Gluten-free Zucchini Basil Focaccia.. guest post for Fork and Beans. vegan GF gumfree

This is a Glutenfree, gum free, soy free, dairy free, egg free Focaccia Bread. Oh wait, I can just say what it does have instead. Oats and brown rice flour, potato and tapioca starch, oil, non dairy yogurt, and water! Luckily for me, I topped it with some Zukes... so it fits in well with the upcoming St Pat's celebration. You can add some spinach puree instead of water to greenify the bread.

This pretty Focaccia is being guest hosted at Cara's fantabulous blog! If you havent seen what that superwoman can do.. Now is the time!

Checkout her amazing vegan and glutenfree Halloween Series for starters and then go green with envy at her St Paddy's creations!

Please head on over to Cara's for the Recipe, step pictures and more.

Gluten free Focaccia with zucchini and basil
gluten, soy, dairy, egg, corn, nut free recipe

Ingredients: Makes a 9 by 5 inch by 1.5 inch high loaf.
7 Tablespoons gf Oats, ground fine( a bit less than 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup brown rice flour
4.5 Tablespoons potato starch
1.5 Tablespoons tapioca starch
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons non dairy Yogurt(I used SoDelicious plain coconut milk yogurt)
2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon active dry yeast (I used red star)
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic(roasted or raw, I added roasted)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil or rosemary

To add on top
1-2 teaspoons evoo
1/4 teaspoon herbs of choice
Thin zucchini slices
granulated salt( sea salt or kosher)

Method:
In a bowl. add warm water, yeast and sugar, Mix well and let sit until frothy(10 minutes)
In another bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients well.
Add the dry ingredients, yogurt and oil into the yeast mixture and mix for 2 minutes until a slightly stiff battery dough is formed. See picture.
Cover the bowl and let sit in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until doubled.
Mix the batter with a spoon and if too wet, add a teaspoon or so Oats flour. The mixture after the first rise, will be like a sticky dough.(The dough should not be a flowy cake batter or a stiff bread dough. Anything in between and it should bake fine.)
Drop this dough into a parchment lined pan. Oil your hands and pat it down to the required thickness.
Cover and let rise for 35-40 minutes in a warm place.
Make some dimples on the dough lightly(you can skip the dimples since the dough is sticky andwill collapse completely under too much pressure. just make a few dents with an oiled finger if possible)
Drizzle EVOO on the dimples or just generally on the top.
Sprinkle dried herbs of choice, black pepper and salt. Place some zucchini slices(optional)
Spray water on top. Cover the pan with aluminium foil. Make 1 or 2 holes in the foil, to let excess steam escape.
(If using bread pan like me, double it up to reduce browning of the crust). Or use ceramic/stoneware for less browning.
Bake at 390 degrees F for 20 minutes.
Remove foil, remove doubled pan if using and rotate the bread.
Bake for another 12-15 minutes until required crust color is achieved.
Take bread out carefully and let cool for 10 minutes.
Best served warm. Re warm in the oven or in toaster.

If this is first time you are trying a gf bread, I recommend starting with GF Naan flatbread. Tried and tested, less ingredients and a great steamed texture. Also, if you want to replace the Oats in any of the gf breads with other flours like sorghum, stick to steaming to keep the bread less crumbly.

Find all gf and vegan yeast Breads collection here. And all Vegan Yeast Breads/Sandwich Loafs/ Rolls Collection here.

And in some Amazing news today. A fish tower Skyscraper which recycles the Debris from the Great Garbage Patch! How cool is that!

Of course, that doesnt mean we can recklessly keep using plastic. That cool thing might just implode with our current dumpage into the ocean.

The Plastic Fish Tower is an underwater structure that would float and bob on the surface of the ocean, navigating through the GPGP. The patch is made up of mostly of plastic, which gets broken down by the sun and elements into tiny pellets that harm birds, sea mammals and fish. The tower, which is really more of an orb, would be encircled with a mesh sphere that is 3,280 feet in diameter. As it floats through the garbage patch, it would suck in and trap the plastic pellets that it came in contact with.

Inside the structure, the pellets would be recycled into small sheets of plastic, which would later be used to help build fish farms. The Plastic Fish Tower would not only recycle and remove plastic pollution from the world’s waters, it would use the same pollutants to help rebuild the fragile ecosystem beneath the GPGP as the plastic could also help keep the structure buoyant.

Read more: Spherical Underwater Fish Tower Skyscraper Recycles Debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

This bread is also being shared at Ricki's Wellness Weekend, Glutenfree Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesday, Slightly indulgent Tuesdays, Hearth and soul blog hop and Greenslove blog hop, allergy Friendly Friday