This yeast risen Keto focaccia is truly fabulous. And each slice has just 2g net carbs.
Greetings 👋
I heard a funny question yesterday. The question is “If you had to give up bread or human touch, for the rest of your life, which would it be?” And I’ll be honest, I had to really think about it. Bread is... just so good.
And so many people start out on a low carb diet thinking that they are saying good bye to "real" bread forever.
But I’ve got some good news.
Real low carb yeast bread is possible. You just need a little ingenuity and few specialty ingredients to make it. So far on the blog, I’ve shared yeast bread recipes for white sandwich bread, Farmer’s bread, ciabatta, and rye bread. And today, I give you…KETO FOCACCIA!
💬 Keto Dieters Often Ask
Traditional focaccia made with grain flour has about 210 calories for a 3oz 4x4-inch square. It is neither a high-calorie or a low-calorie food. It just kind of straddles the middle. But if you dip it in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then it brings the calorie count up to 330 calories.
The same 4x4-inch slice of traditionally made focaccia has 38g of carbohydrates and 1g of fiber, so 37g of net carbs. It is officially a high-carb food, but fear not. The Keto Focaccia that we are going to make today only has 2g net carbs.
Focaccia is a decadent yeasted flatbread. It is made like a pizza dough, but with more yeast, so it is a fluffier bread. It is also usually punctured, so it retains more moisture than other flatbreads. And it is usually topped with herbs and olive oil which gives it a lovely flavor.
The sky is the limit when it comes to toppings. Rosemary is the most common topping, but you can use dried herbs like basil, thyme, and oregano as well. Olives are a classic topping, as are fresh or sun-dried tomatoes. Pesto, parmesan, garlic, raw or caramelized onions are all good options.
So let's make some Keto flatbread!
🥣 Ingredients
- Warm (70-100 degree) Water- It is important that the water not be too hot or too cold. It should feel like bath water.
- Sugar- Don't panic when you see sugar on the ingredient list. The sugar will be converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide in the fermentation process so the carbohydrates will be canceled out.
- Quick-rise Yeast- While you technically don't have to proof quick-rise yeast, I always do it anyway. If it is going to fail, you want to know about it before wasting the expensive ingredients. If the yeast and water mixture doesn't foam, then throw it out and buy more yeast.
- Oat Fiber- Again, regular oats aren't Keto, but there is no call for concern. This isn't oat flour. Oat fiber is made from the fibrous husk of the oat and is very low in net carbohydrates.
- Vital Wheat Gluten- This is the secret ingredient to low carb yeast bread. It replaces the natural gluten in grain flour so you get a nice chewy pull to your bread.
- Lupin Flour- This is a low carb flour made from Sweet Lupin Beans. The bean is a legume though, so don't eat this flour if you are allergic to peanuts.
- Baking Powder- It may contain cornstarch, so read labels. To make your own low carb baking powder mix together 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar.
- Kosher or Table Salt- Either one is fine in the bread dough.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- You can get fancy with your olive oil, or not. It's an easy way to spend a lot of money, but regular store brand olive oil works perfectly well.
- Fresh Rosemary- You can use fresh or dried rosemary, but fresh will be more flavorful.
- Coarse Sea Salt- This is another ingredient that you can get fancy with if you like. This is the salt on top of the Keto Focaccia, so it'll be tasted more than the salt inside the bread.
📖 Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together sugar, yeast, and warm water. Cover and set aside until bubbly, 5-7 minutes. If the mixture doesn't bubble, then the yeast is dead and you need to start again with fresh yeast.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together oat fiber, vital wheat gluten, lupin flour, baking powder, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
- You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or use a wooden spoon and your hands to knead the dough. Once the yeast mixture is bubbly, slowly mix it into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or a bread hook. Slowly mix in ¼ cup olive oil. Mix until no dry spots remain and dough forms one mass.
- Knead or mix on low with the bread hook for 5 minutes. The dough should be rather wet. If it is still stringy and doesn't easily form a ball, add more warm water, by the tablespoon, until it does.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large (11 inch) cast iron pan and grease all sides with it.
- Form the dough into a ball by folding it under the sides. Place the dough into the cast iron pan. Flatten the ball into an approximately 8-inch disk. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the dough.
- Cover the pan with a cloth towel and set it aside to rise for 60-90 minutes until the dough reaches the sides of the pan.
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Use the handle end of a wooden spoon or knife to press indentations into the dough, about 1 inch apart. Press until the utensil hits the bottom of the pan. Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the dough.
- Sprinkle rosemary and coarse sea salt over the dough.
- Bake until the top is medium brown and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F, 10-15 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan and cool on a rack for 30 minutes before cutting.
So that's that, then.
Focaccia is surprisingly easy to make at home and works really well as the base for gourmet sandwiches. Who can say no to this yeasty low carb bread with a crusty exterior and tender interior with a great chewy pull? I’m getting hungry just mulling over the possibilities.
Alright, time for me to make another batch of Keto focaccia.
📋 Recipe
Fabulous Keto Focaccia
This yeast risen Keto focaccia is truly fabulous. And each slice has just 2g net carbs.
- Prep Time: 90
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Diabetic
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups warm (70-100 degree) water
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar*
- 1 envelope (2 ¼ teaspoons) quick-rise yeast
- ½ cup oat fiber
- 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten
- ¾ cup lupin flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil for bread dough
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil for pan
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- coarse sea salt, to taste
Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together sugar, yeast, and warm water. Cover and set aside until bubbly, 5-7 minutes. If the mixture doesn't bubble, then the yeast is dead and you need to start again with fresh yeast.
Step 2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together oat fiber, vital wheat gluten, lupin flour, baking powder, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
Step 3. You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or use a wooden spoon and your hands to knead the dough. Once the yeast mixture is bubbly, slowly mix it into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or a bread hook. Slowly mix in ¼ cup olive oil. Mix until no dry spots remain and dough forms one mass.
Step 4. Knead or mix on low with the bread hook for 5 minutes. The dough should be rather wet. If it is still stringy and doesn't easily form a ball, add more warm water, by the tablespoon, until it does.
Step 5. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large (11 inch) cast iron pan and grease all sides with it.
Step 6. Form the dough into a ball by folding it under the sides. Place the dough into the cast iron pan. Flatten the ball into an approximately 8-inch disk. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the dough.
Step 7. Cover the pan with a cloth towel and set it aside to rise for 60-90 minutes until the dough reaches the sides of the pan.
Step 8. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
Step 9. Use the handle end of a wooden spoon or knife to press indentations into the dough, about 1 inch apart. Press until the utensil hits the bottom of the pan. Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top of the dough.
Step 10. Sprinkle rosemary and coarse sea salt over the dough.
Step 11. Bake until the top is medium brown and the internal temperature reaches 200 degrees F, 10-15 minutes.
Step 12. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan and cool on a rack for 30 minutes before cutting.
Notes
*The sugar will be converted to alcohol and carbon dioxide in the fermentation process so the carbohydrates are canceled out. The sugar has been left out of the nutritional info.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 162
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 8
- Protein: 13
Keywords: low carb focaccia, keto focaccia, low carb rosemary focaccia, keto rosemary focaccia
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michelle says
first and foremost this is NOT a keto recipe!! keto recipes require no gluten and vital wheat gluten is exactly that! it is gluten! there is no point in using gluten free flours if you are going to put vital wheat gluten in the recipe which is NOT gluten free. I hope the people that read this recipe realize this. before they make this bread. and you sabotage their keto journey.
Emily Krill says
Ok. I obviously disagree with these (awfully rude) comments. But I will say this: there are no set-in-stone rules for the Keto diet. I’ve certainly never heard that it is gluten-free, and I am a keto food blogger with hundreds of recipes. So I ask that you go ruin someone else’s day.
Cat says
Hi, I want to make this, but I don't have a cast iron pan. Can I just use a regular baking pan instead? Would that work? Also, could I just sprinkle regular salt on top? If so, how much would you put on top? Thank you.
Emily Krill says
Sure, you can use a regular pan. A cookie sheet will work. And just salt it to taste like you would any other food. Just a couple shakes.
Sheila says
Hi,
I didn't achieve the shiny, chewy looking appearance of your photos.
The holes mostly disappeared. It's cooling now and looks more like cornbread. The dough was strangely gelatinous and wouldn't form a ball. I dislike the flavor of lupin so I used almond flour in its place. As it was mixing I added more almond flour to get it to be more cohesive. Is there a better sub for lupin flour? Aside from subbing almond flour I followed your recipe all the way through. It smells amazing and buttery!
Sam says
While I am not the author, from personal baking experience almond flour would not be a good substitute. It is far more crumbly and absorbs moisture differently than lupin does. You may be able to substitute with coconut flour, but again it also absorbs moisture a lot differently and at the end of the day, baking is a science.
Rachel says
This tasted just like the real thing! THANK YOU!! My husband loved it too.
★★★★★
Emily Krill says
Yay! Happy to pass the husband test.