Almond Croissant Focaccia

This Almond Croissant Focaccia is inspired by the famous French bakery almond croissants. Bubbly focaccia is stuffed with a rich, gooey frangipane filling, then topped with more frangipane filling and lots of thinly sliced almonds. After baking the focaccia is brushed with an almond simple syrup and dusted with powdered sugar. This focaccia makes your entire kitchen smell like a French bakery. Make this almond croissant focaccia with sourdough or yeast focaccia for a delicious breakfast or brunch treat.

The famous Almond Croissants are one of my favorite breakfast or brunch treats. And, if you know me, you know I love to make everything from scratch. Certainly store bought croissants are good, but homemade croissants, fresh from the oven will always be superior. Well making croissants from home can be a very time consuming task, and one you won’t see me doing any time soon. My kids keep me busy!

This Almond Croissant Focaccia combines everything you love about almond croissants into an easy focaccia bread recipe. Delicious frangipane filling is stuffed inside bubbly focaccia, and layered on top of the focaccia. Thinly sliced almonds are generously sprinkled over the focaccia before baking. The almonds get toasted in the oven which really adds to their flavor! After baking, the focaccia is brushed with an almond simple syrup for even more almond flavor and sprinkled, of course, with plenty of powdered sugar.

I cannot tell you how much I love this almond croissant focaccia. It is probably my favorite twist on focaccia I’ve made. It makes your entire kitchen smell like a French bakery. This recipe is easy, straight forward, and the results are absolutely delicious!

Make this Almond Croissant Focaccia with Sourdough or Yeast

This focaccia dough can be made with either sourdough, or yeast dough. The sourdough version does need to rise overnight. I know, I know, if you are like me, you want things quickly (because my 4 kids keep me busy much of the time). However, the overnight rise, honestly is great. If you remember to plan ahead, the key being remember, haha, an overnight rise allows for you to do the bulk rising time while you sleep, then you can bake the focaccia fresh in the morning when you wake up.

The yeast version is included in this recipe and is actually fairly fast. The overall rise time is about 2 1/2 hours, which is fast for focaccia. It’s easy and straightforward and allows for you to not have to plan ahead.

Should I Use All-Purpose or Bread Flour?

This almond croissant focaccia can use either a bread flour or all-purpose flour. The bread flour will provide for a stronger gluten network, thanks to the higher protein content. This results in a more bubbly, airy focaccia dough that has a bit of a chewy texture (but trust me, it’s not too chewy. It’s not like a bagel).

The all-purpose flour will still allow for air bubble formation, they just won’t be as large. All-purpose flour provides a more tender crumb with less of a chewy texture.

Honestly, this is a personal preference. I’ve used both bread and all-purpose flour for the focaccia, and both produce really good results. I think I would probably choose the all-purpose flour for this almond croissant focaccia as it does provide a more tender crumb. I prefer a more tender crumb for dessert type recipes.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator the day before you plan to eat them.

FAQ

can i use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast?

Yes, you may use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast in a one to one ratio. Just make sure you add the active dry yeast to the warm water. Whisk to combine, then allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the surface of the mixture is frothy in appearance and you can smell the yeast.

How do I make sourdough starter?

I have a super easy sourdough starter recipe here. It is a no discard sourdough starter recipe and is great for beginners and experts alike.

What if my dough doesn’t get super puffy? Focaccia bread is known for it’s big air pockets.

Both the sourdough recipe and the yeast recipe included in this recipe have a high hydration dough. This means that there is a lot of water in proportion to the flour. This high amount of water allows for the dough to get big, bubbly air pockets.

In terms of the dough rising, the temperature of your house can make a huge difference. I notice a big difference in my dough rising temperatures during the winter time versus the summer time. During the winter, my dough rises much slower. The cooler environment as well as the lower humidity create an environment that isn’t as ideal for the dough to rise as during the summer.

You may have to add additional time for rising during the cooler winter months. Dough is one of those baking recipes that just takes time to get used to. Once you bake a few focaccia recipes and understand how your dough should look, you’ll begin to understand when the dough is just right. With that being said, I have found that the overnight rise for the sourdough recipe has been plenty long enough, even during the cooler winter months.

For the yeast recipe, I like to turn my oven on and allow it to heat until it reaches 100F. Once it reaches this temperature, I turn the oven off. I place my covered dough in the warm oven. This provides a nice, warm place for the dough to rise.

Here are a few other sourdough recipes I think you will love

• Sourdough Cinnamon Bread
• EASY No Discard Sourdough Starter

Here are a few other brunch recipes you may enjoy

• Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls
• Jumbo Blueberry Muffins
• Banana Nut Muffins
• Peach Cinnamon Rolls
• Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls (like Cinnabon!)

Let me know what you thought!

If you make this Almond Croissant Focaccia, let me know what you thought in the ratings and comments below. I absolutely love reading all of your comments! Also, make sure to snap a picture and tag me @simplebakingwithpep on instagram. It truly makes my day to see all of your wonderful creations.

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