Whoa. This one is just so so GOOD. I happened to see something about a sweet focaccia recipe trend when I was scrolling around on social media last week and if I didn’t just spring straight into my kitchen to see if I still had active yeast. Whew. Guys, believe me when I tell you two things: 1. This is incredibly delicious, and 2. It’s easy to make. We’re talking a foolproof no-knead focaccia recipe that will win hearts and steal all of the scenes.
This sweet focaccia recipe will change the way you think about this wonderfully iconic Italian bread. It’s not just for olive oil and rosemary anymore friends. Nope, a maple-scented cinnamon streusel and buttery brown sugar filling make themselves right at home in this soft, pillowy dough. If you’re into it – be sure to give this a try, and also maybe peek at my best ever banana bread and this coffee cake (which inspired the focaccia as well). I’ve got a carrot bread and a raspberry bread as well that are deserving of your attention, too, I think.
What you need to know about this sweet focaccia recipe with maple cinnamon streusel
For starters, when I was a kid I declared once to an aisle’s worth of unassuming shoppers in the grocery store that I was going to start a bakery called “Streusel” when I grew up. Didn’t happen, clearly, but I do still carry a big affection for the stuff. It’s one of the best parts of this sweet focaccia recipe, as it crowns the fluffy, tender loaf with the most heavenly scented crumble coating that is downright addicting.
Okay anyway. The bread recipe base is my go-to no-knead focaccia which I’ve been making forever and ever. It’s as easy as focaccia gets (unless you’re making the one from my cookbook, Homemade-ish, where we just use a ball of store-bought pizza dough).
- It just uses all-purpose flour, no need to go roust up some bread flour for it.
- We use active dry yeast, no instant rise yeast (this is notable, here’s the difference between the two)
- The brown sugar cinnamon filling and the maple cinnamon-brown sugar streusel are VERY similar things, but they behave differently, and each kind of go their own way when all is said and done. Baking is crazy cool that way.
- You could totally change up the spice profile of our sweet focaccia recipe if you like. Add some ground ginger, cloves, black pepper, and cardamom for a real masala chai vibe. That’s be incredible, too.
Storage Tips For our Sweet Focaccia Recipe
This bread is best enjoyed the day it’s made (within the first hour, to be honest). But it will keep when well covered at room temperature for a couple of days. You can freeze any remaining bread for up to 2 months as well.
What you’ll need to make this sweet focaccia recipe
- 1 packet of active dry yeast
- 1.5 cups lukewarm water (between 98 and 105 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 5 to 5.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (2 tablespoons if using Diamond crystal)
- Olive oil for the bowl and pan
For the brown sugar-cinnamon filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the maple cinnamon streusel
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 8 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
For the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup half and half, or as needed (milk also works)
- Vanilla bean paste/extract, to taste (optional)
how to make this sweet focaccia recipe with cinnamon maple streusel
- Whisk together the yeast, lukewarm water, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in a large bowl. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
- To the bloomed yeast mixture, add the flour and salt and stir with a spatula until it all comes together in a smooth dough. You can add a little more flour as needed until it’s just come together. Oil a large bowl and put the focaccia dough in to proof in a warm-ish place for 3 to 4 hours or until visibly doubled in size.Â
- Meanwhile, get out two medium sized bowls. In one, mix together the brown-sugar cinnamon filling ingredients until well blended. In the second bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients. These two components are almost identical, save for the butter (it’s melted in the filling, room temp in the streusel). The filling should look like sand and the streusel should look more like light, golden brown clumps.
- Now, onto the icing! Stir together the icing ingredients in a small bowl and adjust any to suit your taste/consistency preferences. You just want something drizzleable but not overly runny.Â
- Butter a half-sheet pan/baking pan or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and add a drizzle of olive oil. When the dough has doubled, punch it down and transfer to the prepared pan. Work the dough into a large oval/rectangle that covers most of the pan. Sprinkle â…” of the filling (you can use all if you like, or save/freeze the remaining for another use) over the dough and then fold the outer edges over the middle, covering the filling and creating a smooth large rectangle again.
- Sprinkle the streusel all over the focaccia and allow it to rest/rise while the oven preheats to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the center position.
- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Cool for 5 to 7 minutes and then drizzle the icing all over the top before slicing and serving.Â
- This is best enjoyed the day that it’s made, but (after cooling completely) it also freezes well for up to 2 months.
Sweet Focaccia Recipe with Maple Cinnamon Streusel
This recipe is easy and comes together really fast – don’t be intimidated by what may look like a long ingredient list. The streusel and filling are almost the same thing, but the butter is treated differently in each, resulting in the right consistency for both parts (gooey for the filling and crisp/sturdy for the topping). Be sure to allow the dough to rise for 3 – 4 hours in the first rise and then about an hour in the second.
- Yield: Serves 8 to 12 1x
- Category: Breads
Ingredients
- 1 (0.25-ounce) packet of active dry yeast
- 1.5 cups lukewarm water (between 98 and 105 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 5 to 5.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (2 tablespoons if using Diamond crystal)
- Olive oil for the bowl and pan
For the brown sugar-cinnamon filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the maple cinnamon streusel
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 8 tablespoons salted butter at room temperature
For the icing
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup half and half, plus more as needed (milk also works)
- Vanilla bean paste/extract, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk together the yeast, lukewarm water, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup in a large bowl. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes.
- To the bloomed yeast mixture, add the flour and salt and stir with a spatula until it all comes together in a smooth dough. You can add a little more flour as needed until it’s just come together. Oil a large bowl and put the focaccia dough in to proof in a warm-ish place for 3 to 4 hours or until visibly doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, get out two medium sized bowls. In one, mix together the brown-sugar cinnamon filling ingredients until well blended. In the second bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients. These two components are almost identical, save for the butter (it’s melted in the filling, room temp in the streusel). The filling should look like sand and the streusel should look more like light, golden brown clumps.
- Now, onto the icing! Stir together the icing ingredients in a small bowl and adjust any to suit your taste/consistency preferences. You just want something drizzle-able but not overly runny.
- Butter a half-sheet pan/baking pan or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and add a drizzle of olive oil. When the dough has doubled, punch it down and transfer to the prepared pan. Work the dough into a large oval/rectangle that covers most of the pan. Sprinkle â…” of the filling over the dough, leaving large edges (you can use all if you like, or save/freeze the remaining for another use) and then fold the outer edges over the middle, covering the filling and creating a smooth large rectangle again. Allow it to rise for an hour in a warm-ish place.
- When you’re ready to bake, use your fingers to dimple the top of the focaccia and brush about 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Sprinkle the streusel all over and allow it to rest/rise while the oven preheats.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the center position.
- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Cool for 5 minutes and drizzle the icing all over the top before slicing and serving.
Notes
This is best enjoyed the day that it’s made, but (after cooling completely) it also freezes well for up to 2 months.
