Libby Klein Maybe it's because I can't have gluten, but I crave all kinds of bread. Much more than desserts and pasta. This recipe is so easy and the dough can be refrigerated overnight before forming and rising. I'd serve this whole on a wooden cutting board aside of pasta for a fancy company meal. The decoration alone gives the wow factor, even though all I did was stick everything onto the bread before rising. If you try this yourself, tag me in the picture so I can see what design you created.
Gluten-Free Focaccia Art
Ingredients:
3¼ cups Gluten-Free Flour Blend
1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2½ cups milk
4 tablespoon butter, melted
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Assorted vegetables, herbs, and fruits for decoration
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt
Sprinkle of Nigella Seeds - optional
Directions:
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add gluten-free flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Using the beater blade, turn on the mixer to combine on low. Slowly pour in the milk and melted butter. Increase speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.
Bring the dough to a ball in the bowl, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Get your edible decorations ready.
When the dough has risen, pour about 2-3 tablespoon of the olive oil into the bottom of a 9x12 sheet pan (a quarter sheet). If you don't have one of these a rectangular cake pan will do. Spread the oil around with one hand.
Place your herbs, vegetables, and fruits on top of the dough to make any artistic rendering your like. Press them down to help them attach, but don't try to submerge them. Brush the top of everything with more olive oil. Then sprinkle with flakey sea salt and Nigella seeds if you have them. Nigella is one of those spices I told you about in my spice hoarding confession. I've pasted a description below from another website. They did a much better job of explaining things for you. I would have just said they taste like onion to me.
What Is Nigella Seed?
Taken from The Spruce Eats
Nigella seed comes from the seeds of the flowering plant Nigella sativa, which is found throughout Turkey, Syria, and parts of Iraq.Nigella is sometimes referred to by other names, such as black cumin, black onion seed, and black sesame seed, which can lead to some confusion, as nigella is not related to any of these. Rather, it's a member of the Ranunculaceae family, which also includes flowers such as the buttercup and delphinium. Nigella seeds have a strong aroma and a flavor profile that has notes of onion, oregano, and black pepper.
Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister and her aunt Ginny are looking forward to a quiet, homey Christmas at their B&B in Cape May, but unfortunately, death isn’t taking a holiday this year . . .Ever since Thanksgiving, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery of the romantic kind. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn't labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all.
classes revolved mostly around the Culinary sciences and Drama, with one brilliant semester in Poly-Sci that may have been an accident. She loves to drink coffee, bake gluten-free goodies, collect fluffy cats, and translate sarcasm for people who are too serious. She writes from her Northern Virginia office where she serves a very naughty black smoke Persian named Sir Figaro Newton. You can keep up with her shenanigans by signing up for her Mischief and Mayhem Newsletter on her website. www.LibbyKleinBooks.com/Newsletter/
Libby, that is so gorgeous! I have been dying to make focaccia and have the recipe ready. But they certainly didn't make art out of it! Now I'm inspired... Can your guests who eat gluten tell the difference between your bread and regular?
ReplyDeleteFocaccia is so thin and chewy that no one can tell it's gluten free.
DeleteWhat a fun and yummy recipe. Thank you for sharing it with us.
ReplyDelete2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thank you, Kay. I hope you enjoy it.
DeleteThat looks like gorgeous (and tasty) focaccia!
ReplyDeleteI have been baking traditional focaccia for years. It's made with regular flour/yeast, topped with fresh rosemary & sea salt.
Adding your decorations is a very simple step and the only difference here. Although it creates a big wow factor!
DeleteYou are ever so talented, dear Libby! Instead of eating this loaf, you should frame it...not! I love focaccia, and the next time I make it, I will try some "art" on it ;-) Many thanks for all you do for us readers! Luis at ole dot travel
ReplyDeleteThe art is so simple. And I have really good olive oil so we ripped through this very fast.
DeleteWOW! This looks amazing. I'm in awe.
ReplyDeleteThank you Valerie. It is much more simple than it looks.
DeleteThat's too pretty to eat!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as you smell it you'll change your mind.
DeleteThis looks so good that I've sent it to my daughter in law who eat gf for her rheumatoid arthritis.
ReplyDeleteShe will love the recipe. Its so simple!
DeleteSo beautiful! The Italians here in Santa Cruz call foccacia "fugassa." It's apparently what they call it in Liguria, where our local Italians mostly hail from. No matter the name, though, it's deliziosa!
ReplyDeleteGrazie!
DeleteBeautiful, Libby! Thanks for sharing your talent.
ReplyDeleteThat is very kind of you to say, Molly. Thank you.
DeleteA work of edible art ~ Brava, Libby! The flavor description of Nigella seeds sounds delicious. I look forward to seeking them out. Cheers for the tip and enjoy the rest of your week. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Cleo. I'm sure you'll have no problem finding them. They'll make a wonderful addition to yeast rolls too!
DeleteAmazing as always! I'm going to have to pull out a piece of paper and sketch something. Oh and I can't wait for the next Poppy book! Let me know if you need beta readers 😁
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