Bruschetta…deconstructed!

This recipe is pretty special. It’s simple, summery, colourful and …gluten free. Yup, gluten free crispy baked bruschetta chunks. Simply moreish!

This recipe was inspired by a meal I had with a friend one lunch time a couple of weekends ago. I’m actually rather disappointed that I didn’t take a photo of my ‘bruschetta salad’ starter because my own version of the recipe is spot on, actually it may be even better than the starter I had at the restaurant and its gluten free to boot!

I took the principle of my super simple GF flatbread recipe, once cooked I ripped the flatbreads into rough chunks, lightly coated with a little olive oil and then double baked them. Soooo crispy…so much so that I actually had full on jaw ache by the ache of this bowlful (note: bake for slightly shorter time if you want a slightly less crispy crouton!!)

I used large rings of red onion, ribbons of courgette, peppers and tomatoes as these are my favourite summer salad vegetables and made the perfect colour combo for this dish, but you can vary the veg however you like. Basil and tomato are the traditional bruschetta toppings so don’t skimp in them! I only used a small handful of tomatoes and would have used more for the lovely roasted oozy sweetness they give, but I was running low on supplies at the time.

This salad would make a perfect change from traditional bruschetta and would make a great starter or lunch. Also fab baked as a big batch for a bbq party and tossed onto a large bowl…the vibrant colours and chunks of  crispy crouton will be a hit with everyone…no-one would guess its gluten free!

For more simple gluten free breads see this focaccia bread or this 10-minute pizza.

Recipe: Bruschetta salad

Serves 1-2

Ingredients

½ red onion- sliced into rings

½ courgette- sliced into ribbons

½ medium pepper- sliced thinly

Large handful of cherry tomatoes

1 tbs tomato puree

1 tbs olive oil

½ tsp dried mixed herbs

¼ tsp garlic salt

Fresh basil to garnish

Flatbread (makes two ):

100g gluten free self-raising flour mix*

½ tsp mixed dried herbs

1 tbs ground chia or flax

75g soy yoghurt (or other yoghurt)

25ml water

Pinch salt

1 tbs nutritional yeast (optional)

Method

To make the flatbread, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl to form a soft dough, form two small or one larger flat pattie with hands and then place on a lined baking sheet and bake at 180C for approx. 15 minutes until just cooked.

Meanwhile prepare vegetables and combine with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl to coat well .

Allow baked flatbread to cool slightly and then rip into small rough edged pieces, lightly brush  all over with olive oil (I used approx. 2 tsp worth) and then place back on the baking sheet. Arrange vegetables in an even layer on a separate baking sheet and placed both trays  in the oven for a further 10 minutes or until ‘croutons’ are crisp and vegetables are lightly roasted but still juicy.

Toss together and serve immediately.

golden crispy croutons freshly baked!

* for further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.