Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia is swirled with ribbons of buttery cinnamon sugar, topped with a brown sugar crumble, and finished off with sweet vanilla icing! Perfect for brunch or a sweet treat, it's so much easier than making traditional cinnamon rolls. It's made with instant yeast, but you'll find a sourdough option in the recipe notes too.

*I always suggest weighing your ingredients for the best results. For weight measurements, click on the metric link by the list of ingredients.

4.58 from 7 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 18

Resting Time: 12

Total Time: 12 38

Servings: slices

Equipment

1 9x13 cake pan

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Focaccia Dough

1 ¾ cup water plus 2 Tablespoons
1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast *see notes for sourdough option
4 ½ cups bread flour plus 2 Tablespoons
1 Tablespoon fine sea salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
½ cup brown sugar packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Crumble Topping

⅓ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Vanilla Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 Tablesppons milk

Instructions

Make the dough

In a large mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast, flour, and salt. Stir together until all combined and no dry bits of flour remain. Mixture will be thick and sticky.

First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)

In a separate large bowl, drizzle 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil to coat the bottom. Transfer the dough to the oiled container. Turn the dough so that all sides are coated in olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap or lid. If refrigerating the dough overnight, let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 48 hours. Dough will rise to double in size. If making focaccia same day, allow dough to rise to double in size at room temperature. about 2 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and allow to rest for 30 minutes in the container, slightly warming up.

Add the Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Prepare a 9x13-inch pan by coating the bottom and sides with the 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Tablespoons melted butter. Turn the dough out from the container and onto the pan.
Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. Use the backs of your hands and knuckles to stretch the dough without tearing it. If the dough is springing back and not staying in place, let it rest 10 minutes and come back to it.
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar filling. Spread half the mixture over half of the dough. Fold the dough in half and rotate it to fit the size of the pan. Gently stretch the dough to fill the pan. (see video in recipe post for shaping tips)

Final Proof

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and bubbly, about 1 hour to 90 minutes.

Prepare to bake

Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the crumble topping and set aside. Reheat the cinnamon sugar filling if the butter has solidified.
Drizzle the remaining filling evenly over the top of the dough. Lightly oil your fingertips with olive oil. Gently dimple the dough by pressing into it with your fingertips. Press all the way down to the pan. Create a moderate amount of dimples throughout the dough without depressing too many of the air bubbles. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the dough.

Bake

Bake the focaccia on the middle rack in the oven for 18-22 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden. The focaccia should reach an internal temperature of 190°F.
Place the pan on a wire cooling rack and allow the focaccia to cool for 20 minutes.
While it's cooling, prepare the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Add just enough milk to make a thick, smooth icing. Drizzle the icing over the focaccia. Let it set for about 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Sourdough Option (see the sample timeline in the recipe post)

Dough Ingredients:
- 396g water
- 100g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration
- 495g bread flour
- 10g fine sea salt
Instructions:
1. Mix the water, starter, flour and salt. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
2. Perform 3 sets of stretch and fold, with 30 minutes of rest time between each set.
3. After the 3rd set, cover and bulk ferment until the dough has risen in volume about 50% and has a few bubbles on top. This can take 3 to 6 hours, depending on the temperature of your dough and kitchen. (Option to refrigerate up to 24 hours, or continue to shape the focaccia).
4. Prepare 9x13 pan with olive oil and melted butter. Place dough in pan and stretch out to fill the pan. Spread half the cinnamon sugar filling over half the dough. Fold in half, rotate dough and spread out to fill the pan again. (Option to refrigerate at this point for up to 12 hours.) Continue with recipe. Note the final rise time for sourdough will be about twice as long as it will with instant yeast. Sourdough rise times can vary depending on the activity of your yeast and temperature in your kitchen.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. See recipe post for more storage suggestions.

Nutrition