A much loved and much tested recipe— to the point of where I was giving cinnamon roll focaccia breads to my friends and family (without any complaints, I might add).
This cinnamon roll focaccia bread recipe was born from a friend’s request for a same day cinnamon roll recipe. Typically, cinnamon rolls are shaped to rise in a pan overnight and then baked the next day.
Inspired, I turned to my wet brined focaccia bread because it can be made and served in one day, I thought that it would make the perfect base for a one-day cinnamon roll recipe.
Boy, was I surprised with the results.
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Cinnamon rolls in one day
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I think I made this recipe 5 times over the holiday season. And each time I made it, I ran into a time management issue due to a busy schedule. Here are a few of the different ways I experimented with it:
- mixed and made the dough the same day and let it rise for 4 hours total
- quick mixed the dough the night before I planned to serve it and did a cold-rise in the fridge overnight and a 3 hour rise the next morning.
- mixed the dough first thing in the morning and let it rise 7 hours total to serve the next day.
The crazy thing? It didn’t matter whether I made it in one day or two…the cinnamon focaccia was always fluffy with a crispy bottom and just plain good. Eating it warm out of the oven is the best in my experience.
Caveat: the timing of the recipe does work better for brunch than an early breakfast as it still requires about 4 hours of rising time so plan accordingly.
Let’s get to making it.
Everything needed for cinnamon focaccia
I also weigh my ingredients for bread and recommend you do as well for best results. A baking or kitchen scale comes in handy for so many things like dividing from scratch pizza dough.
Other than a kitchen scale, here is a rundown of the main ingredients.
Dough
Cinnamon topping
Vanilla icing
Don’t use skim milk or alternative milks please. The icing will not be as opaque.
Ingredient spotlight: instant yeast
I use instant yeast (my favorite brand is Saf-Instant for making yeast doughs. Instant yeast doesn’t require proofing in water before using which speeds things up. You just have to make sure that it’s fresh.
Instant yeast storage tip
Repackage in a Mason jar and mark the lid with the expected expiration date using a permanent marker.
How to make cinnamon roll focaccia in one day
NOTE: Below is an overview of the 1 day process. Consult the complete recipe for the steps for making the dough ahead of time.
Before getting started
I tested this recipe using a stand mixer and another time mixing the dough with a wooden spoon in a large bowl. Both work equally well. In my experience, the mixer is a bit quicker and less messy.
The dough is proofed TWICE. The first time up to 6 hours and the second for about 45 minutes – 1 hours.
First and second proofs
- Add measured flour and yeast to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and stir together. (See the recipe card below for the process/ tips on measuring ingredients using a kitchen scale).
- Stir in the sugar followed by warm water, olive oil and then the salt before stirring until mixed with a wooden spoon and the dough comes away from the bowl. It will look really shaggy.
- Use the same bowl if it’s fairly clean and add a bit of olive oil and place the dough in the bowl, flipping it to coat both sides.
- Cover the bowl first with plastic wrap and then a clean dish towel and allow to rise up to 6 hours in a warm 70° room. Below is 2 1/2 hours for reference.
- After the dough has risen, pour it into a buttered 9×13″ baking pan with straight sides.
- Use your fingers to gently wiggle the dough to the sides of the pan. Gently shake the pan from side to side to help distribute the dough also helps.
- Use your fingers to “type” divots into the dough. This helps create the legendary focaccia “dimples”.
- Again, cover the pan with plastic wrap and a towel for the second proofing and place again in a warm space for about an hour.
Wait…no kneading?
The inspiration for this recipe comes from my traditional recipe where the dough is kneaded to achieve a really fluffy focaccia. For this cinnamon, we are using the same amount of dough but using a much smaller pan.
If you prefer your dough to have a little more loft, use your hands or a stand mixer to stretch and fold the dough.
Mix the topping and icing
Use one bowl to mix up the cinnamon sugar topping and another to whisk the vanilla icing. Each can be made ahead of time.
Cinnamon roll flex
This is where focaccia achieves cinnamon roll status. After the 2nd proof, gently sprinkle clumps of the cinnamon sugar topping over the dough.
Bake for about 25 minutes until crispy, the cinnamon topping is bubbly and the focaccia is golden brown.
Drizzle with icing after removing from the pan and cooling a bit.
Last minute recipe notes
I like to end every post with a little pep talk…you’ve got this! Here are a few tips for cinnamon roll focaccia mastery:
If you want to knead the dough for the first proof: flour a clean countertop or cutting board and also lightly flour the focaccia dough. Use a sourdough stretch and fold method instead of a true kneading.
When you sprinkle on the cinnamon topping, purposefully place some in the divots of the focaccia. The cinnamon butter will melt down in there and create tons of warm, sugary love.
Allow the focaccia to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before using 2 spatulas to lift the bread out of the pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edges first and also lift the sides to run a spatula underneath in case some of the sugar caramelized to the bottom of the pan.
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Cinnamon Roll Focaccia Bread
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Ingredients
For the dough
- 400 g bread flour, about 3 ⅓ cups
- 7 g instant yeast, or 2 ¼ teaspoon, or 1 packet
- 350 g warm water, approx 105°
- 50 g olive oil, about 1/4 cup
- 19 g sugar, or 1 Tablespoon
- 15 g kosher salt, or 1 Tablespoon
For the cinnamon topping
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, can use 2 if you like extra
- 2 pinches kosher salt
For the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar, confectioner sugar; up to 1 ½ cups
- 2 Tablespoons half and half
- splash vanilla extract, small
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
Mix + first proof.
- Set a large bowl on a baking scale and reset scale to zero. Add flour and then sprinkle in yeast and stir to combine.400 g bread flour, 7 g instant yeast
- Pour in water followed by oil, sugar and finally salt. Use a spatula to mix the dough together. It will be shaggy and somewhat lumpy.350 g warm water, 50 g olive oil, 19 g sugar, 15 g kosher salt
- Set the dough in a warm place to rise for about 3-6 hours. The longer the rise, the fluffier the dough [See below for notes on an overnight rise if that works better for you].
Make the cinnamon topping.
- To a medium/small bowl, add the melted butter, cinnamon, both sugars, and pinches of salt. Mix with a fork until completely combined.3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon cinnamon, 2 pinches kosher salt
Second proof.
- Butter a 9 x 13" baking pan with straight sides. After the dough is bubbly, transfer the dough to the pan and gently push out to the edges. It's ok if the dough doesn't reach the edges completely because it will as it rises again.Holding your fingers like you're going to type, use your fingerprints to make focaccia dimples into the dough. Top the dough with spoonfuls of cinnamon mixture. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then a dish towel and place in a warm area to rise for another 2 hours.
Bake.
- Preheat an oven to 425°. Reduce the oven temperature to 400° before placing the focaccia in the oven. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. The bread will pull away from the pan.
For the icing.
- Start by adding 1 cup of powdered sugar to a medium bowl. Pour in the half and half followed by a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Mix until the consistency of an opaque but pourable thick icing. Add more sugar as desired.1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tablespoons half and half, splash vanilla extract, pinch kosher salt
- Cool the focaccia in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a long spatula to carefully lift the focaccia out of the pan and place on a cooling rack. Cool for another 10 minutes or so before drizzling the icing over the cinnamon roll focaccia. Cut into squares and serve warm.
