Paleo Focaccia Bread

by lisa | 18 May 2013 10:11

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I love focaccia bread. The first time I had it was at a cafe near the university I went to. The cafe was called Deux Gros Nez (which translates to “two big noses” in French). Keep in mind that this was in Reno, Nevada. It was the coolest place around (duh! it had a French name!) and we thought we were very cool every time we went there. Plus, everybody there seemed to be smoking….how very European!

Many years later, I had REAL focaccia bread on one of my many trips to Italy. It is possibly the best thing ever. I think the best we had was in San Gimignano, but it was also really good in the Cinque Terre. We used to buy a big square of focaccia, some olives, fresh cherry tomatoes, a hunk of cheese and some prosciutto from little grocery shops. It was much more economical than eating in a tourist restaurant(and much more delicious). Now I really thought I was cool 🙂 Here’s my daughter enjoying some focaccia high above a village in the Cinque Terre while we were hiking through olive groves.

Here’s a gluten-free (but not dairy free) version of focaccia bread for you to try out. Enjoy it with a glass of wine. Close your eyes and pretend you are in Tuscany. I found the original version of this recipe at GastroChef.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or coconut milk (I used yogurt)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• a generous pinch of salt
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• A handful of cherry tomatoes and black olives, chopped or halved
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary or basil…your choice)
• 1/4 Parmesan, shaved or coarsely grated

Instructions

1. Mix the eggs and yogurt or coconut milk together in a small bowl. I used a stick immersion blender, but a whisk would work equally well.
   

   Eggs and yogurt

2. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, finely grated Parmesan, salt and baking soda.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
4. Spread your dough (it’s like a batter consistency) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I sprayed the paper with olive oil.
   

   Spread the batter fairly thinly

5. Toss the halved cherry tomatoes, olives, herbs and olive oil together and then place them on top of your dough.
   

   Tomatoes, olives and herbs

6. Place into a pre-heated 375 F (190 C) oven for 12-15 minutes.
7. Remove and sprinkle the shaved Parmesan over the top and return to the oven for an additional 3-5 minutes.
   

   Hot from the oven

The Verdict

This was actually very bread like. Was it like real authentic focaccia? No, and I didn’t expect it to be. If you are ever in Italy, you might want to just throw caution to the wind, eat some real focaccia and suffer the gastrointestinal consequences. However, until you make it to Italy, this is a pretty darn good alternative. It’s even better when you dip it in some salted olive oil.

 

 

Source URL: https://swisspaleo.ch/paleo-focaccia-bread/

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