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Gluten Free Olive and Rosemary Focaccia with Loaded Dipping Sauce

This gluten free bread will fool everyone. Perfect crisp crust, fluffy interior, and holds up even days later. All it needs is the perfect dipping sauce. This is it! Serve as a first course, on the side of pasta with a salad, or midnight snack!
Course Baking
Cuisine Italian
Keyword bread, dipping sauce, focaccia, olive oil, olives
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Proofing Time 1 hour
Servings 6

Ingredients

Gluten Free Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

  • 2 1/4 cups gluten free 1:1 flour, I recommend Cup4Cup, but have also used BRM with good results, about 300g (different flour blends will weigh differently)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, if using sea salt, use less, it is stronger
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 pkg instant rise or active dry yeast 7 grams or 1/4 oz.
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup sliced pitted brined or cured olives
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
  • flakey Maldon salt, how much you use will depend on the olives you use, taste to see how salty they are first
  • crack black pepper, optional

Loaded Dipping Sauce

  • 1/2 tbsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 3 cloves garlic minced, can use 1 tsp of garlic powder if you want
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, feel free to replace with 1 tbsp of white balsamic vinegar
  • kosher salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.
  2. Warm your water in a kettle or on the stovetop until it’s warm but not hot. (Ideally, the temperature should be between 110-120 degrees F, but you can use the touch test to tell if it’s ok. Can you put your finger in it comfortably for several seconds, then that's good, need to take it out after a few seconds, too hot)
  3. Add the yeast, honey, and 2 Tbsp olive oil to the warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Stir to combine. Let it bloom by resting it for for 3-5 minutes. (the top will have a foam forming)
  4. Pour the water/yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. There is no need to knead. There is no gluten to develop! Smooth it out gently.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and set it to rise in a warm place. It should take at least 30 minutes if using rapid rise yeast, and about an hour if you use regular yeast. The dough should roughly double in size.

  6. At the same time, preheat the oven to 425F. (you want the oven nice and hot, not just hitting 425F as the bread is ready to go in)

  7. Drizzle the bottom and sides of a 10 inch cast iron pan with remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil. If you don't have a cast iron pan, feel free to use a metal baking sheet. But then line the sheet with parchment paper first. Then oil.

  8. Pour the batter out onto the prepared baking sheet and gently press out using your fingers. If you are using a baking sheet, press it into a rectangle shape (roughly 8×10″ or so) about 3/4 of an inch thick.
  9. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the surface of the dough (about 2 tsp) Spread it out and then use your fingers to gently poke several holes in the dough all the way to the bottom of the pan to form the characteristic dimples of focaccia.

  10. Push the sliced olives into the dimples. Scatter the rosemary, salt and pepper evenly over everything.

  11. Place the pan into the oven and immediately drop the temperature to 400F.
  12. Bake until golden brown, and firm 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed up. Remove from oven and let cool at least 30 minutes before slicing and eating. Cutting into it too soon will cause the fluffy bubbles to deflate and turn the bread gummy. A good serrated knife is best for cutting bread.
  13. To re-heat leftovers, preheat the oven or toaster oven to 375F. When it has come to temperature, sprinkle the remaining focaccia slices with water, on all sides, and immediately place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Place in the oven. The heat hitting the water droplets will create instant steam, getting the crust to firm up and allowing the interior to fluff up. This should take about 7-8 minutes. Keep and eye on them though, to avoid any scorching.

Loaded Dipping Sauce

  1. Place all the spices/herbs in a bowl. Add the parmesan cheese and garlic. Stir to combine.
  2. Pour in the olive oil. Give it a mix.
  3. Add the lemon juice or balsamic vinegar and blend. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
  4. Give it a stir and serve with focaccia or any other fresh crusty bread.
  5. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge. Bring back to room temperature before serving. If you have just a little bit left over, feel free to thin it out with oil and acid and use it as a salad dressing.

Recipe Notes

I find a 10 inch cast iron pan is the perfect size for this focaccia.
Store leftover bread in a well sealed bag. It can keep in the fridge for up to a week.
This bread recipe is a riff on the one found here at One Lovely Life.