This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia features a moist focaccia dough with cinnamon sugar filling, topped with a vanilla glaze. It’s easy to make, no kneading required and can be prepped ahead of time.
I shared this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Focaccia last year based on my Strawberry Jam Sesame Focaccia with a open crumb thanks to the additional stretch and folds, but have been really enjoying the texture of a softer and more close crumb focaccia like my Miso Butter Focaccia, which is one of my most popular recipes on the blog. The softer close crumb resemble cinnamon rolls a little more, with cinnamon sugar laced throughout. The ingredients are exactly the same, just the method is a little easier! I’ve kept the older method as well for those who prefer a more open crumb though :).
Table of Contents
Dessert Focaccia: Cinnamon Roll
If you’re looking for a low effort high reward dessert, this dessert focaccia is itttt. It’s a cross between one of my favourite lazy things to make: focaccia and favourite desserts to eat: cinnamon rolls!!
Ingredients for Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Just a few basic ingredients needed to make this dessert focaccia:
- Bread flour: Provides the structure and base for the dough.
- Dry yeast: Helps the dough rise.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the dough and balances the sweetness of the filling
- Water: Hydrates the flour to form the dough
- Unsalted butter: For flavour and to prevent sticking.
- Dark brown sugar: Adds sweetness and a hint of caramel flavor, enhancing the cinnamon filling.
- Cinnamon: Provides the signature warm, spicy flavor that defines cinnamon rolls.
- Powdered sugar: Creates the smooth, sweet base for the glaze.
- Heavy cream or milk: Thins the powdered sugar to a pourable consistency for drizzling over the focaccia.
- Vanilla extract: Adds aromatic flavor to the glaze, complementing the cinnamon filling.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
This cinnamon roll focaccia is ridiculously easy to make. It actually blows me away how good it comes out for the amount of effort put in. Focaccia is probably the easiest type of bread to make that you can’t really mess up. Plus, no stand mix or no kneading required!
- Make the dough: Mix the ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and refrigerate overnight (12-24 hours)
- Form dough ball: Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar, fold the dough inward and flip onto a greased 11×9 inch pan. Cover and proof until double in size.
- Dimple: Pour melted butter on top along with cinnamon sugar. Oil the tips of your fingers and dimple away.
- Bake: Bake at 450 F / 225 C for 22-25 minutes.
Lisa’s Recipe Tips
- Use a food scale: When baking bread I highly recommend using a digital food scale to weigh out the ingredients for consistent, accurate results.
- Glaze while warm but not hot: This allows the glaze to melt slightly and coat the rolls evenly but not melt right off.
- Separate yeast and salt: Don’t directly mix the yeast and salt as direct contact may inactivate the yeast.
Ways to Serve Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
This dessert focaccia is really delicious as is, especially when served warm. However, recently I’ve been making a sandwich out of it with my signature rare cheese whip that tastes like a lighter version of cream cheese frosting and no-bake cheesecake. It’s a secret recipe that I haven’t shared yet, but have something similar shared in my Matcha Bagel Fruit Sando recipe that is a close replacement.
How to Store Focaccia
- At Room Temperature: Place the cooled focaccia in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap for up to 2 days.
- In the Refrigerator: I don’t recommend storing focaccia in the fridge as it tends to dry it out unless you’re making a sandwich out of it, in which the ingredients inside will keep it from drying out.
- In the Freezer: Wrap the focaccia in plastic wrap or place it in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 3 months. Slice the focaccia before freezing for easy portioning and reheating.
How to Reheat Focaccia
- Room Temperature or Refrigerated Focaccia:
- Microwave: Warm individual pieces in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and heat the focaccia on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes until warm.
- Frozen Focaccia:
- Thawing: Let the focaccia thaw at room temperature for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: After thawing, follow the reheating instructions for room temperature or refrigerated focaccia.
Yes. Simply let the focaccia proof at room temperature in step one until double in size and then proceed with the recipe.
It can be a little hard to tell when its done because of the cinnamon sugar coating, but you can tell its done when the edges are slightly browned (it won’t darken as much as regular focaccia) and it springs back up when you press into it.
Enjoy!! If you make this Cinnamon Roll Focaccia recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rating and if you decide to share it on socials, tag me on instagram @Okonomikitchen. I’d love to hear from you!
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Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
- Total Time: 12 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Cinnamon Roll Focaccia features a moist focaccia dough with cinnamon sugar filling, topped with a vanilla glaze. It’s easy to make, no kneading required and can be prepped ahead of time.
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
- 3 cups (370 g) bread flour
- 1.5 tsp (8 g) salt
- 1/4 tsp (1 g) instant dry yeast (0.25-2%)*
- 1 cup + 1/4 cup + 2.5 tsp (322 ml) water
- 1–2 tbsp neutral oil, for the pan
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 3 tbsp (38 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (40 g) dark brown or light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 g) cinnamon
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter (90 g), divided
Cream Cheese Glaze (Option 1)
- 4 oz (112 g) cream cheese, room temp
- 1/4 cup (55 g) unsalted butter or browned butter, softened
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp whole milk, as needed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Classic Glaze (Option 2)
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1–2 tbsp (15–30 ml) heavy cream or whole milk
- 2 tbsp (30 g) melted unsalted butter
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
Instructions
Night Before: Prepare the Dough
Direct method (for a closer crumb)
- Make the dough: In a large bowl or container, mix together the water, yeast, flour, and salt with a dough scraper or wooden spatula until a rough dough forms.
- Primary fermentation: Drizzle the surface with oil so it’s lightly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight (12–24 hours).
Stretch-and-fold method (for a bubblier, open crumb)
- Make the dough: Mix the flour, salt, yeast, and water until a shaggy dough forms. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold #1: Perform one set of stretch-and-folds, going around the bowl at least once. Then do a few slap-and-folds. Cover and rest 20–30 minutes.
- For the second set, check the dough: If it tears easily, do another stretch-and-fold. If it feels smooth and stretches easily, move to a coil fold. Rest 20–30 minutes.
- Perform two sets of coil folds: Lift the middle of the dough so the top edge comes off the bowl and tuck it underneath. Rotate the bowl and repeat on all sides. Rest 20–30 minutes. Do one final set of coil folds.
- Primary fermentation: Cover and refrigerate overnight for at least 12–24 hours.
- See my No-Knead Focaccia recipe for more details on stretch-and-folds, coil folds, and same-day methods.
The Next Day
- Make the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, mix together the sugars and cinnamon. Slice 4.5 tbep (68 g) of butter into thin rectangular strips and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Reserve the remaining 1.5 tbsp (about 22 g) of butter for dimpling before baking.
- Prepare the pan: Rub a little butter or oil onto a pan and then place a piece of fitted parchment paper on top. Spread some oil onto the lined pan.
- Note: I’ve used a 10×6.5 and 7×11 inch pan in the photos and videos. You can also use a 8×8 inch, 9×9 inch or 9×13 inch pan. Note that the larger the pan, the shorter the height of the focaccia will be. You can also scale the recipe by following the instructions in my ultimate focaccia guide.
- Shape the dough (non-pull-apart version): Transfer the dough to the pan and spread it out as much as possible. Arrange the sliced butter evenly on top, then sprinkle with 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar. Fold the dough like a letter: fold the top down, rotate the pan 180°, and fold the top down again. Rotate the dough so thats its vertical and inline with the pan. Then flip so the smooth side is facing up.
- Pull-apart version (optional): Add about 1/3 of the sliced butter on top of the dough and then sprinkle 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar. Fold and flip the dough as instructed above. Oil a bench scraper or knife and cut the dough into 6–8 pieces, depending on your preferred size. Place the remaining 1/3 of the sliced butter between the cuts.
- Second proof: Cover with plastic wrap and proof for 2–4 hours, or until puffy and nearly doubled.
- Prepare oven: Preheat the oven to 400–425°F (205–218°C)*
- Dimple the dough: Melt the remaining 1.5 tbsp of the butter (about 22 g) and drizzle it over the dough. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Rub a little melted butter on your fingertips and gently dimple the dough.
- Bake: About 20–25 minutes or until deeply golden on top. Rotate the pan halfway through. Check at 18-20 minutes—if it’s browning too quickly, tent with foil to prevent burning.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack. While still warm, drizzle or spread glaze over the top. Serve and enjoy!
Cream Cheese Glaze
- Smooth the cream cheese with a spatula. Add softened butter and mix until well combined.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla, and mix until smooth.
- Stir in whole milk, 1 tbsp at a time, until the glaze runs off the spatula but isn’t too loose.
Classic Glaze
- In a bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, 1 tbsp of milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add more milk, a little at a time, until the glaze is drizzle-able.
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: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 12.5 g
- Sodium: 359 mg
- Fat: 7.77 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.39 g
- Trans Fat: 0.28 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
This was super tasty, Ive never tried a dessert foccacia but I love that it’s such a good level of sweetness + a really nice foccacia. I’m making this again, but I’ll be doing some melted butter inside instead of the thin slices – the bottom got a little too buttery/oily last time, so I’m going to save more for the top/dimpling.
I’m new to the world of bread baking but this recipe was very easy to follow and the results were amazing!! My daughter and I loved it.
My daughter is my biggest food critic so I asked her for my rating, she gave me a 10/10. Will definitely be making this recipe again!
Made this during a recent snowstorm and WOW was it delicious!!!! Got a great rise and beautiful airy crumb. Totally worth the extra steps of stretch/slap and folds!
delicious recipe. Will you be posting the cream cheese whip pic?
So delicious and great to serve at large parties!
Absolutely loved this. I never leave reviews on food recipes but this is a must try!
Such an AMAZING recipe!!
Wow!! This was unreal! I never leave reviews for anything but just had to for this. First time making focaccia and it was so easy! I was slightly sceptical at first as the dough was really sticky but trust the process. The miso brown butter cream cheese frosting was to die for! So addictive! I’ve had to bring leftovers to work so me and my fiancé don’t eat it all! Miso caramel cookies are next on my list of things to bake!! 😀
This is such a delicious recipe, and so easy it’s ridiculous! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and I inhaled every bite in record time. I made it a second time and added diced apples for a fritter version and everyone loved it. This is a must make!
This was a massive hit with our food scientists and chefs. I think the words were “It has no right being this good”. It was so good, that several of the team requested the recipe. I also made it the same week and my kids loved it. They are used to having cinnamon buns but this was just another fun take on focaccia. Super easy to make, the recipe is easy to follow. Now I am thinking other festive mix ins 🙂
Made this for a potluck and everyone loved it! It was gone so fast. Love how easy it was to make and satisfies my cinnamon roll cravings. Def making again.
What size pan is best for this? I’m seeing 9×11 and 8×8. Maybe any size pan works depending how thick you want them? Seems like a lot of dough for 8×8 pan though.
Hi! I typically use a 10×6.5 or 9 x 11 inch pan for this amount of dough. The 10×6.5 inch pan makes it fluffier and taller (like in the video). My 9×11 inch pan makes a shorter focaccia shown in the photos. 8×8 will be similar to the 10×6.5 inch in height. The 9×11 would be similar to 9×13, just a little shorter. If you want to make it in a 9×13 inch and want the taller focaccia, you can multiply all the ingredients by x1.6 🙂 I hope that makes sense, enjoy!
thanks I didn’t multiple but made in a 9×13 and I through it was great! the bread, cinnamon sugar mix, and icing are all very good!
I put the entire cinnamon mixture on top of dough before folding. I think it was a happy accident! I made some more cinnamon topping to cover the top. I think some of my butter/cinnamon/sugar mix got to bottom of pan and it caramelized and made a crunchy bottom. I loved it!
I loved these. Super fluffy focaccia, that was not too sweet. Made the whole kitchen smell like cinnamon rolls. The ICINGGGG though!! Rivals Cinnabon.
This was insanely good. Perfect focaccia texture with the right amount of cinnamon and sweetness! It was also so much easier to make than cinnamon rolls!
Hello, wanted to ask if this recipe can be made with AP flour?
Yes! You can but the texture might not be as bread-y or chewy depending on the gluten and protein content.
Hi! Before I attempt this recipe, I was just wow wrong if you could elaborate on the glaze. When does it go on the focaccia? Thanks a lot!
you can add it after its baked! let it cook for 10-15 minutes first 🙂 if you add it while its too hot it’ll be too runny and if its too cool it will harden right on top (thats fine too).
Overcooked due to the info below pics saying to cook at 450.
Bottom of recipe says 425, guessing that’s the temperature to use based on my crispy end result.
Too bad, was looking forward to it. 🙁
I made this recipe before and it was fantastic. Truly a gorgeous focaccia. I came back to try it again but I wanted two this time because it was so good. I pressed the metric button and then the scale x2 button and it only changed the yeast and salt quantities. Unfortunately I didn’t notice (my fault!) until after proving the starter for 24 hours. Turned it out in to the pan to final prove it and realised it was a single quantity. Now I have a dough that’s fine except it has double the amount of yeast and salt in it.. so let’s hope it turns out okay. Super disappointed because I’d promised my partner two focaccias! Please fix this, it’s infuriating after putting so much time in to it, and it really is a basic of a recipe website
it says to drizzle oil on top of the dough in the first step, but it’s not mentioned in the ingredients. What kind of oil, and how much?
Hi, so sorry. I’ve just updated it. Hope you enjoy!
Amazing recipe! Super easy to put together & tasty. I found that the texture of the dough combined with the brown sugar mixture and glaze reminded me of donuts. Sooooo good!
I made the recipe vegan by using non dairy butter and coconut milk in the glaze instead of heavy cream.
I will definitely be making this again!!
Hello,
The third step is quite confusing. It reads as you put the melted butter into the pan, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on stop of the pan, but the photo it looks like you sprinkle it on top of the dough. That section could be split up and defined a bit more, it doesn’t make much sense. There is also no instructions on the icing at the end.
Hi! To clarify, spread melted butter into a pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar over the dough. Pull the dough to opposite ends, flip the dough onto the buttered pan. I hope this clears things up 🙂 For the glaze, just mix the ingredients until your desired consistency!
is it possible to edit the recipe itself? I made it as the original commenter said, sprinkling the sugar into the pan. It then burnt completely against in the pan in the oven and made the whole bake a bit of a failure unfortunately. Trying it the other way now to see how that turns out.
Hi! Yes I’ve updated the recipe. Hope its easier to follow and please let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy!
Great recipe and so delicious! I used the open crumb method and the focaccia turned out to be airy and moist, with golden edges! Thank you 🙂
Can this be made with instant yeast?
Yes! 🙂 I use it interchangeably.
I’ve been making a lot of focaccia lately and wanted to switch this up. It turned out so, so good. It’s incredibly pillowy with a nice crust-but my favorite thing is how this is not so sugary sticky sweet. The frosting adds a nice hit of sweetness, but the bread itself isn’t overwhelming. It’s perfect. Can’t wait to make it again and again and so simple!
Hi!
Is the stretch and fold step to be done after the first initial rest in the frig? So, mix, rest overnight, stretch and fold , then in frig overnight again??
Thank you!
Lisa
Stretch and fold is done before going in the fridge! 🙂
This was fantastic. Came out beautifully and was one of the best things ever. Couldn’t be better. Perfect crust, chewiness, texture, flavor. Incredible. I did drizzle a simple powdered sugar + water glaze on top. This is now a family staple / go-to.
This recipe came out so delicious! I’m making it for the second time in a week.
Just a couple of notes about how it is written: step 3 is slightly confusing after the first sentence. it isn’t immediately clear that you mean to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough rather than in the pan. and there is no direction about mixing and drizzling the glaze at the end.
Thank you so much for this comment! I definitely thought I was supposed to sprinkle it on the bottom of the pan/top of the melted butter.
what type of oil are you supposed to drizzle before putting in fridge?
Hi Vanessa,
I use any neutral oil 🙂
This was super helpful, thank you for mentioning this tip about the cinnamon sugar! I’m glad I read the comments before attempting this lol.
Super easy recipe, would not have thought to make sweet focaccia but glad I came across this recipe. Will be making again!
SOOOOO good, I made a whole pan and it was practically gone in a day. My family loved it – it’s basically a giant cinnamon roll, and it’s super simple to make. Will be making it again!