This no knead Gluten Free Sourdough Focaccia is soft and chewy on the inside with golden crisp edges and a delicious robust flavor.
Some of the items linked in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission.
Y'all, I've been working on this recipe for over a year now. Not continually, but probably once a week I'd give it a go. And it would always fail me big time. I just couldn't get the rise or the texture right. But I persevered and I'm so glad I did because this focaccia BLOWS AWAY any focaccia I've ever had.
Because it's made with a sourdough starter, the inside is as soft as a cloud. But that crunch on the outside is absolutely heavenly, I can't get enough of it. And you'll love that, even though you'll need to mix the dough together, there's no kneading. Period, the end. So it's SUPER easy to make y'all, and can be stored for later (if any of it lasts that long)!
Here's what you'll need
- Kim's gluten free bread flour blend - the reason I developed my flour blends was because nothing on the market would work the way I wanted it to. The breads were always dense and heavy with no lift and no texture worth eating. It really is revolutionary and will give you the results you see in this post and video.
- Gluten free sourdough starter - if you have your own gluten free sourdough starter, great! You'll need to feed it enough so that you end up with at least 150 grams. If you have never made a sourdough starter before, please refer to my gluten free sourdough starter post for details on how to get one going. Mine is so much easier than most with no constant daily feedings and no discard (once it is established). You'll need it mature and active before you can make gluten free bread with it.
- Psyllium husks - I honestly haven't tried this particular recipe without psyllium husks, so I can't say whether it would work without them or not. If you want to try it, reduce the amount of water by at least 60 grams (you may need to reduce it even more than that).
Here's how to make sourdough focaccia
- Step 1: Combine sourdough starter, water, and psyllium husks in a mixer bowl and stir; add olive oil.
- Step 2: Add salt, sugar, and flour blend and mix for 5 minutes.
- Step 3: Scrape dough into the center of the bowl.
- Step 4: Cover and let proof until nearly doubled in size.
- Step 5: Pour olive oil onto the bottom of baking dish and tip pan so the entire bottom is covered.
- Step 6: Dump risen dough on top of olive oil.
- Step 7: Add a little more olive oil on top and use hands to spread dough out to all corners.
- Step 8: Cover and let rise until nearly doubled in size.
- Step 9: Add more olive oil, rosemary, and flake salt and dimple dough with fingers.
- Step 10: Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes, or until crusty and golden brown.
Gluten free sourdough focaccia FAQs
No, there are an infinite number of ways to top a focaccia. Rosemary and flake salt are traditional, but try roasted garlic and tomatoes or pesto and parmesan, for example.
I keep it well wrapped at room temperature for 2 days and then slice and freeze it after that. It keeps really well in the freezer and can be reheated and will taste just like it came out of the oven the first time!
Yes, by using a smaller baking pan you can make focaccia that is up to 2-3 inches thick! You will need to add baking time onto the original time and may need to tent the top with foil if it's browning too quickly.
More gluten free sourdough options
- Gluten free sourdough sandwich bread
- Best ever gluten free sourdough bread
- Gluten free sourdough soft pretzel recipe
- Gluten free sourdough English muffins
- Same day gluten free sourdough
- Gluten free sourdough pizza crust
- Gluten free cranberry walnut sourdough
- Gluten free sourdough cinnamon rolls with brown butter
Pillow soft and fluffy on the inside with an outside crust that you'd swear is fried, Gluten Free Sourdough Focaccia is an addictive flatbread. It can be eaten alone, dipped in an herby olive oil, or cut in half and made into sandwiches.
Gluten Free Sourdough Focaccia
Ingredients
- 465 grams warm water (between 95-110°F)
- 150 grams gluten free sourdough starter (active and bubbly--see below)
- 19 grams whole psyllium husks (or 16g of psyllium husk powder)
- 42 grams olive oil
- 29 grams granulated sugar
- 378 grams Kim's gluten free bread flour blend
- 12 grams kosher salt
Coating and topping
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoon (90g) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- ½ teaspoon flake salt (or kosher salt)
Instructions
- Several hours before starting, remove your gluten free sourdough starter from the fridge and feed it with at least 50 grams each of a gluten free wholegrain flour (see the sourdough starter post for options) and 50 grams of water. Stir, replace the lid, and let sit at room temperature until nearly doubled in size. Depending on your environment, this could take anywhere from a few hours up to 8.
- Add the warm water, sourdough starter, and psyllium husks to the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl). Stir and add the remaining ingredients in the order in which they're listed. Using the dough hook, knead the dough for 5 minutes (or use a Danish dough whisk or handheld mixer to vigorously mix the dough until it is smooth, stretchy, and homogenous).
- Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl, cover, and let proof until nearly doubled in size. This could take anywhere from 2 hours to 8, but you can speed up the proofing by placing the dough in a warm, draft-free area to proof.
- When risen, coat the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (make sure it can go in a very hot oven) with most of the olive oil (reserving a few tablespoons for the top).
- Dump dough out into the prepared pan and add the rest of the olive oil on top. Using your hands, spread the dough out to fit the size of the pan in an even layer. Cover and let proof until nearly doubled in size. Again, this time varies so please go by the look and height of the dough and not the time frame).
- When dough is almost fully risen, preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Remove the cover and, if necessary, add more olive to the top, along with rosemary and flake salt (or any other toppings of choice). Dimple the dough with your fingers, touching all the way to the bottom of the pan as you go. Don't overdo it though. Only one pass-through from one end to the other is necessary. Any more and you'll likely deflate the dough.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown and crusty. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the focaccia from the pan and place it on a wire rack to cool before cutting and serving.
Christopher says
I made your other focaccia recipe for Thanksgiving and it was amazing. I'm surprised this one is so different--milk and butter in the other vs. water and psyllium husks in this one. Does that have to do with this one being sourdough or is it just a different approach?
Kim says
More of a different approach. I wanted it to be a little different than the original yeasted one.
Christopher says
Thanks! I tried it out last night and it came out pretty good. One thing I noticed is that it rose really well in the oven, maybe doubling in height. When I took it out and was getting it out of the pan (it stuck in a few spots), it seemed to deflate to about half its height (and soak up the remaining oil in the pan). Not sure if that's expected or maybe I did something wrong. Still tastes great but I was hoping for that tall puffy crumb.
Kim says
That usually indicates over proofing. Try to cut your proofing time a little bit next time and see if that helps.
Monica Hartz says
This was unbelievable! I have been on the struggle bus in the GF Sourdough and this has given me hope!!!!!! Thank you!
David says
Yet another fantastic recipe. I baked this today and the flavour and texture are superb. I remember making the version using commercial yeast ages ago, but this seems far superior. In case anyone else is like me and finds it impossible to get hold of super fine rice flour, I’ve been having success replacing it with equal thirds of sorghum, millet and buckwheat. I seem to be able to get a good rise and soft texture this way.