Gluten-free focaccia does not have to be a low, dry or difficult to cut bread. If you want to understand how to prepare focaccia with sorghum obtaining a soft crumb and a golden crust, the starting point is the structure of the dough: the sorghum brings flavour, color and character, but must be accompanied by ingredients that retain water and leavening gas.
The result is a focaccia to bring to the table while still warm, to fill or to serve instead of bread. It has a delicate, slightly rustic flavour, which goes well with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, olives, onion or cherry tomatoes. And it is naturally gluten-free, without having to resort to gums or thickeners.
Why choose sorghum flour for focaccia
White sorghum it is a naturally gluten-free cereal with a discreet personality. In bread making it gives a pleasant aroma, a warm hue and a less dry consistency than many preparations made only with rice flour. Stone grinding, when the flour is well preserved and fresh, enhances its natural notes even more.
However, there is one characteristic to consider: sorghum does not form a gluten network. In a traditional focaccia the gluten retains the water and carbon dioxide produced by the yeast; here this work must be carried out by the balance between flours, fibers and hydration. Using only sorghum flour is possible, but it more easily leads to a crumbly and compact slice. For a tall, soft focaccia, a small amount of rice flour and psyllium make a real difference.
Psyllium is neither a gum nor a technological thickener: it is a plant fiber which, in contact with water, creates a natural gel. It helps the dough remain mouldable, reduces crumbling and makes the crumb more elastic. It is one of those useful ingredients when you want to cook gluten-free in a natural and tasteful way, starting from recognizable raw materials.
Ingredients for a 30 x 40 cm baking pan
For this recipe you need 350 g of white sorghum flour, 100 g of rice flour, 12 g of powdered psyllium, 7 g of dry brewer's yeast, 10 g of fine salt, 20 g of extra virgin olive oil and 480 g of warm water. For the surface, also prepare 25 g of extra virgin olive oil, 35 g of water, flaked salt or crushed coarse salt and fresh rosemary.
The sorghum-rice combination keeps the sorghum the star without weighing down the bite. If you prefer a more intensely flavored focaccia, you can replace up to 50 g of rice flour with buckwheat flour. However, do not increase the amount of buckwheat beyond this dose on the first attempt: its flavor is stronger and the dough requires a few grams more water.
The water must be weighed, not poured by eye. Gluten-free flours can absorb it differently depending on the grinding, the environmental humidity and the time that has passed since opening the package. The correct dough will be soft and sticky, closer to a thick cream than to a dough to be rolled out with a rolling pin.
How to prepare focaccia with sorghum step by step
Mix the dry ingredients first
In a large bowl, combine sorghum flour, rice flour, psyllium, dry yeast and salt. Mix thoroughly with a hand whisk. This step prevents the psyllium from forming lumps when it meets the water and distributes the yeast evenly.
Add the warm water two or three times, working with a sturdy spoon or with the mixer blade at low speed. When no dry spots remain, pour in the 20 g of oil. Continue mixing for 3-4 minutes: you are not developing the gluten, but you are giving the fibers time to hydrate and the dough to become homogeneous.
Let the mass rest for 10 minutes in the bowl. It's a short but useful wait: the psyllium absorbs water and the mixture acquires consistency. If it seems too firm after resting, add a spoonful of water at a time. However, if it is barely pourable, do not add flour immediately: wait another 5 minutes, because the structure continues to stabilize.
Let it rise without trying to double
Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place, ideally between 24 and 28°C, for about 60-75 minutes. A bowl in the oven off with the light on can work well, as long as it doesn't get too hot. The dough will not double in size like wheat dough – look for a visible increase in volume, a puffier surface and small bubbles.
At lower temperatures the times may be longer. In this case it is better to wait a little longer rather than add more yeast. An excess of yeast can leave an unpleasant aftertaste and cause the structure to give way during cooking.
Spread with greasy hands and create the classic indentations
Grease the pan generously with extra virgin olive oil. Pour the dough into the center and distribute it with well-oiled hands, pressing gently until you reach the corners. Do not use a rolling pin and do not add flour to the surface: you would make the surface drier and compromise the final softness.
Cover the pan and let rest another 25-35 minutes. In the meantime, turn on the static oven at 230°C, with an empty tray on the lowest shelf if your oven tends to undercook the base.
Mix the 25 g of oil with the 35 g of water and distribute the emulsion over the surface. Then dip your greased fingertips into the dough to form the indentations, without reaching all the way to the bottom. Complete with rosemary and salt. The emulsion not only serves to make the focaccia shinier: it keeps the surface moist in the first cooking phase and promotes a thin and fragrant crust.
Cook until the base is dry and golden
Bake on the lower-middle shelf for 20-25 minutes. After 15 minutes check the color: each oven works differently and an overcooked gluten-free focaccia quickly loses moisture. When the surface is golden and the edges are well coloured, carefully lift a corner: the base should appear dry, not pale.
Transfer it immediately to a grill for 10 minutes. Leaving it in the hot pan will cause the steam to condense under the base. Serve it warm, when the crumb has time to settle but still remains very soft.
Common errors and simple fixes
Is the focaccia low and compact? The most frequent causes are too little water, too short a rise or a cold environment. Before changing the flours, try increasing the water by 15-20 g in the next preparation and check that the yeast is active.
If, however, the surface cracks and the inside is moist, the dough may have been rolled out too thin or cooked at an excessive temperature. In that case, lower the oven to 220°C and extend it for a few minutes, checking the base. An aluminum or iron baking tray conducts heat better than a very thick baking dish.
If the slice crumbles when cut, it's not a problem that can be solved with more flour. Usually you need better hydration or a few more grams of psyllium. With naturally gluten-free flours, the balance is created by retaining water, not drying the dough.
Ideas for seasoning and preserving it
The version with rosemary is the most immediate, but sorghum also lends itself to more generous seasonings. You can add Taggiasca olives and lemon zest, thinly sliced red onion, well-drained cherry tomatoes or sliced boiled potatoes. If you use very watery vegetables, such as courgettes or mushrooms, cook them first: they would release moisture and weigh down the central part.
The focaccia is best the same day. To store it until the next day, wait until it is completely cold, cut it and close it in a well-sealed container. To restore its fragrance, heat it for 5-6 minutes at 180°C. You can also freeze it already portioned: go directly from the freezer to the oven, covering it for the first few minutes if you fear it will dry out too much.
A good sorghum focaccia comes from listening to the dough: observe how it absorbs water, respect its timing and don't try to make it resemble a dough with gluten. It is precisely this attention to raw materials that transforms a gluten-free recipe into a focaccia that everyone wants to take, still warm, from the center of the table.
