Gluten-Free Pesto Focaccia
As a gluten-intolerant girlie, I feel particularly left out of the homemade bread trend. Sourdough works for me personally but 1. I am not ready to commit to a sourdough starter 2. I know a lot of gluten-free people can’t do sourdough. So in an attempt to please my belly and yours, I developed this recipe. And it might be the best thing I have ever made.
Ingredients:
Vegan Cashew Pesto
1/3 cup raw cashews
3 cloves garlic (or more!!)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt/pep
1 tsp onion powder
2 cups basil (two big handfuls)
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
Focaccia Dough
1.5 cups warm water
1 packet of yeast
1 tbsp raw honey or sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
2.5 cups gluten-free flour - I used Bob’s Red Mill one-to-one
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Directions:
Start by prepping your pesto! Add the cashews, garlic, nooch, and spices to a blender
Blend until the nuts are processed and the mixture starts to resemble sand
Add the basil and EVO. Blend for less than a minute on medium-low speed until the basil is incorporated. (Tip: If you blend too much, your basil will get bitter!)
Blend until you get your designed consistency. I like it a little chunky, especially in the focaccia!
Set basil aside while you make the focaccia dough!
In large bowl, add your water, yeast, and sweetener
Let the yeast activate for 5 minutes. It should get foamy and bubbly!
Once the yeast is bloomed, add in your EVO, flour, salt, and baking powder
Mix it with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer. There is no need to knead, so once it is combined you are done!
The dough will be very sticky and soft, that is totally normal.
Add 1/2 of your pesto to the dough by folding it in with a spatula. It should be marbled throughout
Prepare a 9x9 baking dish with an additional 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Coat the bottom with the oil. It might seem like a lot, but that is what makes focaccia so amazing!
Scrape the dough out of the bowl into the baking dish. Push the dough into the corners, allowing the oil to come up the sides of the dish
Add more of the pesto on top of the dough. I used almost all of it, don’t hold back!
Stipple the top of the dough with your finger tips to create those indentations and bubbles
Let rest at room temperature covered with a towel for 40 minutes to an hour. The dough should be almost doubled in size
When your dough is just about done proofing, preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Once preheated, bake for 30-40 minutes. It should be crunchy on top and spring back when pushed down when ready!
Take it out of the oven and let cool
Cut it up and enjoy as you please! I really like sandwiches on it!!
