This AIP Rosemary and Thyme Focaccia Bread is probably the most popular recipe from my cookbook “The Autoimmune Protocol Made Simple.” Everyone loves AIP bread, and everyone is enjoying the feel of normalcy this AIP bread brings into your life when you can’t indulge in regular or even gluten-free bread. Aaaah, the joy of dipping a piece of warm and fragrant bread in a soup, a stew, or simply some olive oil!
How do I know this AIP bread recipe is a favorite amongst the autoimmune warriors across the globe? I see all the pictures you guys are posting on Instagram, and it just warms my heart to see this AIP Focaccia Bread bring joy and comfort to many of you. Here are some of the pictures you tagged me in.
Are you wondering what goes into this bread if it is AIP, paleo, gluten free, nut free, dairy free? Here are the main ingredients:
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- Cassava flour
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- Coconut flour
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- Palm shortening
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- Active dry yeast
Active dry yeast? Is that AIP approved? Yes! As long as the active dry yeast you are using is gluten-free (check the label) and you don’t have developed a personal sensitivity to yeast, it is fine to use it on the Autoimmune Protocol. If you are unsure or if you are reacting to active dry yeast, you may just skip it in this recipe.
And now the giveaway!
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- 1 cup warm water, divided
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 11/2 teaspoons minced dried rosemary, plus extra for garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, plus extra for garnish
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup palm shortening, melted
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine 1/4 cup of warm water with maple syrup in a small bowl. Add yeast and stir. Wait about 5 minutes for the mixture to start foaming. (If the yeast doesn't foam, throw it away and start over.)
- Meanwhile, combine the cassava flour, coconut flour, rosemary, thyme, and sea salt in a large bowl. Mix well with a spatula and form a well in the middle. Carefully pour remaining 3/4 cup of warm water and palm shortening into the well. Add the yeast mixture and mix well with a spatula until dough is smooth. Knead 8 to 10 times with your hands and form dough into a ball.
- Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten with your hands to form a 1-inch-thick loaf. Cover with a light, clean kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Place the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 400° F.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the dough (don't knead it again!) and score it 3 times at an angle with a serrated knife. Sprinkle with more rosemary and thyme.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, until the bread turns golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before eating.
This AIP bread recipe has been entered in the weekly Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable of Phoenix Helix.
This is the first recipe I tried after receiving your new cookbook. It is so good! I’m sure non-AIP people would love it as well. It is such a great to have this. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for your positive feedback Sheila 🙂 – Sophie
Is there a substitute flour for the coconut flour that you would recommend?
Hello Alyse,
You can try with arrowroot flour or tigernut flour. Hope this helps! – Sophie
Thank you Sophie! I ended up following the recipe as-is and it was delicious! Am now making a 2nd loaf. Both times though the bread did not rise or get bigger from it’s original shape. Is that normal? I checked that the yeast is active and also measured water and palm shortening temperature to make sure it wasn’t too hot. Thanks!
Hello Alyse,
Yes, it is normal, bread without gluten doesn’t really rise. And when you use a “heavy” flour like cassava, it rises even less. So the yeast in this recipe is really for the taste more than anything else. – Sophie
Hi Sophie, thank you for sharing this recipe. Is there another oil that could be used in place of the palm shortening? I don’t have this ingredient. many thanks!
Hello Maggie,
I know of someone who tried with coconut oil and it turned out great! – Sophie
Sophie, I just made this focaccia for the 2nd time. It tastes excellent!!! However, both times it is still doughy in the center even though it’s nicely browned on the outside. The second time I baked it a little darker, but the center is still doughy. Do you know what I might be doing wrong?
Hello Deb,
No, you are not doing anything wrong 🙂 Cassava tends to be doughy, that’s why I added the coconut flour to “dry it up” a bit. Try reducing the heat a bit and cook it for a longer time. That should help. – Sophie
My friend has lupus, would she benifit from these recipes?
Yes! The Autoimmune Protocol is suitable for all types of autoimmune diseases. – Sophie
Ok, this recipe convinced me to buy your new book! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you liked it 🙂 – Sophie
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, Sophie. It’s become a staple in our home – we really love it!
You’ve helped make following AIP a whole lot easier and it’s much appreciated!
Thank you for the recipe. If you truly need to go nut free, I would not advise using products from Nutiva or Bob’s Red Mill, as they manufacture most of their products in facilities with other tree nuts. This can be really dangerous for true severe allergies. I have found GrainBrain makes an organic palm shortening product and they sell on amazon. Active Dry yeast is still a search. Sometimes going to non-organic places yields better results because of the major brands not being completely nut free.
I made this and it did not rise. And very hard to knead. Yes the yeast and water did foam. Should I add more water.
Hi Kathy!
Yep, baked goods just don’t rise on AIP. It has to do with the lack of gluten. The yeast in this recipe is more for the the taste than anything else. If the dough was really hard to knead, then yes I would suggest you add some water to the mix. – Sophie
I did something wrong. It looksvraw on the inside.
Hi, I am intolerant to nutritional yeast. Can I make this recipe without yeast and replace it with baking soda powder?
Thank you
Yes! You can skip the yeast and add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda! – Sophie
I made this for the first time today. It was easy to make (thank you for having the weights in your recipe book!) and easy to handle and I liked the taste. My only problem was, mine doesn’t have the same texture as yours. It is quite heavy and dense. Yours looks to have a much lighter texture. Any ideas? I followed the recipe to the letter, although I might have used a different brand of cassava. In any case, I’m loving your book!! 🙂