Cinnamon Roll Focaccia (Sourdough or yeast)
This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia uses either sourdough or yeast and yields a delicious sweet, tender treat. This focaccia is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, with ribbons of sweet brown sugar cinnamon throughout. You can add sweet Honeycrisp apples to this, blueberries and lemon zest, or even buttery pecans for a delicious flavor variation. The cinnamon roll focaccia is topped with a vanilla icing, that melts into all the nooks and crannies.
Focaccia is one of those breads that are practically foolproof. In my opinion, focaccia is a great bread to start with if you are just learning to bake bread. With that being said, it’s also great for experienced bakers, because the results are always to notch and delicious. I’ve always added savory toppings to focaccia (think rosemary and sea salt, cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs, caramelized onions and potatoes), until recently.
This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe combines the delicious bubbly, crispy on the outside, yet incredibly soft on the inside focaccia dough with the delightful cinnamon sugar swirls of a cinnamon roll. I made this Cinnamon Roll Focaccia with apples, and oh my word! It was sooo good! It would also be great with blueberries, lemon zest, or chopped pecans. This can be made as sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia, or you can use yeast to make it.
The Components
the dough
This focaccia dough can be made with either sourdough, or yeast dough. Both do 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 truly is wonderful.
The sourdough version is a bit easier than the yeast version in that the sourdough bread you literally just mix together the ingredients, cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise overnight.
The yeast bread does involve 3 coil folds. A coil fold is easy and takes maybe 30 seconds of time. All you need to do is scoop your hands under the dough, lift straight up until one end releases from the bowl, then gently lift back down to allow the loosened end to get tucked underneath (more on this fold and the details down below). Y
You do need to keep an eye on the time as you need to space the folds 20 minutes apart. After you fold the dough three times, it’s straight forward. The dough just needs covered to allow to rise overnight. The coil folds help provide strength in the dough’s structure, allowing for more air pockets.
the toppings
The classic cinnamon roll focaccia has a cinnamon brown sugar swirl throughout it. When I made this, I also added apples to the toppings. I highly, highly recommend adding the apples. They made this so, so delicious. Words can’t even describe how good it was!
Some other toppings that would be excellent, include blueberries (think blueberry cinnamon rolls), lemon zest (or you could even combine the lemon zest with the blueberries, for a lemon blueberry combo), or chopped pecans (for a sort of pecan sticky bun). Honestly the toppings are versatile, just make sure you have that delicious ribbon of cinnamon sugar swirled throughout.
Ingredients
Both the sourdough and yeast version of sourdough include staple ingredients: water, salt and flour. The flour for this is versatile. Typically for focaccia, I use bread flour as it has a stronger protein content and therefore can allow for better gluten formation, thus better formation of air pockets in the focaccia. However, since this is a sweet and tender focaccia, the all-purpose flour works just as well. You still get the formation of air pockets, with a slightly less chewy crumb.
The other ingredients in this include the brown sugar cinnamon mixture as well as whatever add-ins you want to include, like the apples, blueberries, lemon zest, or pecans.
Should I Use All-Purpose or Bread Flour?
This cinnamon roll 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 cinnamon roll focaccia as it does provide a more tender crumb. I prefer a more tender crumb for dessert type recipes.
What is a Coil Fold? (this is needed for the yeast version)
The focaccia bread that is made with yeast requires 3 coil folds. Don’t worry, a coil fold is crazy easy! It just requires a bit of time, because you need 20 minutes in between each coil fold, so it’s an hour total of time.
Before you do a coil fold, I recommend wetting your hands with water. This helps so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. It just makes it easier all around to fold the dough.
To perform a coil fold, scoop your hands underneath the dough, then lift up in the center straight up until one of the ends releases from the side of the bowl. Gently lay the dough back down in the bowl so that the end that released from the side of the bowl is underneath. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for 20 minutes before you perform another coil fold.
What Toppings Can I Add to This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia?
This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia is great with just the brown sugar cinnamon swirled throughout. However, it’s always fun to add a little extra flavor for special occasions.
My personal favorite addition is apples. I just love apples in baked goods. The apples in this get tender and soak up the flavor of the buttery brown sugar cinnamon. I’m hungry just thinking about it!
Other flavors that would be great for this cinnamon roll focaccia recipe include blueberries and lemon zest, chopped pecans and perhaps even some red raspberries. If you have a sweet tooth, you could consider adding chocolate chips. Truly, the flavor additions are endless. Most toppings should work. Just imagine it in a cinnamon roll. If it sounds like it would be good in a cinnamon roll, it would be good on this.
FAQ
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.
The temperature of your house makes 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 yeast recipe as well as the sourdough recipe has been plenty long enough, even during the cooler winter months.
This cinnamon roll focaccia recipe does not rely as heavily on the big bubbles as traditional focaccia. While you want air pockets and plenty of rise in the dough, you also want a dough that is more tender. I prefer a more tender dough with my sweet treats.
Here are a few other sourdough recipes I think you will love
Here are a few other cinnamon roll recipes you may enjoy
- Almond Croissant Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Peach Cinnamon Rolls
- Jumbo Cinnamon Rolls (like Cinnabon!)
Let me know what you thought!
If you make this Cinnamon Roll 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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Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
- Total Time: 12 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia uses either sourdough or yeast and yields a delicious sweet, tender treat. This focaccia is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, with ribbons of sweet brown sugar cinnamon throughout. You can add sweet Honeycrisp apples to this, or even buttery pecans for a delicious flavor variation. The cinnamon roll focaccia is topped with a vanilla icing, that melts into all the nooks and crannies.
Ingredients
YEAST FOCACCIA
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 3/4 cups water, warmed to 110F
- 5 1/2 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA
- 1/2 cup active starter (115 grams)
- 1 3/4 cups warm water (398 grams)
- 4 cups bread flour (490 grams)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (10 grams)
Cinnamon Roll Toppings
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Flavor Variations
- 1 medium Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 3/4 cup fresh blueberries
- zest of 1–2 lemons (depending on how much lemon flavor you want)
Icing
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. If you are using yeast, follow the instructions here up to step 4 (right after the dough is done rising).
If you are using sourdough, follow the instructions here, up to step 1 (right after the dough is done rising).
2. Pour 3 tablespoons of the melted, unsalted butter into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Use your hands or a brush to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Gently remove the dough from the bowl and place in pan. Drizzle 3 more tablespoons unsalted butter on top of the dough.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mixture over the focaccia dough. If you are adding a topping (such as chopped apples, pecans, blueberries, or lemon zest), sprinkle 3/4 of the topping over top of the brown sugar cinnamon.
Fold the dough, starting at the top, 1/3 of the way down. Grab the dough at the bottom, and fold the bottom, 1/3 of the way up and over top of the portion that you just folded, as if you were folding a letter.
Gently press/stretch the dough out to mostly fit the 9×13 inch pan.
Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over top of the dough. Sprinkle the remaining half of the brown sugar cinnamon mixture over top of the dough.
Add the remaining topping (apples, pecans, blueberries or lemon zest), if using, over top.
4. Cover pan with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise 2 hours at room temperature OR, turn oven on until the temperature reaches 100F. Once oven reaches this temperature, turn oven OFF. Place covered dough in warm oven and allow to rise for 1 hour. Remove from the oven.
5. Preheat oven to 425F.
6. Using the tips of your fingers, press into the dough to make indents in the dough.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown in color.
8. Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Spread/drizzle over the warm focaccia. Slice and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 20
- Focaccia Rise Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Breakfast/Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
