Today everyone knows what a focaccia is. It is probably one of the breads – not to say the most – that benefits the most from gluten. The structural network and the elasticity that they provide to the dough is ideal for this long-fermented flatbread. However, gluten-free baking is becoming more advanced, and we have some ingredients that help simulate protein grids suitable for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or wheat allergies.
Working without gluten brings a series of challenges. Flours do not work in the same way: it is necessary to know their different cooking points, the moisture they require and absorb, and adjust the quantities, since we work largely with starches. Fermentation times are also different and, of course, the texture of the resulting dough, lacking the elasticity provided by gluten, is more difficult to work with and requires extra amounts of protein and fat. That said, the basic steps can be summed up as:
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Combine a base of rice flour with a starch (potato or sweet potato, for example).
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Activate the elasticity of the starch by precooking the dough by adding hot water.
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Look for a protein substitute for gluten. Pea, soy, or chickpea protein is ideal for this (these can be found at spice stores, granaries, and herbalists).
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Add a moisture preserving agent. In this case, tofu, which is basically soy, a protein of high biological value that acts as a wetting agent and a protein net.
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Adjust the amount of fat needed: in the case of gluten-free focaccia, we will use more olive oil than in a dough with gluten.
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Add a gelling fiber such as psyllium powdered.
This may all seem cumbersome, but I promise it’s not that complicated. In fact, the whole process that I detail later is the most basic guide to get a decent result. If we want something more professional, we can increase fermentation times (up to 24 hours) and work with a gluten-free sourdough, but I’ll leave this to those of you who want to perfect the technique.
Difficulty
Little for the good result it gives.
Ingredients
For the mass
- 300 g of white rice flour
- 300g potato starch
- 65 g soy protein powder, pea or any other legume
- 15g psyllium powder
- 45g firm tofu, pounded or shredded
- 6.5 g dry baker’s yeast
- 1 level teaspoon of chemical yeast
- 55 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 8g flake salt
- 35 g of muscovado brown sugar (or white if you don’t have)
- 570 ml (approximately) of hot water
Besides
- 12 Kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 40 ml extra virgin olive oil (in two batches of 20 ml)
- Salt flakes to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
Preparation
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Mix all the dough ingredients except the hot water in a large bowl.
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Heat the 570 ml (approximately) of water until it is hot (not boiling: you should be able to stick your finger in it without burning yourself).
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If we work with a mixer, put it at medium speed and add the water gradually until you get a dough with an elastic and uniform texture. If done by hand, the same.
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Cover the mixing bowl with a damp cloth or lid and let it rise for about two hours or until doubled in size.
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Degas the dough by pressing and put it on a baking sheet greased with olive oil. Add 20 ml of olive oil on the dough and spread it by pressing with your fingers. Add another 20 ml of olive oil and work again. Add the olives and let them ferment again for another two hours or until doubled in size.
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Preheat the oven with heat from above and below (with fan) to 160ºC.
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Add flaky salt and black pepper to the dough and, if desired, more olive oil. Bake at medium height for 25 minutes.
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Raise the temperature to 210 ºC and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the outer layer is crispy, let rest for about 10 minutes on a rack and ready to serve.
If you make this recipe, share the result on your social networks with the hashtag #RecipesComidista. And if it goes wrong, complain to the Cook Ombudsman by sending an email to [email protected].
#gluten #free #focaccia