This is what you get if a cinnamon roll and a focaccia had a baby. Thick, tasty, sourdough focaccia bread baked with brown sugar and butter, then drizzled with cream cheese frosting. It tastes just as good as it sounds, you have to give this one a try!
❤️ Why You’ll Love Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
This is the fun and fluff of a cinnamon roll, but with a fraction of the effort. No rolling pins or softened butter in sight. Just the fun of focaccia with the deliciousness of a cinnamon roll.
🍲 Ingredients
Sourdough Starter – Active, bubbly starter that has been fed 6 – 8 hours prior to assembling the dough. This is what makes the bread rise.
Flour – This uses all purpose flour, with just touch of whole wheat to round out the flavor. But if you don’t have whole wheat flour you can use entirely all-purpose flour.
Honey – Usually focaccia calls for olive oil, but because this is a sweeter version we add honey instead.
Water – Filtered Water
Salt – I use pink Himalayan salt, but use whatever you have on hand.
👩🍳 Bakers Schedule for Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
In the morning, 10am: feed your starter
In the afternoon, 6pm: assemble your dough by mixing together all of your ingredients.
7pm: one stretch and fold to make your dough into a smooth ball. Cover and let rest overnight.
The next morning, 7am: Transfer your dough into an oiled dish (I use a small cast iron pan)
8:30 am: dimple the dough and bake.
9 am: When your focaccia is done baking, let it cool slightly then drizzle with cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- If you’re mixing your dough together in a stand mixer and it seems too wet to come together, let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then knead it until a smooth ball forms. This gives the gluten time to relax and come together.
- I like to use a smaller cast iron pan for this recipe, because I like thick focaccia bread. But if you want a thinner bread with more topping, use a 9×13 baking dish instead.
🗒 Variations
I’m excited to try other sweet/ dessert versions of this focaccia dough! and when I do, ya’ll will be the first to know! These are just a few I have in mind –
- Blueberry Lemon Focaccia
- White Chocolate Raspberry Focaccia.
- Chocolate Cake Focaccia.
🗒 Substitutions
If you don’t have any whole wheat flour on hand, you can use all – purpose for this recipe, or substitute with bread flour.
- Whole wheat flour, for all purpose flour.
🗒 Best served with
- Breakfast
- A cup of coffee
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Transfer your leftovers into an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
🤔 Common Questions
You can use an 8×8 dish instead! If you have a 9×13 pan, just know the focaccia won’t come out as thick.
Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Equipment
- dough whisk
- food scale
- Large Cast Iron
- bowl cover/ tea towel
- Sauce pan
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 100 grams bubbly, active starter
- 360 grams filtered water
- 25 grams honey
- 450 grams all purpose flour
- 50 grams whole wheat flour
- 9 grams salt
Cinnamon Topping
- 6 tbs butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup half and half
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- In the morning, feed your starter.
- In the afternoon when your starter has doubled and is bubbly, assemble your dough. In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer) whisk together your starter, water and honey until the starter is fully dissolved and a milky liquid forms.
- Add in your flour and salt and mix until a cohesive dough forms.
- (If you're using a stand mixer, the dough might seem wet. If it's too wet to handle, let it rest for 10 minutes in the bowl to let the gluten relax)
- Cover and let rest for one hour.
- After resting, perform one stretch and fold to smooth out the dough. Then cover with a damp towel or bowl cover and leave it to bulk ferment on the counter overnight for 12 hours.
- In the morning, coat your baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer your dough into the oiled baking dish and flip the dough over so its coated in the oil. Cover with a damp towel for 1 -2 hours until its puffy.
- While the dough is doubling, make your cinnamon roll toppings.
- First, melt butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small sauce pan until the the sugar and butter are fully incorporated. Let it cool.
- Second, in another sauce pan over low heat, melt down the cream cheese, cream, and maple syrup. Use an immersion blender to make sure all of the ingredients are fully combined.
- Preheat your oven to 425. When your dough is nice and puffy, oil the tips of your fingers and dimple the top of the dough. Spoon the brown sugar butter mixture over the stop and bake for 20 minutes.
- Let the bread cool slightly and then pour the cream cheese directly over the warm focaccia. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before slicing and enjoy!
So easy and so yummy!!! It’s not as sweet as a cinnamon roll would be but still such a yum treat!
This came out amazing!
What size baking dish should be used?
It depends on how thick you like your focaccia but I use our smaller cast iron for a thick bread. But if you like a thinner, crispier bread than you can use a 9×9 or even 9×13 pan.
What size cast iron do you think?
I use a small cast iron, but any cast iron will do 🙂
Yessssss!! I’m so happy with how this turned out. To each there own, but I definitely find this sweet enough. This is going into my recipe cards for sure!
I’m so glad! Thank you so much 🙂
Delicious and easy to make! So soft and just the right amount of sweet! Can’t wait to make it again!
Delicious! My true critic (8 year old son) gave it a thumbs up! I did add a shake of cinnamon when mixing up the dough.
What can I use if I don’t have half n half? Don’t really want to buy it for one recipe if I don’t have to
you can use milk or whole whipping cream instead.
what is the best way to keep this? On the counter or fridge?
This is so yummy! Do you have conversions to cups for the ingredients. I know they can vary based on what the density of each ingredient is!
Love the focaccia recipe but it made a way bigger loaf than I expected! I used an extra deep dish 9’ round pan and it was at least 3 inches thick still! I will say, the frosting isn’t my favorite. I couldn’t taste the cream cheese at all even when it was only cream cheese and H&H before anything else was added. Overall though I love the recipe and will def be making it again! The crust on the bread was INCREDIBLE
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you for the feedback <3
Delicious but I see you have nutrition listed and don’t see for what Portion size.
This is a keeper for our family! I have made it in a square cast iron skillet and a sheet pan. I loved the crust in the skillet but it’s a really thick loaf. I prefer the depth of the sheet pan. I absolutely love the frosting. I used heavy whipping cream but a little less than what’s called for. The maple syrup just really gives it a nice flavor!!
I’m so glad your whole family enjoys this recipe! <3
This was absolutely fabulous! I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so delicious. In my opinion, it is the perfect level of sweetness. I do not enjoy food that is overly sweet, but obvs cinnamon-roll anything needs to be sweet at some level, and this was a perfection. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the kind works and review <3
Can you use discard ?
Unfortunately, no. Active bubbly starter is how the focaccia will rise.
Can you leave the dough in the fridge for longer than 12 hours?
Absolutely!
Time got away from me and I won’t be able to bake it after 12hrs of bf. Can I put it in the fridge at 12 hrs and bake later on?
Yes, just make sure it’s covered in the fridge and the baking time will take a little longer since it will be cold.
This was incredible! Made it in a 9X13 and didn’t do the glaze. My little girls and I just devoured half the pan. Will make again for sure!
Have not made yet, but am planning to! To make this for an after dinner treat, when would you suggest starting?
Am I missing powdered sugar from the cream cheese topping? Bc this cream cheese and loads of liquid are resembling nothing like a frosting
I don’t care for powdered sugar so I don’t use it in my icing. If you prefer it sweeter definitely add it. 🙂
Ive now made this a few times so here is my feedback. Mine gets to be WAY too big for a cast iron or pie dish. I have to put in 9×13 and it’s still 2.5 inches high but is no longer boiling over and making my oven a mess! This also helps with icing distribution! 🙂 I also skip the half and half in the icing. There seems to be plenty without it and it has a stronger maple and cream cheese flavor and sets up nicely. All that to say, it has been DELICIOUS every time!
So delicious!! Fluffy, sweet, gooey, and perfect. Will definitely be making again! Didn’t have cream cheese on hand so substituted equal parts plain greek yogurt and was great! Tangy and sweet!
Would Einkorn AP and whole wheat work or would bread flour be a better substitution? Ty!
I think bread flour! 🙂
This turned out amazing! Such an easy recipe too! I used a 9×13 pan and doubled the toppings.
Making it for the second time in a month. It’s our cheat day!
I did a 9×9 and the texture to me was perfect. It was that perfect chewy, crispy texture. Sweetest was perfect if you don’t like it overly sweet😉. My husband is like this and he said the ratio is perfect!
Thanks for the recipe. Next month I’m going to try the chocolate sourdough loaf😋
Looking forward to trying this recipe but I have one question on step 7. Do you coat your dish in olive oil or honey for this recipe? Blog post says honey in place of olive oil but recipe instructions call for olive oil.
Hi! Thank you for asking, drizzle the dish in a bit of olive oil before letting it rise. But in the actual dough, use honey for sweetness.
This is SO delicious thank you! and the steps are so easy to follow the way you laid it out. the second time i made it i sauteed some diced apples in cinnamon and some maple syrup and butter and added that to the topping to make it like an apple fritter foccacia. delicious!!!! and it freezes really well, i cut it into individual pieces and freeze in ziplocks or vaccumn seal bags and then reheat in the oven and its delish.
I’ve shared this with many friends!
This makes my whole day, thank you for sharing these tips, tricks and encouraging words. I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe <33
I just have AP flour on hand, is the whole flour a must, or can I add 50 g more of AP flour?
you can definitely add all AP flour!
This is amazing! I actually divided it into two and made one sweet and one savory!! This time around I made the dough a little earlier in the day… can I put it in the fridge till morning? So fridge the whole time or just anything more than 12 hours?
The icing is like soup even though it is at room temperature right now. Is it supposed to be that thin? Is there a way to thicken it?
Hmmm that doesn’t sound right. I would start over with the icing.
I don’t have a cast iron. Could I use a glass baking dish or aluminum foil pan?
Yes! 9×13 of either one will work. I hope you love it 🙂
Has anyone made this ahead and froze it?
Can gluten free bread flour be used for this recipe?
I’ve never tried, but if you do – let me know how it goes!
At what point would I put this in the fridge if I’m prepping ahead of time? Thank you!!! Wanting to make this for my friend’s baby shower
After the bulk fermentation then put it in your pan, cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and put it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. I hope they love it!
This turned out DELICIOUS. I halved the recipe and made it in a 7×11 glass dish. In addition to the butter mixture, I sprinkled cinnamon/sugar over the whole thing before baking. Perfection! Thank you!
Such a delicious breakfast (or any time) treat!