Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread Recipe

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So excited for you to try this Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread!

It is the real deal!

It is thick, has crisp edges, and is soft and airy on the inside… no one will believe it’s gluten-free!

And made with lots of olive oil, rosemary, and a sprinkling of salt, it has the best flavor!

Best yet? It’s a simple recipe.

And it is naturally vegan, dairy-free, egg-free and nut free!

Real Talk

This recipe was a long time in the making!

Some recipes come easily to me, and can be shared with you after a few tests.  I always make each recipe at least 3 times before you ever see it published here, and it is tasted by an entire crew of taste testers including my family and friends.

But some recipes like the Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls or this Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread, are a labor of love, requiring lots and lots of remakes, before being deemed good enough to share with you.

I actually started testing gluten-free focaccia bread about 9 months ago when my family requested it. I got really close to one we all loved, but it wasn’t quite perfect, and I walked away from it for a bit.

My family requested I try it again early August, and this time I had much more success from the beginning, but continued to test and make small adjustments to the amount of water, baking time, oven temperature and pan size.

We all finally agree, THIS gluten-free focaccia recipe is amazing, and I hope you love it too!

How to Make Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread

You will need 8 ingredients:

gluten-free all purpose flour with xanthan gum (we use GFJules flour – affiliate link)

rapid rise yeast

baking powder

salt

olive oil

fresh rosemary

water

apple cider vinegar

As an aside, you may have noticed that we are affiliate for GFJules.  To learn more about why we love GFJules flour and why we have used it for 10 years, click here.

Bonus: at the bottom of that post is a one-time use affiliate Discount Code.

And importantly, purchasing through an affiliate link does not change your cost at all. It generates a small percentage of the sale for me, and purchasing through an affiliate link helps me fund this website and all the recipes I share, so thank you!

Back to the Gluten-Free Focaccia Recipe…

The recipe is quite simple, but requires attention to a few things not typical in our other recipes:

• Water temperature is important to activate the yeast. I use a kitchen thermometer which costs under $10 (affiliate link) and is a great add to your kitchen tools.  I didn’t have one for years but now that I do, I use it often!
• You need to plan for rising time— it’s just 30 minutes!
• I’ve only made this using a stand mixer and a hook attachment.
• The dough will be sticky so your hands can get messy when making it, but it’s worth it!

So let’s make it!

The dough comes together in 4 simple steps:

1. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix to combine.
2. Make sure your water is a 111 -112 degrees F.  I use a thermometer (affiliate link) to check, and for me it’s just hot tap water, but sometimes it requires adding the water to a liquid measuring cup and adding more hot or cold water, and taking some out until it’s the exact temperature. The temperature matters so that you activate but not destroy the yeast.  Add apple cider vinegar to the water and mix with a spoon.
3. With the paddle attachment on and the mixer running on low, add water mixture to flour mix, then add the oil and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary to just combine.
4. Then switch to the hook attachment and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Set a timer!

At this point, the dough will be sticky!

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides so that the dough forms a ball and using well oiled hands transfer the dough to wax paper and continue to form the dough into a ball using your hands, for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Oil the original mixing bowl and transfer the dough back into the bowl. Make sure the dough is lightly oiled all over and with oiled plastic wrap cover the bowl. Then cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a cupboard for 30 minutes.

Transfer the risen dough to an oiled baking pan and using your fingertips, spread the dough evenly and into the corners of the pan.

Then using your fingertips, press down gently making dimples in the dough.

Drizzle with additional olive oil, sprinkle with fresh rosemary and salt, then bake!

The focaccia bakes for a total of 55 minutes, 30 minutes uncovered, 25 minutes covered.

And you will note that for the last five minutes, I raise the oven temperature.

Once done baking, the edges will pull back from the pan a bit.  Let the baked focaccia rest for 20-25 minutes in the pan.

The center is still very hot and continuing to bake/ set even when it is out of the oven.

Then cut into squares or slices and enjoy!

And just look at the texture!

The outside is just crisp like good homemade bread, and the inside is soft, tender and airy!

All our taste testers have been going crazy for it!

It tastes like real, legitimate bread!

And the rosemary, olive oil and salt add the best flavor.

Hope you love it as much as we do!

For more Gluten-Free Bread Recipes, have you tried our:

Easy Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Easy Biscuits

Easy Savory Biscuits

Best Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls

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