And then the tomatoes arrived.
Vibrant hues of crimson, gold, and coral take center stage at the market demanding the spotlight this time of year. With such a tempting array I was spoiled for choice. There were all the usual late summer suspects but it was the little red baby tomatoes that came home with me this time. These beauties enticed me with their diminutive size and brilliant color.
Perfect all on their own, the bright acidity of vine ripe tomatoes is perfectly at home with creamy fresh mozzarella, fruity olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt. And that is just how I planned on eating them, but I made sure to save a few for this gluten free and grain free tomato, olive and thyme focaccia.
Pizza’s slightly fluffier sibling, focaccia is a moist and tender vehicle for a variety of flavors. Here juicy little tomatoes meet up with fresh thyme and take a tumble with salty black olives before being spread atop a cushion of cheese stuffed dough.
A little olive oil and heat boosts the sweetness of the red gems, concentrating their flavor and taming their acidity. The focaccia itself is made with copious amounts of cheese held together with just the slightest amount of coconut flour.
Moist and chewy, it’s a cross between soft bread sticks and a deep dish pizza crust. A veil of herbed tomatoes and olives grace the top along with shreds of fresh mozzarella. As it bakes the toppings are pushed deep into the dough, enveloping the wrinkled edges of the roasted tomatoes.
Paired with a fresh and peppery arugula or mixed greens salad, this focaccia makes a wonderful companion to a crisp glass of rosé .
Gluten-Free Cherry Tomato, Olive and Thyme Focaccia Bread
Moist and chewy, this gluten-free foccacia a cross between soft bread sticks and a deep dish pizza crust.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 4 Tablespoons plain yogurt
- ¼ cup/ 30g coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛th teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup/ 112g grated fontina and parmesan cheese
- 8oz / 228g baby tomatoes, sliced in half
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup/60g black olives, pitted and in quarters or halves
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 oz/ 50g Fresh whole milk mozzarella, cut into chunks
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Beat the eggs and yogurt in a bowl until well combined.
- Combine the coconut flour, baking soda, salt and cheese in medium sized bowl.
- Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, thyme leaves, olives and mozzarella in another bowl, add a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
- Add the beaten eggs and yogurt mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture in one large or two smaller oval shapes with the back of a spoon or spatula.
- Top with the tomato, olive and mozzarella mixture and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly puffed and golden around the edges.
- Remove parchment from baking sheet and let cool on wire rack.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Gluten Free, Grain Free, Vegetarian, Primal
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 602mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
nzoshea says
It's very nice when friends/family post on a site saying "looks wonderful","pix are amazing","will make soon"... but it's a bigger reward when there are replies from those who actually tried it. Reason why I'm posting: this was very easy to put together at the last minute, it's very forgiving (I didn't have yogurt so used coconut cream and one tbs of lemon juice and also improvised on toppings), and it turned out perfect: taste, texture and visual. It's now top on my list of versatile 'bases' and your site is bookmarked!
Sylvie says
I love hearing that, thank you for taking the time to leave your thoughts on the recipe!
Susan Bivens says
This looks amazing...I'm doing the 21 dsd (level 1) right now and I tried the focaccia recipe from the book, but it was really eggy tasting. It also didn't have cheese or yogurt in it, so I'm wondering if that would cover up the egg taste. Also, do you think that I could sub flaxseed eggs? I tried it yesterday for a different recipe and it didn't work, so I wanted to ask first. Thanks!!!
Sylvie says
Hi Susan, yes the cheese definitely helps the bread be less eggy. It's more of a cheese bread taste. Coconut flour is a little tricky when it come to egg replacements. I haven't tried a flax egg here so I can't vouch for it working but I'd guess it wouldn't come out quite as fluffy and tender without them.
Leslie says
I made this without the tomatoes and olives used it for breadsticks with chili. It was great!
Sasha says
Hi Sylvie,
I've been making this and it's so great to have a grain free recipe. Today I made one half with apples, rosemary, caramelized onions and cheese....NOM!! Thanks so much for sharing this 🙂
Sylvie says
That's great to hear, I'm glad you like the recipe. Your apple, rosemary version sounds very tasty!
Leslie says
My husband and I eat this focaccia bread recipe once a week since I found it. It is so feeling and the fiber in the coconut flour is so good for us. Thank you for this great recipe. This winter I am looking at different veggies to put on it so we can continue enjoying it.
Sylvie says
I'm so glad you like it!
Julie says
I made this tonight -- but instead of doing it as a focaccia bread, I negated all the toppings and just made the crust -- we used it as a pizza crust. I've tried so many other "low carb" recipes (mostly almond flour) to use as a pizza crust and they've all turned out a weird mealy texture. This was absolutely PERFECT! Thank you so much for posting this! I am so in love with this recipe!
Sylvie says
Excellent idea!
Stepha says
Omg, this looks so deelish! Will definitely be trying this weekend.
Olivia says
Anyway to make this dairy free?
Sylvie says
Unfortunately not without having to significantly alter the ratios as the 1 cup of cheese is essential for the texture and adds moisture to the finished focaccia. I'm always working on new recipes though and will keep a dairy free bread in mind when I'm testing out some new ideas!
Olivia says
What about a substitute just for the yogurt?
Sylvie says
Yes you could substitute a non-dairy yogurt like coconut milk yogurt here or a slightly lesser amount of coconut milk since it's more liquid.