Apple Fritter Focaccia Bread
Apple fritter focaccia bread is a truly unique and delicious hybrid, combining the soft, airy texture of a classic Italian bread with the warm, comforting flavors of a homemade apple fritter. The process starts with a simple focaccia dough, but with a special twist: a generous amount of cinnamon is mixed in, infusing the bread with a warm, spiced aroma right from the beginning. This provides the perfect foundation for the sweet apple filling. The deliciousness continues as the dough is pressed into a pan and then topped with a cinnamon-sugar butter mixture and spoonfuls of rich, homemade apple pie filling.
The magic happens when you fold the dough like an envelope, creating those gooey apple pie layers. This technique traps all of that delicious cinnamon butter and sweet apple pie filling inside. After a second proofing, the bread is topped with even more of the buttery cinnamon mixture and apple filling, which are then gently dimpled into the dough with your fingertips. Once baked to a beautiful golden brown, the focaccia is finished with a final drizzle of cinnamon-sugar glaze, making every bite a perfect blend of fluffy bread, sweet cinnamon apples, and a crisp, sugary crust. It's a sweet, comforting treat that's perfect for any occasion.
With its cozy blend of cinnamon, apples, and brown sugar, this bread is truly the perfect treat for the fall season. It captures all the essence of autumn in a single bite, evoking the feeling of crisp air and apple picking.
Apple fritter cinnamon Focaccia
Makes one, 9x13 inch pan
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Focaccia Bread
500g white bread flour (12% protein content or higher)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
420ml warm water
6g (1.5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
5g (1 teaspoon) honey, or sugar
15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
10g (2 teaspoons) fine sea salt
For the Apple Pie Filling/Topping
450g apples (about 3 1/2-4 apples), peel cored and small diced
2 tbsp butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
60g brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Cornstarch slurry: 2 tsp cornstarch plus 2 tsp water
For the Cinnamon Sugar Butter Filling/Topping
4 tablespoons of butter, melted
1/3 cup (85g) of brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Glaze
3/4 cup powder sugar
2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
Method
To make the cinnamon focaccia dough, first, activate the yeast: In a large bowl, mix the water, yeast, and honey. Let it sit for 5 minutes, or until the yeast becomes foamy. (If using instant yeast, you can skip this step.)
Add the olive oil, flour, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir everything together with a spoon or your hands until a shaggy, cohesive dough forms.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Perform the first stretch and fold: Lightly wet your hands. Reach into the bowl and grab one side of the dough. Gently stretch it upwards, then fold it over onto the opposite side. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch-and-fold process three or four more times.
Rest and repeat: Cover the bowl again and let the dough rest for another 15 minutes. Repeat the stretch-and-fold process two more times, with a 15-minute rest period in between each set (total of three stretch-and-fold/resting sessions).
Final rise: After the third and final stretch and fold, cover the dough and let it rest for 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Meanwhile, make the apple filling. In a medium saucepan, add the diced apples, butter, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Cook over medium low heat for 5-8 minutes, until the apples are tender but still hold their shape.
In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the apple pie filling and stir continuously until the filling thickens, which should take about 1 minute.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool completely before using. Set aside to cool. The filling will continue to thicken as it cools.
To make the cinnamon sugar/butter mixture, melt the butter in a small bowl. Add the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract to the melted butter. Whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth and fully combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Once the dough is done proofing, gently place your dough onto the a buttered 9x13 inch pan.
Gently spread HALF the cinnamon butter/sugar mixture and HALF of the apple pie filling on top of the dough.
Gently fold the dough into thirds like an envelope. Then flip it over so the seam is at the bottom. Gently stretch the dough so it evenly covers the bottom of the pan.
Cover and proof for 1 1/2 hours. The focaccia should almost be reaching the top of your pan by the end of this time.
Top with the remaining cinnamon butter/sugar mixture and the remaining apple filling on top. Gently dimple the dough using your fingers.
Bake at 430F for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. If you really want to check if it is fully baked and cooled through, you can take the internal temperature of the dough and if it reaches 190F and or is higher than 190F, the bread is fully cooked through.
Cool off the focaccia for about 15 minutes before finishing with the cinnamon sugar glaze.
Best served warm and day of. Enjoy!
