Sweet Focaccia – Gourmet Delights and Far-Away Places

this Sweet Focaccia bread It's delicious with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, or with a tall glass of cold milk later in the day. With minimal effort, you can create a wonderful treat for your family or company.

When you think of focaccia, you probably think of something delicious. Instead, think cinnamon roll focaccia. This fluffy bread, layered with cinnamon and brown sugar and drizzled with a light frosting, is the latest viral trend on TikTok—make it and you’ll be enjoying it for days!

Sweet Focaccia Bread Recipe

One of the reasons I love focaccia is that it's very forgiving. Who has time to do something that's not going to work out? I know I don't know!

This sweet focaccia recipe is beautiful, with incredible flavor and the perfect balance of sweetness. This is perfect for a family vacation and your guests will be enchanted!

I just love the warm spice in this sweet bread. When my kids come to visit, I always want to have some sweet things around, like mine Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel, Sweet Potato Muffinsor Baked Apple Fritters.

What is focaccia?

Focaccia is an Italian flatbread that is soft, airy, slightly chewy, and has a golden and crispy crust. It's an Italian bakery staple, similar to pizza dough but usually thicker and baked directly or topped with simple toppings.

What’s in Sweet Focaccia

Here’s what you need to make a delicious sweet focaccia bread. Be sure to check the expiration dates on your spices, yeast and flour. This is indeed important!

How to Make Sweet Focaccia Bread

Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add warm water (less than 115°F so as not to kill the yeast) and sprinkle the instant yeast over the water. Slowly stirring, incorporate the flour into the yeast mixture until a rough dough forms.

Add olive oil and salt and stir into a thick dough. Don't miss the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Because this dough is quite sticky, use the pulling and folding method until it mostly sticks to itself and not your hands. Just wet your hands, pull the dough up, and fold it into the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until all sides are stretched. This takes approximately 5-7 minutes.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rest. You will need to let the dough rise until doubled in size, which will take 60-90 minutes, depending on how warm your home is. Check after 60 minutes.

While the dough is rising, you can prepare the focaccia ingredients. Place brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix. Set aside 2 tablespoons of mixture.

Add the melted coconut oil to the remaining sugar mixture and stir to form a paste. Note: If you don’t have coconut oil, melted butter will also work.

Prepare a 9″ x 13″ pan by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spreading it evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place the dough into the pan and press it into the corners with your fingers.

Spread about half of the cinnamon sugar paste over the dough. Fold the dough in half, stretching it to the edges of the pan again.

Add remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Cover again and let the dough rise to about one and a half times its original size. This should take 30-60 minutes. While waiting, heat oven to 425°F.

Dip your fingers in the oil and use them to make indentations in the focaccia dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar you set aside.

Bake the focaccia for 20-22 minutes, until the top is golden brown and very firm to the touch. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

Place the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and oat milk in a bowl and stir until a smooth, pourable frosting forms.

Pour vanilla frosting over bread. Let it cool for at least another 20 minutes or so before cutting and eating. If you have time to let it cool completely it will make the inside more moist since cutting it will allow the moisture to escape.

Toasted cinnamon and sugar focaccia bread with frosting.

This simple focaccia bread is best eaten the same day but will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Toasted cinnamon and sugar focaccia bread sliced on wooden cutting board with blue napkin and cinnamon sticks and icing pitcher on the side.

A good way to maintain the fluffiness of your focaccia is to bake the focaccia separately in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes the next day and every time you serve it after that. Putting the whole focaccia in the oven each time will produce a harder bread.

Toasted cinnamon and sugar focaccia bread sliced on wooden cutting board with blue napkin and cinnamon sticks.

tip

Warm reminder: Water that is too hot will kill the yeast. The water should be lukewarm, below 115°F.
Rise time will vary based on humidity and ambient temperature. It's tempting to ferment in the oven, but keep in mind that while high temperatures will make the dough rise faster, it can also result in too much air or less spring. Lower temperatures are more conducive to a slower rise, although it takes longer. I think the dough rises more slowly and tastes tastier.

How to Serve Sweet Focaccia

Serve it for breakfast or for dessert with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Toasted cinnamon and sugar focaccia bread with icing sugar on gray plate with more slices on wooden cutting board with blue napkin and cinnamon sticks.

More amazing bread recipes

Fluffy Focaccia Bread Recipe
The Best Bread for Soup Recipes
Cranberry Walnut Bread
No knead overnight bread

Pour the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add warm water (less than 115°F so as not to kill the yeast) and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Stir slowly, incorporating the flour into the water, until a rough dough forms.
Add olive oil and salt and stir into a thick dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Because this dough is quite sticky, use the pulling and folding method until it mostly sticks to itself and not your hands. Just wet your hands, pull the dough up, and fold it into the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until all sides are stretched. This takes approximately 5-7 minutes.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. You will need to let the dough rise until doubled in size, which will take 60-90 minutes, depending on how warm your home is. Check after 60 minutes.
While the dough is fermenting, you can prepare the focaccia ingredients. Place brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix. Set aside 2 tablespoons of mixture.
Melt the melted coconut oil and add to the remaining sugar mixture, stirring to form a paste.
Prepare a 9”x13” pan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and spread it out evenly. Place the dough into the pan and use your fingers to stretch it into the corners.
Spread about half of the cinnamon sugar paste over the dough. Fold the dough in half, stretching it to the edges of the pan again.
Add remaining cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
Cover the dough again and let it rise until about one and a half times its original size. This should take 30-60 minutes. While the focaccia is fermenting, heat oven to 425°F.
Dip your fingers in the oil and use them to make indentations in the focaccia dough. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar you set aside.
Bake the sweet focaccia for 20-22 minutes, until the top is golden brown and very firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Place the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and oat milk in a bowl and stir until a smooth, pourable frosting forms.
Pour vanilla frosting over focaccia bread. Let it cool for at least another 20 minutes or so before cutting and eating. If you have time to cool it completely it will make the inside more moist since cutting it allows the moisture to escape.
This sweet focaccia bread is best eaten the same day but will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Warm reminder: Water that is too hot will kill the yeast. The water should be lukewarm, below 115°F.
Rise time will vary based on humidity and ambient temperature. It's tempting to ferment in the oven, but keep in mind that while high temperatures will make the dough rise faster, it can also result in too much air or less spring. Lower temperatures are more conducive to a slower rise, although it takes longer. I think the dough rises more slowly and tastes tastier.