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The one-bowl, no-mixer dough for this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia comes together in minutes with no kneading needed. Even the sleepiest heads will arise and head to the kitchen as the delicious aroma fills the house!
The idea for this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia came together on the spur of the moment but it's definitely a keeper. It was last week when I made a batch of our Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread to use for sandwiches. I only needed one loaf for the lunches but, since the recipe makes two, I decided to try a new breakfast idea with the second portion.
A match made in heaven!
A beautiful bowl full of ruby red apples on my kitchen counter was the source of inspiration. After dividing the dough into two pans and preparing one according to the Ridiculously Easy Focaccia recipe, I added a shower of finely diced apples to the second pan along with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. The final step, after dimpling the dough, was to give everything a drizzle of olive oil and pop the pans into the oven.
The aroma... oh my!
It wasn't long before the kitchen was filled with a fabulous aroma, reminiscent of grandma's from-scratch apple pie or mom's cinnamon rolls. It was difficult to wait for the bread to finish baking and take a taste but I decided to add one more new step... a clear, sweet glaze after the bread emerged from the oven. There was a bit of the cinnamon sugar sprinkle left in a bowl so I simply added a splash of water and popped it in the microwave to dissolve the sugar and create a simple syrup. I love how it adds a shiny, crisp sweet coating to the apple-studded bread.
Ridiculously Easy
Ridiculously Easy is a signature classification here at The Café. If you're new around here you might not be familiar with our Ridiculously Easy recipes. You can read all about them in this post and check out the whole collection here but, to sum it up in a few words, these are the recipes that "make you look like a kitchen rock star with minimal effort on your part".
As I mentioned earlier, this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focacciais an adaption from our Ridiculously Easy Focaccia, one of the most beloved reader recipes here at the Café. Here are just a few recent comments about the easy focaccia:
I made your recipe last night/this morning and am very excited with the results! Such an easy recipe and the bread is moist, soft and scrumptious. This is going to be a regular in my house. I love how you can make the dough the night before in a matter of minutes with no mess, pop it in the fridge overnight and then shape and proof it the next morning and time everything to have fresh warm focaccia to serve when family or guests arrive.
This was "ridiculously easy" just as described. And so delicious!
So easy I could make this with my 7 and 4-year-old kids! Thanks for such an easy recipe!
I have tried both the savory and cinnamon raisin recipes. Both are absolutely ridiculously delicious. They are easy, and in our household, a senior---me, a middle-aged, and a twenty-year-old almost battle to grab the last piece of either kind.
Same easy recipe!
I think you get the picture, ridiculously easy and... ridiculously delicious! And now there's a new rendition, this Ridiculously Easy Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia, just as easy and, if I dare say, perhaps even a tad more delicious.
This recipe follows the original recipe almost exactly except there's a scoop of sugar in the dough and the focaccia is topped with diced apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar before baking. The results are an intoxicatingly delicious breakfast, brunch or snacking bread!
What kind of apples should I use for this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia?
There are lots of apple options for this recipe. Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Jonagold, Fugi, Gala and Braeburn are all good choices. The apple in this recipe is diced quite small so, despite the short cooking time, most baking apples will soften quickly. The only apples I would avoid are Granny Smith and other very firm apples that take a long time to soften.
A breakfast or brunch treat!
Do you have guests coming? Maybe you just want to make a weekend breakfast memory for family or friends. Throw together a batch of this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia.
Serve it warm, on its own, or with a ramekin of soft creamy butter - either way, it will be a huge, happy hit (and you will be too)!
Café Tips for making this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia
- I like to use bread flour for this focaccia - but it isn't necessary. Bread flour is higher in protein and, according to Bob's Red Mill, it creates more stability, form, and rise in the dough, allowing it to lift and hold shape. I have used both bread flour and all-purpose flour with good results.
- If you have the time, this focaccia is wonderful when the dough has the time to rise overnight. The slow rise develops the big beautiful irregular holes that are so beloved in artisan bread. That being said, I have also made this dough and let it rise on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour and then proceeded with the recipe. The bread still turns out great. So, if you have the time and it works well with your schedule, make the dough the night before. But if you're in a hurry or your schedule doesn't cooperate for a long, slow rise... no worries! I have included instructions for both methods in the recipe below.
- I love to add a half teaspoon of cardamom in addition to the cinnamon in the topping. This is totally optional but cardamom does add a delicious layer of flavor.
- I like to use one of these Danish Whisks to easily mix up the dough for this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia. They're inexpensive and make whipping up any dough super simple. With this particular brand, you get two professional-grade whisks. Keep one for yourself and give the other to a baking friend. He/she will think quite fondly of you every time they mix a batch of dough!
- Another great way to stir up this dough is with a sturdy spatula. I love these silicone spatulas with wooden handles and use them all the time. They're inexpensive, super strong, and great for mixing and scraping so many things.
- While we're talking about mixing the dough, make sure all of the flour is well incorporated and there are not any little pockets of dry flour. I always stir it up until I think it's well mixed and then stir a little more.
- You can cut this Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia into wedges or crossways, into strips. I love cutting it in strips as you can see in the pictures above.
- You can also crisp it up in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and serve it toasted. Just brush the cut sides of the bread lightly with olive oil then heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the bread and cook on both sides until golden. Delish!
- Be sure to grease your pan (with butter) and line with parchment paper. The butter helps the crust to get really crisp and the parchment paper will ensure easy removal from the pan.
- This recipe calls for Instant Yeast which is also called Rapid Rise Yeast. It's quite magical as it doesn't require proofing as regular yeast does. Don't try to use regular yeast in this recipe. You can find Instant or Rapid Rise Yeast at most grocery stores, right next to the regular yeast. You can also buy it in bulk and store it indefinitely in the freezer. It's infinitely cheaper buying yeast in bulk than purchasing it in little packets.
- Don't be shy when you "dimple" the dough, just before baking. You want to poke your fingers in all the way to the bottom of the pan and actually make little holes with your fingers. This will ensure nice deep dimples that won't disappear in the oven.
Thought for the day:
This we know... "Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy any of these recipes, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations.
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Ridiculously Easy Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Focaccia
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 4 cups bread flour OR all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast, 1 packet
- 2 cups hot tap water 120-125˚F.)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
To prep the pans:
- 2 teaspoons soft butter
For the topping and glaze:
- 2 small or 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced small
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom, optional
Instructions
FOR THE OVERNIGHT REFRIGERATION METHOD
For the dough:
- In a medium-large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast. Stir well. Add the hot water. Using a silicone spatula, a sturdy wooden spoon or a Danish whisk to mix until all of the flour is well incorporated (there should be no small pockets of flour.) Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours
- Using a paper towel, lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans with 1 teaspoon soft butter each. Line the pans with parchment paper. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the center of each pan and tilt the pan to distribute the oil over the bottom and up the sides of the pans.
- Divide dough in half with a large spoon or sturdy spatula and place one piece of dough in each pan, turning to coat with oil. Tuck edges of dough underneath to form a rough ball.
- Cover each pan tightly with plastic wrap and allow the dough balls to rest for 2 hours (it may take as long as 3 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen). The dough should cover most of the bottom of the pans.
To finish:
- Combine the ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Set aside
- Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil over each round of dough in the pans. Sprinkle the diced apples over the dough in the pans then sprinkle each pan with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Reserve the remaining sugar mixture for the glaze.
- With oiled fingers, using both hands, press straight down and create deep dimples that go all the way through the dough (in other words, you'll actually be making deep holes.) If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Some of the apples will get pushed down into the dough, some will remain near the surface.
- Cover the pans and allow the dough to sit and rise for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat oven to 425˚F with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.
- Transfer the pans to the preheated oven. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes or until the tops are golden and the undersides are crisp. Remove pans from the oven. For the glaze: During the last 5 minutes of baking time, prepare the glaze by adding 2 tablespoons of water to the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture. Stir well to combine then microwave on high power for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar.
For the glaze:
- When the focaccias are removed from the oven, immediate brush them with the glaze mixture (use it all). It's okay if some runs down the sides of the bread. Return the pans to the oven for 1 additional minute to set the glaze.
- With a metal spatula, gently remove bread rounds from the pans and slide onto a cooling rack.
To serve:
- Serve warm or allow to cool completely then store in a zippered bag.
FOR THE SAME DAY (no refrigeration) METHOD
For the dough:
- In a medium-large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and instant yeast. Stir well. Add the hot water. Using a silicone spatula, a sturdy wooden spoon or a Danish whisk to mix until all of the flour is well incorporated (there should be no small pockets of flour.) Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or a plate and allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
- Using a paper towel, spread the butter over the bottom and up the sides of two 9-inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper. Pour one tablespoon of olive oil into the center of each pan and tilt the pan to distribute the oil over the bottom and up the sides of the pans.
- Gently deflate the dough by stirring it from the sides of the bowl with a spatula or wooden spoon. Divide the dough in half and place one piece of dough in each prepared pan, turning to coat with oil. Tuck the edges of the dough underneath to form a rough ball. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or two plates and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
- Drizzle the dough in each pan with one tablespoon of oil. With oiled fingers, using both hands, press straight down and create deep dimples that go all the way through the dough (in other words, you'll actually be making deep holes.) If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan.
To finish:
- Combine the ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon in a small microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Set aside
- Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil over each round of dough in the pans. Sprinkle the diced apples over the dough in the pans then sprinkle each pan with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Reserve the remaining sugar mixture for the glaze.
- With oiled fingers, using both hands, press straight down and create deep dimples that go all the way through the dough (in other words, you'll actually be making deep holes.) If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Some of the apples will get pushed down into the dough, some will remain near the surface.
- Cover the pans and allow the dough to sit and rise for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat oven to 425˚F with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.
- Transfer the pans to the preheated oven. Bake for 18 to 24 minutes or until the tops are golden and the undersides are crisp. Remove pans from the oven.
For the glaze:
- During the last 5 minutes of baking time, prepare the glaze by adding 2 tablespoons of water to the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture. Stir well to combine then microwave on high power for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar.
- When the focaccias are removed from the oven, immediate brush them with the glaze mixture (use it all). It's okay if some runs down the sides of the bread. Return the pans to the oven for 1 additional minute to set the glaze.
- With a metal spatula, gently remove bread rounds from the pans and slide onto a cooling rack.
To serve:
- Serve warm or allow to cool completely then store in a zippered bag.
Notes
Remove from the bag or wrap when unthawing.
Nutrition
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What other fruits could I use? peaches, plums, raisins, candied fruits, cherries?
Hi Janet, I haven't tested this recipe with other fruits but I think any of the fruits you mentioned would work well. With fruit that is juicy, I would press the cut or sliced fruit between several thicknesses of paper towels to remove excess moisture before adding them to the batter.
Hi Chris,
I am in the process of making your Apple Foccacia & have a question. In the same day recipe, you state to place one tablespoon of olive oil in each pan, then after the dough doubles in bulk, pan and let raise 30 minutes. Then drizzle with another tablespoon of oil in each pan and dimple the dough. Then to continue to “finish #2 step”, you indicate to drizzle another tablespoon of oil on top of each focaccia then add the apples, etc. That’s 3 tablespoons of olive oil for each focaccia instead of just 2 each in the over nite method. Is this correct?
Thank you very much.
Love every recipe of your I have made so far!
Hi Diane, the recipe is correct as written - I’m always trying new things! But if you prefer less oil, you could definitely go with the 2 tablespoons per pan and it will still be delicious!
Thank you Chris for your prompt reply. I did use only the two tablespoons and the Foccacia was delicious! Great recipe. Hubby loved it!
Regards to you and your family!
Thanks for the excellent review, Diane! So glad to hear how well this recipe turned out and how much you and your husband enjoyed it - we appreciate you taking the time to let us know!
Mouth watering delicious. Can I use almond flour for my his bread.
Hi Carol, because this is a yeast recipe, I wouldn't recommend using almond flour.
Thanks for sharing your recipes. May I ask why would you use hot water for the dough? I read that water temperature above 130°F would kill the yeast.
Great question, Steph! And you are correct, water that is too hot (over 130) can kill yeast. However, "hot" tap is no where near that temperature (if you ran your tap water that high, you'd risk being scalded). I just let my tap run for 5 minutes (I'm making focaccia today too!). After running for 5 minutes, my water is quite "hot" to the touch with lots of steam rising but the temperature is 112˚F - which is a perfect temp for activating instant yeast that's been mixed with flour, as in this recipe. Hope that helps!
Another fantastic recipe! You never disappoint. Thank you!
Thank you, Liz! So glad you enjoyed this!
Hi Chris. Thanks for all your great recipes. I love that now I can make a sweet apple foccacia bread for Christmas for my family and friends. I like to find a new recipe each year and this one fits the bill. I really enjoy all your recipes.
So glad to hear that, Phyllis! Thank you for the kind review!
What size of pans should I use.?
Hi Heidi, it's in step 2- two 9 inch round pans. Enjoy!
Can this be made ahead of time and frozen?
Yes!
The time in the fridge (8 hours) and the time while the dough ball sits (2 hours) are not mentioned in the estimated time at the top of the recipe. Otherwise, the recipe is great, thank you.
Hi Mik, thanks for your review. Right now, I'm not able to add the resting time but with a website redesign we will be adding that feature.
We loved this recipe, as I've loved all of your recipes. You kind of got me hooked on using a scale so do you have this recipe in grams?
thank you,
marti
Thanks, Marti! To the right of the ingredients you can switch to metric measurements.
Hi. So for the 2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the dough, is that 1 tablespoon per pan or 2 tablespoons per pan? Thx.
HiDlevy, sprinkle each pan with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Thanks. That’s what I did and it was fabulous!
Thanks for the info, AND the link. I truly appreciate it. But, of COURSE I have a question. 😬 What, exactly, is the purpose of ensuring the sides of the pan are coated in oil, after the pan has already been coated in butter?
Lucky you! A kitchen remodel and extension. Living in an apartment, ìt's not even in my wildest dreams, unfortunately. I'm quite sure all the traveling, and running from pillar to post to rest your head will be worth it in the end!
Safe travels 🙏
Hi Terry, thanks for your well wishes!
Regarding your question, the butter gives a nice flavor and the oil makes the bottom crust nice and crispy! They kind of meld together in the heat of the oven.
I'm not sure what happened. I followed the directions to a T, but my dough was the consistency of cake batter.
Hi Melody, I'm so sorry this didn't work out for you. It is a loose, shaggy, hydrated dough but with 4 cups of flour and 2 cups of water, it shouldn't be as liquid as cake batter.
Can you make this the night before and serve the next morning?
Yes! That works well!
This was very tasty and it was easy to follow your recipe. Thank you for a great recipe. I will be using often.
Awesome! Thanks, Lisa!
I love apples and cinnamon, so this recipe was shouting out to me!
Tonight, I made it for our flock group gathering and it was a hit! Thank you so much for teaching me how to make this "ridiculously easy" focaccia bread. You were right, it didn't disappoint.
Julie
So happy to hear that, Julie!
Maybe add ‘instant’! yeast in recipe because some might not read the recommendation info that says to use it
Thanks, Lila!
I would love to have the labels for gifting this lovely focaccia. Thank you!
Hi Shiela, we do not have labels for this recipe at this time.
Came out great! Only change I'm going to make in the future is to add some cinnamon to the dough.
Thank you, C!
Can I make this recipe in a 9 x 13 pyrex casserole dish and would it be alright to dredge some of the diced apples in cinnamon & sugar and incorporate into the dough ?
Hi Rollin, the bread will be thicker in a 9x13 dish and take longer to bake. I don't recommend adding apples to the dough itself. I tried that and the apples have a lot of moisture and make the dough wet and a little soggy.
My comment is not as much about the focaccia as it is about the quote from Romans. I grew up learning it from the KJV and it is still my favorite. The one posted here is almost as extraordinary. Thanks, now on to my kitchen. I have everything including the cardamom.
I love that, Dj 💕 Enjoy the focaccia!
I made this yesterday and OMGoodness I cannot express how delicious this focaccia is. Thank you so much for this recipe. It's going to be my go to for fall breakfasts. I think I make even make several pans for my significant other to take to work for his people because it's so easy!
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know, Robin!
I Am Glad You Believe In God. I Do Too.
That's wonderful, David!