Description
This Apple Fritter Focaccia brings together warm cinnamon sugar apples and fluffy bakery-style bread, finished with a rich brown butter maple glaze. Baked instead of fried, it captures everything you love about classic apple fritters in a soft, golden focaccia — a cozy, crowd-pleasing fall bake perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dessert.
Ingredients
Units
For the Focaccia
- 1 batch no-knead focaccia loaf (scaled to 400 g bread flour, 760 g dough)
- 400 g bread flour
- 348 ml water
- 8 g salt
- 3.5 g instant dry yeast for overnight and 5 g instant dry yeast for same day
- 6 tbsp + 1 tbsp (100 g) unsalted butter, for dividing and dimpling
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22 ml) olive oil, for coating dough
Cinnamon Sugar Apples
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp (38 g) granulated sugar, divided
- 3 tbsp (45 g) brown sugar, divided
- 4 tsp cinnamon, divided
- 2 medium apples (300-330 g), peeled and diced into 1/3-1/2 inch (1-1.5 cm) chunks, divided
Brown Butter Maple Glaze
- 1 cup (120 g) powder sugar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) brown butter (from 1/2 stick (56 g) salted butter)
- 3 tbsp (60 ml) maple syrup
- 3-4 tsp (15-20) milk, as needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp ground hojicha tea or powder, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Make one batch of no-knead focaccia 2 days before, the night before, or using the same-day method. Slice the butter into thin strips for layering the dough, reserving 1 tbsp for dimpling later.
- Prepare the apples: Toss the diced apples with lemon juice and salt. Divide into two bowls. Add half the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon to one bowl and mix.
- Tip: Don’t mix all the sugar at once or the apples will release too much water and turn soggy.
- Assemble: Line a 7×11 or 9×9 inch pan with parchment and drizzle with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pan and gently stretch it toward the edges. Spoon the first bowl of cinnamon sugar apples over the dough. Fold the top edge of the dough down over the apples, then rotate the pan and fold the opposite edge over. Flip the entire dough seam-side down.
- Cut & butter: Lightly oil a bench scraper or knife. Cut the dough straight down into 3 vertical sections, then into 6–8 horizontal rows. (It doesn’t need to be perfect.) Place the sliced butter pieces between the cuts. Cover and let rise 2–4 hours, until puffy and nearly doubled.
- Top & bake: Preheat the oven to 400–425°F (205–218°C)* (30 minutes before baking). Toss the remaining apples with the remaining sugars and cinnamon. Melt the reserved 1 tbsp butter. Uncover the dough. Scatter the sugared apples over the top. Drizzle with melted butter and dimple the dough, gently pressing some apples in. Bake 22-25 minutes, rotating halfway. If it darkens too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
- Finish: Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment. Drizzle with the glaze while still warm and spread evenly. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
- Brown Butter Maple Glaze: Prepare brown butter (see my How to Brown Butter post). Whisk together powdered sugar, brown butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and hojicha (if using). Add milk gradually until smooth and pourable — it should run off the spoon but not be watery.
Notes
- *Every oven is slightly different so adjust the temperature based on your oven. If your oven tends to run hotter, bake at 400°F (205°C). If your oven runs slightly cooler bake at 425°F (218°C).
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 recipe
- Calories: 4290
- Sugar: 300
- Sodium: 1737 mg
- Fat: 166 g
- Saturated Fat: 90 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 70 g
- Trans Fat: 5.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 676 g
- Fiber: 23 g
- Protein: 48 g
- Cholesterol: 370 mg