Easy Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
This easy sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia is absolutely delicious. Filled with cinnamon and sugar, and glazed with a light and fluffy cream cheese frosting, this bread is perfect to enjoy any time of the year.
Equipment
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring cups
- 1 Danish whisk
- 1 Bench scraper
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 12" Cast-iron skillet or 9" x 13" baking dish
- 1 parchment paper
Ingredients
- ½ cup sourdough starter (discard)
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 ½ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
Filling
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 Tbl. cinnamon
- ½ cup melted butter
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Mix Ingredients
- In a large bowl, add water, sourdough starter, maple syrup and flour.
- Mix until it comes together into a shaggy dough using a danish dough whisk.
- You can add the salt now, or when you do the first stretch and fold. It doesn’t really matter for focaccia.
- Leave it for 15-30 minutes to “autolyse”. This just means you’re giving the flour a chance to absorb the water and the starter.
- Do one set of stretch and folds or a coil fold just to make sure the ingredients are well mixed.
Bulk Fermentation
- Cover bowl with a loose fitting lid like a plate.
- Leave it in the bowl at room temperature for 3-8 hours to let the dough rise in a bulk ferment. It doesn’t matter if it over ferments, in fact, that’s really what you want for focaccia. I oftentimes let the dough ferment overnight, and bake it the next morning.
Make The Filling
- Combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Melt butter and grease the bottom of the pan, saving about half of the butter for the top of the dough.
- Transfer dough to the prepared pan. I like to use a 12” cast iron skillet or a 9 x 13-inch pan.
- Cover the focaccia dough with half of the brown sugar/cinnamon filling. Fold one side towards the center, and the other side towards the center, fully enclosing the filling. Flip the whole batch of dough over and gently spread it back out.
- Allow the dough to do its second rise for an hour or two in a warm spot (depending on the temperature of your house). You can also do the second proof in the refrigerator if you don't want to bake it right away.
- Drizzle melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top.
- Dimple the surface of the dough with wet hands and spread it out towards the edges of the pan (see video). This will allow the rest of the filling to be fully incorporated into the dough.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bake
- Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Glaze
- Combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl to make a thick glaze and drizzle over the top of the warm focaccia.
Slice and Enjoy
- For best results, wait until the focaccia is cool to slice. Sometimes I can’t wait that long, and slice it sooner. You’ll never eat anything more delicious!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- If you make this recipe, be sure to come back and give a 5-star rating so others will know to try it too. Happy baking friends!
Notes
Simple and easy to make, this is one of my family’s favorite fall treats that I can make with minimal effort. Similar to my artisan sourdough bread, this recipe is perfect for a batch of sourdough that may have accidentally gotten over-fermented. If that happens to you, as it does to all of us sometimes, just turn it into a delicious focaccia.
