Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
If you’re a fan of both sourdough bread and cinnamon rolls, then you’re going to love this Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Focaccia! It combines the chewy, slightly tangy goodness of sourdough with the sweet, spiced filling of cinnamon rolls, all baked into the flat, fluffy goodness of focaccia. The result? A sweet twist on a classic cinnamon roll! This dessert-style focaccia is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an indulgent afternoon treat.
What You’ll Need
Ingredients:
Active Sourdough Starter: 100g
Water: 360g
Honey: 25g
Bread Flour: 450g
Whole Wheat Flour: 50g
Salt: 9g
Oil: 2T (for baking dish)
Cinnamon Topping:
Butter: 75g (melted)
Brown Sugar: 85g
Cinnamon: 3g
Vanilla Icing:
Confectioners Sugar: 125g
Heavy Cream/Milk/Water: 45g
Vanilla Extract: 3g
Equipment:
Kitchen Scale
Mixing Bowls
Bowl Cover - reusable, plastic wrap, or tea towel
Mixing Utensils
9x13 Baking Dish or Large Cast Iron Skillet
Cooling Rack
Step-by-Step Instructions
Feed your starter
Depending on your schedule you can either feed your starter in the morning or the night before you plan to bake.
The key is to create enough starter to use for the recipe and to have some left over.
When I plan to bake I feed a 1:2:2 early in the morning or 1:3:3 ratio the night before I bake. You can feed a 1:1:1 if you are in a pinch and need your starter to rise quickly. Read my Understanding Starter Feed blog for more information on this!
Your starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are lots of bubbles on the sides of the jar and big bubbles on the surface.
Here’s a feeding example: 15g starter + 45g flour + 45g water = 105g starter. You’ll have roughly 5g left over after making this recipe.
Mix the Dough
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together starter, water, and honey until the stater dissolves and a milky liquid forms.
Add flour and salt and mix until a cohesive dough forms.
Autolyse
Cover and rest for 1 hour.
Stretch & Folds
Stretch and fold the dough to smooth out the dough. I typically do 18-20 stretch and folds.
Bulk Fermentation
After the stretch and folds lightly oil the top of your reusable cover or plastic wrap.
Cover dough and ferment for 12 hours on your counter/table.
Second Rise
Oil your baking dish and transfer your dough into the baking dish.
Flip the dough so both sides get coated in oil from the baking dish.
It’s okay if the dough does not fill the baking dish completely at this stage. You can stretch and spread the dough a little bit to fill the baking dish if you’d like, but it will expand during the second rise.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. I use a sheet pan to over my baking dish.
Make your Cinnamon Topping
Melt the butter in a bowl with a microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
Add brown sugar and cinnamon, mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Let it cool.
Make your Vanilla Icing
Weigh out the confectioners sugar and then sift the sugar into a mixing bowl.
Whisk in the heavy cream/milk/water and vanilla extract. Heavy Cream and milk will make a thicker, richer icing. If you want to use water but still want a thick icing, add a little more confectioners sugar.
Preheat your Oven
Preheat oven to 425°F
Prepare & Bake the Focaccia
Once your focaccia is bubbly and puffy, oil the tips of your fingers and dimple the top of the dough. Be careful not to pop those beautiful bubbles as you go!
Spoon the cinnamon topping over the top of the dough
Bake for 20-22 minutes.
Cool & Enjoy
Carefully remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool slightly.
Pour or spoon the vanilla icing over top of the warm focaccia
Let it sit and cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Storage:
At room temperature - 1 to 2 days in an airtight container
In the refrigerator - up to a week wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or foil, or placed it in an airtight container. While refrigeration will keep it fresh for up to a week, it may slightly dry out the bread. To help with this, reheat slices in the microwave or wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven for a few minutes to restore softness.
Reheating:
Microwave: If you're in a hurry, heat individual slices in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften the icing and warm the bread.
Oven: For a slightly crispier texture on the outside, wrap the focaccia in foil and reheat it at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes.
Conclusion
This Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Focaccia is a fun, creative twist on two classics. It’s soft, sweet, and utterly delicious, making it the perfect treat for any occasion. Whether you’re a seasoned sourdough baker or just looking to try something new, this recipe is sure to become a favorite in your baking repertoire. Happy baking!
Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Ingredients
- Active Sourdough Starter: 100g
- Water: 360g
- Honey: 25g
- Bread Flour: 450g
- Whole Wheat Flour: 50g
- Salt: 9g
- Oil: 2T (for baking dish)
- Butter: 75g (melted)
- Brown Sugar: 85g
- Cinnamon: 3g
- Confectioners Sugar: 125g
- Heavy Cream/Milk/Water: 45g
- Vanilla Extract: 3g
Instructions
- Depending on your schedule you can either feed your starter in the morning or the night before you plan to bake.
- The key is to create enough starter to use for the recipe and to have some left over.
- When I plan to bake I feed a 1:2:2 early in the morning or 1:3:3 ratio the night before I bake. You can feed a 1:1:1 if you are in a pinch and need your starter to rise quickly. Read my Understanding Starter Feed blog for more information on this!
- Your starter is ready to use when it has doubled in size and there are lots of bubbles on the sides of the jar and big bubbles on the surface.
- Here’s a feeding example: 15g starter + 45g flour + 45g water = 105g starter. You’ll have roughly 5g left over after making this recipe.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together starter, water, and honey until the stater dissolves and a milky liquid forms.
- Add flour and salt and mix until a cohesive dough forms.
- Cover and rest for 1 hour.
- Stretch and fold the dough to smooth out the dough. I typically do 18-20 stretch and folds.
- After the stretch and folds lightly oil the top of your reusable cover or plastic wrap.
- Cover dough and ferment for 12 hours on your counter/table.
- Oil your baking dish and transfer your dough into the baking dish.
- Flip the dough so both sides get coated in oil from the baking dish.
- It’s okay if the dough does not fill the baking dish completely at this stage. You can stretch and spread the dough a little bit to fill the baking dish if you’d like, but it will expand during the second rise.
- Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. I use a sheet pan to over my baking dish.
- Melt the butter in a bowl with a microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
- Add brown sugar and cinnamon, mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Let it cool.
- Weigh out the confectioners sugar and then sift the sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Whisk in the heavy cream/milk/water and vanilla extract. Heavy Cream and milk will make a thicker, richer icing. If you want to use water but still want a thick icing, add a little more confectioners sugar.
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Once your focaccia is bubbly and puffy, oil the tips of your fingers and dimple the top of the dough. Be careful not to pop those beautiful bubbles as you go!
- Spoon the cinnamon topping over the top of the dough
- Bake for 20-22 minutes.
- Carefully remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool slightly.
- Pour or spoon the vanilla icing over top of the warm focaccia
- Let it sit and cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage:
- At room temperature - 1 to 2 days in an airtight container
- In the refrigerator - up to a week wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or foil, or placed it in an airtight container. While refrigeration will keep it fresh for up to a week, it may slightly dry out the bread. To help with this, reheat slices in the microwave or wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven for a few minutes to restore softness.
- Reheating:
- Microwave: If you're in a hurry, heat individual slices in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften the icing and warm the bread.
- Oven: For a slightly crispier texture on the outside, wrap the focaccia in foil and reheat it at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes.
