powder!
I used psyllium powder when I made this and it turned out great! I just measured the same weight it called for in grams…I didn’t bother reducing it either.
So glad you enjoyed it – thanks for sharing how it worked with the psyllium powder!
You bet! It’s a fabulous recipe. In fact, I am cooking for a women’s retreat this week…and I hope to make it for them!
I love that!! Hope it’s an incredible experience all around :)
Thank you. I’m going to give it a try and will let you know if it works or not.
Please do! Hope it works perfectly :)
If I wanted to add rosemary or other herbs on top, do I do it prior to baking or after? Thanks!
You’ll add them before baking when you put on the olive oil! You can also mix them into the dough if you prefer.
I often make focaccia with regular flour and thought I’d try this recipe. This is definitely going to be a keeper for me. I modified a bit and put in muffin tins (olive oil coated) turned the dough around in each tin and let it rise. After about an hour, I pressed in more olive oil and sprinkled with rosemary, salt (you can other whatever spice you want but next time I might add chopped cherry tomato). I did let it rise some more while the oven was heating up. I was able to make 12 focaccia muffins with this recipe. Traditionally, focaccia is made with mashed potato mixed into the dough so I might try that next. Thanks for a great focaccia recipe variation – they were a hit.
So glad you loved it, and love that you made them mini with the muffin tin! I’ll definitely have to try that. Thank you so much for sharing the feedback, Angela!
Absolutely delicious. I’ve made it 3 times already, and taught my non-baker husband to make it too, it’s so easy! I love how customizable it is – each time I use a different mix of flours, including grain free ones in the mix such as almond, coconut and plantain. This recipe works especially well with cassava flour, for those looking for a grain free alternative. Thanks for all your excellent recipes!
So glad you’re loving it, Sharon! Thanks so much for the helpful review.
what amounts did you use for the flours and how much of each? also, which starch did you use and how much?
Thank you.
I’ve done a ton of different combos and they’ve all worked well! I do half and half potato starch and tapioca starch most of the time. For the grain flours, I’ve done a lot but half sorghum and half rice flour works well.
The water added for the yeast and the psyllium. How much for each?
It’s listed with each of them in the ingredients list – 100g for the yeast, 275g for the psyllium.
Thx for your very prompt reply. I missed the first water amount on the list. I’m highly dairy allergic and gluten sensitive. Most of the readymades available taste like cardboard, and many recipes are unreliable regardless of ingredients listed. Your recipes are a godsend. Thank you so much.
I’m so glad to hear my recipes have been helpful for you, Rita!! I hope you love this one, and all the others you try.
Error on rating.
Great recipe, worked perfectly! Nice crispy crust, soft inside yum!
Woohoo! So glad you’re enjoying it, Anita.
I became pretty good at the gf sourdough focaccia, but haven’t had time to keep up the starter. This recipe was PERFECT! Perfect texture, great flavor, a huge hit in my house. And it was so easy and quick to throw together. Being able to eat it while it’s still warm was a big plus. Thank you for another wonderful gf recipe that makes me feel like I’m eating real bread! ❤️
I’m SO happy to hear that!! Definitely makes it easier not to need to maintain the starter all the time. Thanks so much for your feedback, Jennifer!
Hi! I’m wondering if I can do a swap for the psyllium husk? Anything else I might have in my cupboard? Thanks!
Unfortunately in most gluten-free bread recipes, psyllium doesn’t have a good substitute. Its unique characteristics are what make the dough workable and what makes the bread chewy. Without it, the dough will be thinner and won’t turn out the same. I recommend buying a bag if you think you’ll be making GF bread with any kind of frequency. It lasts forever and will make your bread so much better!
I made this into pizza and the texture is amazing!! Taste is spectacular, you’d never know it’s GF! Wow! Another major win! Super easy anyone can make this!
Yes, I just made it as pizza recently too! So glad you love it!! :D
I haven’t tried this yet but definitely will. I was thinking to make a pizza wouldn’t it be way too thick for a base almost cake like for pizza or would you half it ???
Follow the instructions for my sourdough pizza once the dough is made but with a quicker one hour rise time!
Hey, I was planning on making this recipe tomorrow but I only have sorghum flour and teff. Would those 2 work together in this recipe? I also only have white rice flour and not brown, would that work instead? If I can’t, I will just wait until I have the right mix of flours because I really want this to work. The comments are amazing and I’m hoping it’ll work me aswell.
Hi Holly, yes you can use different whole grain flours, but I don’t recommend eliminating the starch, which provides a lot of light fluffiness to the focaccia.
Rachel, my family is in love with this bread. My husband told me if I hadn’t made it myself he would not have believed it was gluten free. I used the VitaCost flour blend you mentioned on IG and it worked great. I never got around to sour dough so I am extremely appreciative of other bread recipes.
I’m so so glad you and your family are loving it, Ellen!! :)
I’m so sorry but I’m a little confused with the flours. Up to how many flours should we use? Two different ones, three, or four? And each are 220g correct? I didn’t think it was that clear. THank you for these recipes and helping so many people go gluten free and still have options ☺️
Hi Cara, sorry for any confusion! You’ll be using a total of 220g of flour, and within that, you can do a combination of your favorites, such as 110g sorghum flour and 110g brown rice flour, or 100g sorghum, 70g brown rice, and 50g millet. I hope that makes sense, and I hope you love the recipe!!
what are the measurements in cups here? I tried converted it but I might have failed.. considered my bread came out a little bit undercooked inside and way poofy.. really good first attempt tho.
For gf baking you need to weigh the ingredients as that will give you a more accurate result. Most of the starches used here are powdery and light and measuring wont give you accurate results. If you.plan on baking gf, amazon has many scales under $10. Great investment, you will.use it tons!
Focaccia bread has always been one of my favorites, but I haven’t been able to eat it since I started eating gluten-free… until now! Bakerita strikes again! Honestly, this recipe is so good, you can’t even tell by look, taste, or texture that it’s gluten/free! This is the best! I made it for a group tonight and everyone loved it. Thank you so much for this recipe, Rachel!
I’m sooo glad it was a hit, Ginny! What a compliment :) hope you enjoy a variety of focaccia flavors & toppings in your future!
I’m obsessed with this recipe! I’ve made it multiple times; pizza has been my favorite iteration. I’d love to make the dough ahead and freeze it…wondering if you’ve tried this and if it would work? I’d love to stock my freezer for easy pizza nights.
So glad you love it!! I haven’t tried freezing the dough before baking, but I have frozen it after baking, and that works great. If you want to freeze the dough, take a peek at this article – it has some great tips about how to do it successfully :)
This is a terrific recipe! Thank you. I’m excited to experiment with different flavors in the oil.
So glad you’re loving it, Kim!
Such a delicious addition to our GF repertoire. Thanks for the recipe! My GF son is thrilled, but the whole family really enjoyed it. A nice treat to enjoy with soups and chili this winter.
So glad the whole fam is loving it. Thanks for the feedback, Heather!
Would this recipe work with a bean based flour (chickpea)? I run a GF Indian fusion restaurant and it’d amazing to do something of that sort!! I guess I’ll just have to try!
Hi Deepak, I haven’t tried it so I couldn’t say for sure either way but I’d guess it would likely work for at least part of the flour blend :) sounds delicious!
Had anyone tried to make this with a premade flour mix like Bob red mill 1:1?
Hi Lulu, this recipe has been formulated without gums so unfortunately it may mess with the texture a bit – I use my own homemade GF bread flour blend for this though, and that works great!
This bread is so delicious! My family loved it and could not believe it was gluten free.
So glad you’re loving it, Trishia!
I thought that your gluten free bagels were pretty easy, but this was even easier. I used about half sprouted brown rice flour and half sorghum flour. I chose potato starch for my starch. I think the sprouted flour might have a different hydration requirement because the dough was pretty wet. I added in 1/4 cup of white rice flour and it was perfect. My husband gives this a 6 stars out of 5 and says he could eat it all day long. Thanks for a great and flexible recipe.
So glad it’s a hit!! Thank so much for the feedback :)
Delicious! Perfect every time, even when I forgot to mix the psyllium with the water. I accidentally measured it into the flour and decided to just go with it. Still came out perfect (let it sit on the mixing bowl for a few minutes to hydrate). Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
So glad to hear it, Barb! Thanks so much for the feedback.
How many gm of psyllium powder instead of psyllium husk?
You’ll want to use about 9g of powder.
Thank you
This turned out incredible! My first successful attempt at gluten free bread! Crispy outside and soft inside.
How do you store it at room temp? Paper bag?
So glad you’re loving it! A paper bags works well to store at room temp, or you can keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
Oh My Goodness!!! This is the most amazing GF baked product I’ve ever eaten FINALLY a GF bread that’s delicious, and still soft the next day. Thank you much, off to devour the rest of your website now and do some more baking.
So glad you loved it, Cath! Star ratings are super helpful for future reviews so folks know what you’d score the recipe :) thanks so much for the feedback!
Sorry! In my excitement I forgot to give it 5 stars ⭐️
Oh no worries, thanks so much Cath!! :)
what can i replace yeast with and how much? can i also replace tapioca starch w tapioca flour (i still have a full bag of it)?
thanks
Hi Nelin, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same things, so they’re interchangeable. Different brands name it differently. Unfortunately you can’t replace the yeast since that’s what makes the bread rise, but if you have a sourdough starter, you can make my sourdough focaccia recipe.
intolerant to yeast, gluten, oats, dairy and eggs. so sourdough wont work sadly. do you have any recipes that would fit my needs? thanks much.
Hi Nelin, my gluten-free sourdough recipe contains none of those items – is there another reason sourdough won’t work? Unfortunately, I don’t have any bread recipes that don’t contain either sourdough or yeast to help them rise.
First and foremost, thank you for the wonderful recipe! I’ve been making this bread weekly for my son to use for sandwiches. Our whole family loves it! Just had a quick question – since I have it on hand, wondering if Cassava flour would be a good one to mix in with some of the others you’ve listed? Wanted to ask before I took it upon myself to ruin your fantastic recipe, lol.
Hi Sharon, yes cassava flour works great as one of the whole grain flours in this recipe. So glad you and your family are enjoying it :) happy baking!
Delicious! I took a chance and just used 300 g. of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, then added 20 g. more when the dough was too sticky. Hands down the best focaccia I’ve ever made – I got so much rise! Topped with sour cherries, rosemary, and salt flakes.
Sooo glad you’re loving it Laura, and good to know it works with that flour! Your toppings sound amazing too :D
Hi Rachel, Your tips are phenomenal!! I wondered if I can put toppings like a regular pizza on this foccacia. Or should I bake it first then top it. I have a nice spinach mixture and would like to add that with mozzarella and feta on top.
Hi Eileen, I recommend baking about halfway before adding toppings so the toppings don’t weight the dough down and make it heavy. It’s so delicious with pizza toppings – one of my favorite things to do with this recipe. Your spinach feta sitation sounds delicious, enjoy!
amazing and so quick and easy to make. making a double batch and freezing some for later :)
So glad you’re loving it, Merle!
This is phenomenal!!!! Passed the bread lover hubby test too! So easy to make too.
So glad you’re loving it, Deb!! One of my favorites, too :)
This recipe is outstanding. A huge hit in my household, both the easiest and best GF bread I have made. I recently saw an Instagram video of someone using a muffin tin to make focaccia rolls, which I was thinking would be great for thanksgiving. Do you have thoughts on whether that would work for this recipe? Might need to double it.
Hi Lindsay, that should definitely work for this recipe, just grease the pan well and adjust baking time accordingly. So glad you’re loving it!
This is a delicious focaccia recipe I’m sure I’ll make often. I do find that I don’t get as high a bread as your pictures – even though my yeast is quite alive and the dough rises nicely during proofing. I’m wondering if you made it in an 8” pan instead of 9”. I would love to get it a higher.
Hi Bonnie, I do generally use my 9×9 pan but you can definitely use an 8×8 pan to get a higher rise!
Made this recipe when I blended it with another recipe for stuffing foccacia. It was sooooooo good. The texture was amazing. This is going on repeat. Thank you!
Sounds amazing, thanks for the feedback, K!
Thank you for this recipe! I have been making gf rustic boules and loaves for 3 years and this is the most reliable, predictable and delicious bake. I generally make it with sea salt only and slice for toast and sandwiches.
Thanks for the helpful review, Larry! So glad you’re enjoying this recipe.
If using a premade flour blend (ie Vitacost), how much should be added?
You’ll use the total of all the flours/starches called for. 300g in this recipe!
Hi
Can I use instant yeast instead of active one? Thanks!
Hi Mariana, yes you can – just add it to the dry ingredients instead of activating it separately!
Can I use all Sorghum Flour, instead of a combination?
You can use it for all of the grain flour, but you’ll still want to use some kind of starch for lightness.
I have made this several times and just love it! 2 questions:
Rachel what is your preferred flour combo
and
When making it into pizza, do you simply add sauce and a topping and bake?
Many thanks,
Jessica
Hi Jessica, I vary my flours a lot but I love sorghum, millet, and/or superfine rice flours for this one. For pizza, I recommend following the instructions in my gluten-free pizza recipe :)
This was absolutely delicious! Everyone (coeliacs and non-coeliacs) loved it. Amazing sourdough-like texture. For the main flour I used a mix of: 1/2 buckwheat flour, 1/4 rice flour and 1/4 Orgran (Australian brand) gluten-free plain flour.
For the starch component I used tapioca flour.
So glad it was a hit, thanks so much for the feedback!
Hiya, would it be possible to use my active starter instead of yeast do you think? If so, would you know how much to use? Thanks!
Hi Issy, sounds like you’re looking for my sourdough focaccia recipe :) enjoy!
Have you tried making this dough ahead of time, letting it rise, then refrigerating overnight to bake the next day? I am curious to prep that <3
Thanks!
I would recommend refrigerating it before the rise and then letting it come to room temp before baking! Some people like to bake straight from the fridge too.
I just tried this recipe a few times both times with different flours. But its doughy and gummy. Is this because of the psyllium husk? Has anyone else experienced this? If so how can I correct this. I am new to Gluten Free Baking so not sure if its supposed to be like that. If so, why would anyone enjoy this.? Would xantham gum be better to use?
Hi Rachael, psyllium husk is necessary to keep the dough together and workable, but you could try reducing it slightly if you’d like to experiment. Which flours are you using? Is it rising and baking long enough? An underproofed and/or underbaked loaf will be both sticky and gummy. It’s definitely not supposed to be doughy and gummy – this recipe frequently gets rave reviews from people who still eat gluten when I make it!