A savory, gluten-free bread that will have you dreaming of Thanksgiving. This Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia is nice and toasty on top with a soft, fluffy inside. It pairs perfectly toasted with apples, apple butter, or almond butter. Actually, it’s also an amazing side for dipping in my Savory Pumpkin Pasta Sauce (hint hint).
I’ve been really enjoying the fall weather and of course all the flavors that come along with it. Rosemary and thyme are two of those herbs that just wrap you in a delicious cocoon of flavor. I think most of us normally only use them at Thanksgiving and Christmas…but I’m totally revolting against that. These herbs are so yummy and healthy we should be using them all season long!
The base of this Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia is made of almond flour with a tiny bit of tapioca flour for texture. It’s fluffiness comes from whipped egg whites, so this bread has a ton of protein thanks to the egg and almond flour combo. The chopped herbs are sprinkled throughout the batter but then also mixed with sea salt and avocado oil and drizzled overtop, helping to create that beautiful browned crust.
Why You Should Eat My Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia
Bread—even gluten-free bread—is normally just a carb-fest of refined flours that your body burns through super fast, spiking your blood sugar and leaving you hangry shortly thereafter. But not this Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia, my friends. This recipe is rich in protein and fiber and will make your bready dreams come true. It’s really filling, great for a healthy morning grab-and-go, and makes you feel oh-so-cozy.
I find that when baking with almond flour super-fine is the way to go. Products labeled almond meal are coarser and much harder to bake with, but are great for fruit crisp topping and crumbly things of that nature. I really like this King Arthur’s one, you can find it here on Amazon:
King Arthur Almond Flour – 16 oz.As a member of the Amazon Affiliates program, I do get a small commission when you purchase anything through my links, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra! It’s much appreciated when you use these links—it helps me keep this blog up and running 🙂
Now, let’s talk about rosemary. This uplifting herb has tons of health benefits, which explains its traditional role in the Mediterranean diet. One of the compounds found in rosemary, carnosol, has been found to have powerful anti-carcinogenic properties and another one, called carnosic acid, has been shown to benefit the neurological system and may possibly aid against memory-loss and cognitive decline.
I even have a little rosemary story for you. At the end of last summer, to complete my master’s program for nutrition, I had to take this horrific 8-hour long comprehensive exam. I studied ALL SUMMER LONG, like, all the damn time. Lunch breaks, after work, every weekend—it was rough. One of the herbalists I worked with recommended I smell rosemary essential oil when I studied, and then smell the oil throughout my exam to bring those memories back to present. I did it and I passed every section of my exam with a B or better. Who knows if it was the rosemary, but for me it was a calming way to feel like I was supporting my memory. Sometimes it’s just nice to feel like you’re doing everything you can!
How You Can Make My Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia
Preheat your oven to 400°F and set up two bread pans with parchment paper. Spray or drizzle a little oil in them and spread around. I’m not a fan of whole rosemary, it’s kind of like tiny sticks, so I like to blend it up in a coffee grinder or chop it up really well. Do this with the thyme while you’re at it.
Now, grab a large bowl add your almond flour, baking powder, tapioca starch, and half of the fresh herbs. Pour the almond milk into the flour mix and whisk together. In a separate bowl, crack your eggs and add just the whites. But save the yolks for your dog! My pup, Ryder, loves them over his food. Use a hand or stand mixer to whip your egg whites until they are pretty stiff. This may take a few minutes, just think of it as a good upper body workout. When they’re ready, gently fold them into the rest of the bread batter—it will seem kind of light and wet.
Grab your two lined bread pans and split the Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia batter evenly between them and spread to cover the bottoms of the pans. In a small bowl, mix together your avocado oil, the rest of the fresh herbs, and some sea salt and pepper. Now it’s time to get your hands dirty! Place the bowl of oil and herbs next to your pans. Dip your fingers into the oil mix and then immediately dunk them into the top of your bread batter, causing it to dimple so the oil and herbs will stick. This helps create a really nice texture on the top of the focaccia. Continue doing this on top of both bread pans until they’re well-dimpled and then pour any remaining oil and herbs overtop.
Now you’re ready to bake! Pop both pans in the oven on the same rack, in the middle of the oven. Set a timer for 25 minutes, then rotate and bake for another 25. After the full 50 minutes you can remove them from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes. Once cooled, use a knife to run along the short edges of the pan. Then, you can just grab the edges of the parchment paper and lift the whole loaf out of the pan, and cut into squares.
I adapted this recipe from Peter Reinhart and Denene Wallace’s beautiful book, The Joy of Gluten-Free Sugar-Free Baking. There were a few ingredients I changed to make it a bit healthier and more natural, and I also added the thyme to give it an extra dose of herbal tastiness.
Hope you enjoy!
Paleo Rosemary Thyme Focaccia
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 12 squares
This fluffy bread is beyond delicious, the herbs will have you feeling like it's Thanksgiving and its nice dose of fiber and protein are a welcome change from traditional carb-heavy bread.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup avocado oil, plus more for greasing pans
- 3 cups fine almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp tapioca flour
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, divided
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two bread pans with parchment paper and grease with avocado oil.
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, and about half of the fresh herbs.
- Pour almond milk into bowl and mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until stiff peaks form, 3-4 minutes.
- Gently fold egg whites into the rest of the bread batter, until the whites are no longer very visible.
- Divide batter between the two bread pans.
- In another small bowl, mix avocado oil, the rest of the fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Dunk your fingers into the oil mix and then immediately press them into the top of the bread batter. Continue doing this all over both loaves. Once they are well dimpled, pour the remaining oil and herbs over top.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake another 25 minutes. Focaccia should be browned on top and the center should be firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from pan and cutting. Enjoy!
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I made this last night; it browned on top as you described however the center was gooey. I put back to the oven add more time but it never “dry/firm”. I decided to make a second batch thought I made mistake somewhere. I followed the recipe exactly; it came out the same as the first batch. Almond flour is expensive, I am really upset since I am pretty good with cooking/baking. What’s wrong?
Hi Ping! I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ve never had this recipe turn out gooey in the middle – one question I have is what kind of almond flour you used? Almond meal always bakes up much wetter than fine almond flour, which is what I call for in this recipe. Another question is did you split it between two pans? Because I can see it might be under baked if this whole recipe was baked in one pan instead of two. I hope these thoughts are helpful to you! Thanks for commenting.
This is a keeper. Thanks so much for the info on the spices
My pleasure Adele! Thanks for coming by 😊