The Gluten-Free Focaccia with Fried Zucchini Flowers made with gluten-free sourdough comes from my experience at the Gluten-Free Cooking course (remember? the one where I also made the rice pastiera).
During the course, we prepared the focaccia, and I tried to recreate it with a mix of gluten-free flours based on turmeric and seeds to include it in my Floral Menu, enriching it with double-fried zucchini flowers, both in batter and with panko, all gluten-free.
You can also find the preparation video.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Baking, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 4 cups gluten-free flour mix with seeds and turmeric
- 0.4 cups gluten-free sourdough (or 12 g fresh yeast)
- 1.7 cups water (450 ml if using fresh yeast)
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil (+ for greasing)
- 2 tsp fine salt
- to taste coarse salt
- 0.4 cups water
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 12 zucchini flowers
- 5 oz gluten-free panko
- 4 eggs
- 9 oz rice flour
- to taste salt and pepper
- to taste seed oil (for frying)
Tools
- 1 Lid Magic Cooker
- 1 Baking pan rectangular
Steps
In the mixer, add all the ingredients in order: flour, water, sourdough, oil, and fine salt. Create a homogeneous dough.
If using fresh yeast, dissolve it in the water.
Grease a bowl and let the dough rise covered for 2 hours.
TIPS: create a rising chamber in the oven by turning on the light and placing a small pot of hot water to maintain a constant temperature of 86°F.
Grease the baking pan with oil, spread the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.
Mix the ingredients, pour the brine, and press down the surface of the focaccia to create the classic “dimples” (holes). Sprinkle with coarse salt.
Bake in a static oven at 356°F for 40 minutes.
Gently remove the internal pistil and carefully wash the flowers. Pat them dry with paper towels.
Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl.
Prepare three bowls: one with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with panko.
Dip 4 flowers first in the flour, then in the egg, and finally in panko, pressing lightly to adhere well.Fry in a pot with Magic Cooker lid after heating abundant oil to reach 356°F, turn off the heat, add the zucchini flowers, and cover. Cook covered for 6 minutes, turning after about 3 minutes.
Dip the remaining zucchini flowers in the flour combined with the egg (batter).
And fry as above.
Serve the focaccia in 4 pieces each with one panko-breaded zucchini flower and 2 battered zucchini flowers per piece.
Edible Flowers
🌷In the theme of Edible Flowers, I created the atmosphere thanks to jasmine incense, another edible flower.
Zucchini Flowers: edible inflorescences, meaning consumable, that can be used in the kitchen for various preparations
Jasmine Flowers (Jasminum officinale): considered edible and can be added to various recipes, such as infusions, herbal teas, desserts, and even savory dishes.
I steamed the zucchini flowers with the Magic Cooker lid.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I fry without using the Magic Cooker lid?
Of course!
Heat the oil in a pan to about 338°F.
Fry a few flowers at a time, turning them gently, until they are golden and crispy (about 2-3 minutes per side).
Drain on paper towels.What is the recipe for gluten-free panko?
Panko is made with flakes of only white bread crumbs, in a sandwich loaf (or white bread), which are coarsely blended and previously toasted, so just use gluten-free bread:
preheat the oven to 248°F, grill mode.
Roughly cut the bread crumb.
Put it in the blender and blend coarsely for a few seconds (it should not become crumbs, but flakes).
Cover the baking tray surface with parchment paper.
Spread the flakes evenly on the tray.
Toast for about 5 minutes (the crumb should be golden, not burned).
