Sweet Cinnamon Swirls: Your New Favourite Breakfast Focaccia
Ever dreamt of a sweet, pillowy focaccia that tastes like a decadent cinnamon scroll? Well, your dream is about to become a reality with this delightful no-knead cinnamon roll focaccia recipe. It’s a simple yet impressive bake that promises golden, fluffy perfection for your next breakfast or brunch. While this recipe calls for a little patience with overnight refrigeration and proving, the resulting flavour and texture are absolutely worth the wait.
What You’ll Need: The Essentials
To whip up this sweet sensation, gather the following ingredients:
- For the Dough:
- 4 cups (600g) bread flour
- 1 teaspoon fine table salt
- 1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast
- 600ml lukewarm water
- For the Cinnamon Swirl:
- 1/3 cup (75g) brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 20g softened butter
- For the Glaze & Finishing:
- 40g unsalted butter, extra melted
- VANILLA GLAZE:
- 1½ cups (240g) icing sugar mixture, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1½ tablespoons milk
Step-by-Step Sweet Success
Follow these simple steps to create your cinnamon roll focaccia:
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The Overnight Chill: In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, salt, and yeast. Whisk these dry ingredients together to ensure they’re well mixed. Gradually add the lukewarm water and stir thoroughly until you achieve a sticky, shaggy dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and pop it into the refrigerator. Let it chill overnight, or for up to 36 hours. This cold fermentation is key to developing fantastic flavour and texture.
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Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar: While the dough is chilling, combine the brown sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Give it a good mix until the sugar and cinnamon are evenly distributed. Set aside.
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Awaken the Dough: Once your dough has completed its overnight rest, remove it from the refrigerator and gently punch it down to release the air.
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Pan Preparation: Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm slice pan (measuring the base). Line the base with non-stick baking paper, ensuring it covers the entire bottom. Then, generously rub the baking paper and the sides of the pan with the softened butter. This will prevent sticking and add a lovely richness.
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Shaping the Swirls: Turn the chilled dough out onto a lightly oiled benchtop. Gently press the dough into a rough rectangle. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of your prepared cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the surface. Now, from one of the shorter sides, fold about a third of the dough over onto itself. Fold the remaining third over that, creating a neat parcel. Rotate the dough by 45 degrees. Gently press it flat into a rectangle again, sprinkle with another 2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar, and repeat the folding process.
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The Second Rise: Carefully turn the folded dough so that the folded seams are facing down, and place it into your prepared slice pan. Lightly brush the top of the dough with a little of the melted butter. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave it in a warm spot for up to 3 hours. You’re looking for the dough to have risen and nicely filled the pan.
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Preheat and Prep for Baking: Preheat your oven to 230°C (210°C fan-forced). Once the oven is ready, lightly brush the top of the focaccia with the remaining melted butter. Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough. To create those classic focaccia dimples, gently press your fingers into the dough.
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Bake to Golden Perfection: Place the cinnamon focaccia on the lower-third shelf of your preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until it’s beautifully golden brown and sounds hollow when you gently tap the top. If you notice the top browning too quickly, you can loosely cover it with a piece of aluminium foil.
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The Sweet Finish – Vanilla Glaze: While your focaccia is cooling, prepare the vanilla glaze. In a small bowl, combine the sifted icing sugar mixture, vanilla bean paste or extract, and the milk. Whisk until you have a smooth, pourable glaze.
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Serve and Savour: Once the cinnamon focaccia has cooled slightly, drizzle the luscious vanilla glaze generously over the top. Slice and enjoy this delightful sweet treat!
The Magic of Overnight Proofing
You might be wondering why we recommend proving the cinnamon roll focaccia dough overnight. This cold fermentation process is a game-changer for no-knead doughs:
- Enhanced Texture: The extended chill time allows the gluten network to develop and relax simultaneously. This results in a wonderfully open, airy crumb with those characteristic irregular holes you expect from a great focaccia.
- Deeper Flavour: The long proving period gives enzymes in the flour and yeast ample time to break down starches. This process creates a more complex, slightly ‘sourdough-like’ flavour profile that elevates the sweetness of the cinnamon.
- Improved Handling: Cold dough is significantly easier to handle and shape, making the folding process much more manageable. Although it requires a longer second rise, the initial shaping is a breeze.
Why Bread Flour is Your Friend Here
We’ve opted for bread flour in this recipe because it boasts a higher protein content compared to all-purpose flour. This extra protein is crucial for developing a strong gluten structure, which translates directly into a delightfully chewy crumb that holds up beautifully to the sweet filling.
Storing Your Sweet Focaccia
While this cinnamon roll focaccia is undeniably best enjoyed fresh on the day it’s made, it does freeze remarkably well. To store, wrap it tightly first in plastic wrap and then in aluminium foil. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, simply refresh it in a 180°C oven until heated through.
More Focaccia Inspiration
If you’re a fan of focaccia, you’ll love these other delicious variations:
Easy No-Knead Focaccia- Gluten-Free Potato and Rosemary Focaccia
Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
Capsicum and Onion Focaccia
