If you haven’t seen the viral garden focaccia trend that emerged during the 2020 quarantine, you’re in for a treat. Garden focaccia is essentially a flatbread with a soft, slightly chewy interior and a crisp, golden crust — it’s an ideal canvas for arranging herbs, vegetables, olives, and other small ingredients into edible floral designs. The result is a stunning loaf that’s as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.
Garden focaccias are an excellent way to use up odds and ends from the fridge: fresh herbs, scallions, bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced zucchini or eggplant, mushrooms, olives, and capers all work beautifully. Decorations can be as simple or elaborate as you like, and the process is a fun, family-friendly baking project.
This version adapts the concept for a gluten-free diet while keeping the light, flavorful focaccia character intact. The key flavor technique here is infusing good extra-virgin olive oil with garlic to flavor the dough from the inside out. The recipe uses a gluten-free all-purpose, measure-for-measure flour blend (one with xanthan gum included) and a bit of cornstarch to encourage better browning. If you cannot use cornstarch or prefer not to, substitute an extra cup of your flour blend instead.
The dough for this focaccia is soft and more batter-like than traditional wheat dough, which makes it easy to spread on a sheet pan. A generous amount of salt in the dough balances the richness of the olive oil and brings out the flavor of the vegetables and herbs. If you prefer a less salty bread, reduce the salt to taste.
Decoration ideas: use fresh herbs or green onion stalks for stems, then build flowers and shapes with slices of bell pepper, halved cherry tomatoes, thin rounds of eggplant or zucchini, artichoke hearts, tiny broccoli florets, sliced onions, sliced mushrooms, spiralized carrots, olives for centers or seed pods, and capers for small details. You can also use savory toppings like pepperoni or shaved Parmesan if you’d rather a more traditional pizza-style topping. Above all, have fun and be creative.
Garden Focaccia
By Gluten Free & More
Prep Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Rise time: 1 hr 30 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 1/2 teaspoons (13 g) active dry yeast (about 2 packets)
- 3 cups (710 mL) warm water (about 120°F / 49°C)
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) honey or agave
- 4 1/2 cups (540 g) gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (measure-for-measure, with xanthan gum)
- 1 cup (120 g) cornstarch* (see note)
- 4 tablespoons (48 g) baking powder
- 2 tablespoons (36 g) kosher or fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Assorted fresh herbs and vegetables, plus olives and capers, for decorating (optional)
*If you cannot use cornstarch or your flour blend already contains cornstarch, replace the cornstarch with an extra cup of your flour blend.
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil and minced garlic in a small saucepan and warm gently over low heat until the oil is warm to the touch. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Carefully pour 1/4 cup of the infused oil into a small container, trying to leave the garlic pieces settled in the pan. Reserve both the infused oil and the garlic for later.
- In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the honey. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour blend, cornstarch, baking powder, and 2 tablespoons of the salt. Pour the foamy yeast mixture into the dry ingredients, then add 1/2 cup of the reserved olive oil along with a portion of the minced garlic (not the garlic left in the bottom of the pan). Stir until combined. Expect a soft batter-like dough rather than a stiff dough. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and brush the paper with some of the reserved olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scrape the risen dough into the prepared pan and, with damp hands, gently press the dough out to the edges of the pan. Brush the surface with additional olive oil. Cover the pan and let the dough rise again for about 30 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C).
- After the second rise, arrange your chosen vegetables and herbs on the dough to create your garden design. Lightly brush any vegetable pieces with olive oil and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Use small items like capers or diced olives for centers and details.
- Bake the focaccia in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are set. Remove from the oven, drizzle with a little more of the reserved olive oil if desired, and allow to cool slightly before cutting into squares or slices.
Nutrition
Calories: 400 kcal • Carbohydrates: 57 g • Protein: 8 g • Fat: 18 g • Saturated Fat: 2 g • Sodium: 1912 mg • Potassium: 59 mg • Fiber: 7 g • Sugar: 4 g • Calcium: 325 mg • Iron: 3 mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
This focaccia is a wonderful way to showcase seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs. The visual presentation makes it perfect for gatherings, picnics, or a colorful family meal. It’s also an excellent hands-on baking project to do with children — arranging the “garden” is part of the fun.
This recipe was featured in the September/October 2021 issue of Gluten Free & More.