How To Bake Better Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread

Among the classic Italian breads, focaccia bread is one of the easiest to replicate at home. Requiring just flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil, it's easy to whip up in just a couple of hours. But despite its simplicity, focaccia always looks impressive, especially if you go all out and decorate it with some vegetable garden art or another elaborate veggie-centric masterpiece. You can customize focaccia beyond toppings, too: For example, it's totally possible to bake a gluten-free focaccia so everyone can enjoy your homemade soft and salty bread. All you need is a one-to-one gluten-free flour blend and a bit of baking powder to make sure it doesn't (literally) fall flat.

When making a gluten-free focaccia, there's no need to scour the internet for a brand new, gluten-free-specific recipe. Because you'll use a one-to-one gluten-free flour blend, you can swap it exactly for the traditional all-purpose flour our easy homemade focaccia recipe uses. When it comes to a high-quality flour swap, we like Bob's Red Mill One-to-One Baking Flour. This is our pick because the blend includes xanthan gum, which will help keep your focaccia nice and intact. In addition to a good quality gluten-free flour, you'll want to add a teaspoon or two of baking powder to give the focaccia a bit of extra help rising. Beyond those swaps you can abide by the base recipe for a traditional focaccia — don't omit the yeast, salt, olive oil, water, or olive oil.

Whether you decide to keep things simple with some flaky salt or add a kick with roasted garlic or rosemary, your gluten-free focaccia is bound to mingle well with a variety of different flavors and foods. Perhaps the most obvious food to pair this Italian classic with is soup. This is a way to truly make your focaccia stand out. With soup, focaccia is not just being served as an appetizer; it's part of the meal itself. A creamy soup allows you to combine flavors seamlessly to get the best of both worlds. Our carrot ginger soup recipe, which is full of delectable subtleties, requires an immersion blender to achieve a rich, smooth texture. Just make sure you go for a gluten-free vegetable stock.

If you'd rather let your gluten-free focaccia be a simple accompaniment to your meal, plenty of gluten-free entrees would benefit from your homemade bread. Bruschetta-style baked salmon is one of our top picks. This recipe combines some typical Italian ingredients from a tangy balsamic vinegar reduction to chopped cherry tomatoes and plenty of basil. Focaccia on the table will bring this whole meal together, acting as a tasteful palate cleanser and a stand-alone delight.