Ridiculously Easy Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia

With a sweet, cinnamon-laced dough, lots of plump raisins and a crisp sugar topping this EASY Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia requires no kneading and takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on time!

Our eight-year-old granddaughter, Emmy, enjoys spending the night at Gigi (that's me, often shortened to Geeg) and Papa's (that's Scott). She gets particularly excited about a sleepover if she has school the next day as she loves for me to pack her lunch. And if the lunch includes a sandwich on our focaccia bread, she's over the moon! A few weeks ago I stirred up a batch of the super easy focaccia for Emmy's lunch. Since the recipe makes two loaves, I thought it would be fun to switch things up a bit and made one loaf as a sweet breakfast bread. The result was this super delicious, Ridiculously Easy Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia.

I've made this breakfast/brunch treat a few times since and it always brings a huge thumbs up. In fact, it's quite dangerous, as it's almost impossible to enjoy just one piece!

Ridiculously Easy

Many of you have made our Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread and have agreed that it is super easy and SUPER delicious. This is a kissin' cousin to the focaccia. Same easy steps, just a few adaptations. It definitely falls into our Ridiculously Easy category of recipes which you can read more about here and see the entire collection here.

If you're new to The Café, a short, condensed definition of our RE recipes is "Recipes that make you look like a kitchen rock star with minimal effort on your part".

What makes this recipe SO easy?

Well, to start with, you can mix up this dough with just one bowl, no mixer and there's NO kneading involved. How does it work? Just combine all-purpose flour, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, instant yeast and salt in a medium-large mixing bowl. Add hot water and stir until the flour is completely incorporated. Cover and let the fragrant dough rise and get nice and puffy.

Because we're using instant yeast and hot tap water the dough will rise quickly right on the countertop. Another option is to mix up the dough, refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning. That works really well for overnight guests as they will wake to the wonderful aroma of cinnamon bread baking.

Once the dough's risen, it's time to divide it into two round cake pans that have been greased and lined with parchment paper. Another short rise in the pan and it's almost time to bake; but not before the top is sprinkled with coarse sugar (also called raw sugar, Demerara or Turbinado) which creates a sweet crisp crust during its' time in the oven.

Now the only thing left is to wait for that amazing heavenly aroma that will fill your kitchen. It'll be sure to silently call everyone in the house to the kitchen (and quite possibly the neighbors too!).

See what I mean, easy! Ridiculously easy!

What size pan should I use for this focaccia?

You'll actually need two pans, as this recipe makes two round loaves of cinnamon raisin focaccia. You can use either 8 or 9-inch round cake pans. The 8-inch pans will yield a taller loaf where the 9-inch focaccia rounds will be larger in diameter. You can see the 8-inch version in the pictures in this post which show it on a cake stand and the 9-inch on the wooden cutting board.

One important thing to note, if you use 8-inch pans, make sure the sides of the pans are at least 2-inches tall as the focaccia rise nice and high (Most pans these days have 2-inch tall sides but if your pans are older, they might be more shallow.). If your pans have lower sides, use 9-inch pans instead.

If you're in the market for cake pans, I really love these non-stick baking pans that come in 8-inch or 9-inch sizes. They're sturdy, clean up beautifully, have nice tall sides and look like new after many uses.

If you only have 8 or 9-inch square pans, they will work also as will a 9x13-inch pan (which will just make one large focaccia).

Give one away!

Since this recipe yields two delicious focaccia bread rounds, it's perfect for gifting!

I've created a cheerful gift label that I'll be happy to share with you. If you'd like a free printable PDF for the labels, just leave us a comment below this post in the comment section. We'll send you the labels along with directions on how to print and use them.

Plan of action

Check your pantry, you probably have everything you need to make this DELICIOUS Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia. Just think, in less than two hours, you can be pulling this amazing breakfast treat out of your oven, all set to devour by your (drooling) fans!

Cafe Tips for making this Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia

• Don't like raisins? No problem, leave them out! You might have to change the name, but the bread will still be super delicious! Another option would be to add chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts in lieu of raisins.
• You'll need Instant Yeast (vs. Dry Active Yeast) for this recipe. Instant yeast is a fast-acting yeast that does not need to be activated in water. It was developed to be added to recipes with the dried ingredients which makes it super easy to use in recipes like this Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia.
• You can purchase Instant Yeast at just about any grocery store in the baking aisle, right next to the regular dry active yeast. You can also purchase it online. I like to purchase my instant yeast in bulk as it's infinitely cheaper than buying the little packets. Instant yeast can be kept in the refrigerator for several months or in the freezer for a year.
• The only important rule for using instant yeast is that it needs a "hot" liquid to activate it, in this instance hot tap water. The water should feel very warm but not too hot to touch. I let my water run for a minute or two until it's nice and hot. If you want to measure the temperature with an instant thermometer, it should read around 120-125˚F.
• To prep this recipe the night before, mix up the dough, as directed, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, then refrigerate. In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide it into the two pans as directed. The rise time, once the dough is in the pans will take longer as it's starting out cold, about 60-90 minutes. Once the dough has risen, proceed with the dimpling, sprinkling with sugar and baking as directed.
• You can cut this cinnamon raisin focaccia bread into wedges or crossways, into strips. Although it's delicious on its own, I love serving it with some good butter (we love Irish butter) and a jar of honey.
• Be sure to grease your pan (with butter) and line it with parchment paper. An easy way to line your pans with parchment? Take a piece of parchment slightly larger than the diameter of your pan. Fold it in half and then in quarters. Fold the quarter in half and then in half one last time. You will end up with a long skinny triangular-shaped wedge. Turn the pan you want to line upside down. Place the tip of your parchment paper triangle at the approximate center of the pan and lay it flat so the unfolded edges are lying over the edge of the pan. Trim the paper with a scissors, about a quarter inch in from the edge of the pan. Unfold and line your pan with the circle you created.

• If you bake a lot (or you're lazy like I am) you'll love these pre-cut parchment paper circles. They're reasonably priced, last forever (come in a pack of 100) and save a bunch of time. They come in 8-inch and 9-inch sizes.
• 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.

• You can use any kind of coarse sugar to top these cinnamon raisin focaccias. Different types of coarse sugar are raw sugar, Turbinado sugar, Demerara sugar and coarse baker's sugar.

Thought for the day:

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty,
and on Your wondrous works.
Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts,
and I will declare Your greatness.
They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
and shall sing of Your righteousness.
Psalm 145:5-7

What we're listening to for inspiration:

The Goodness of God

If you enjoyed this recipe, 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.

5 from 15 votes

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Ridiculously Easy Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia

With a sweet, cinnamon-laced dough, lots of plump raisins and a crisp sugar topping this EASY Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia requires no kneading and takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on time!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Breakfast/Brunch

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: Cinnamon Raisin Focaccia, Ridiculously Easy

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 18 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 53 mins

Servings: 20

Calories: 157 kcal

Ingredients

For the prep:

• 1 teaspoon soft butter
• For the dough:
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup raisins
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet)
• 2 cups hot tap water 120-125˚F.)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil divided

For the topping:

• 3 tablespoon coarse or raw sugar I love this sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For prep:

1. Using a paper towel, spread the butter over the bottom and up the sides of two 8 OR 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. Set aside.

For the dough:

1. In a medium-large bowl, combine flour, raisins, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and instant yeast. Stir well. Add the hot water. Using a Danish Whisk, sturdy wooden spoon, or a rubber spatula, mix until all of the flour is well incorporated (check the bottom of the bowl, there should be no small pockets of flour left). 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.

2. (If you want to make this dough the night before, see the notes below this recipe.)
3. Gently deflate the dough by stirring it from the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. 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.
4. Cover the pans with plastic wrap or two plates and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
5. 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:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F with a rack positioned in the center of the oven.

2. Sprinkle tops of each focaccia with 1½ tablespoons of coarse sugar and allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.

3. Transfer the pans to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden color and the undersides are crisp and golden (you can use a table knife to gently lift up one focaccia to check the underside.

4. Remove the pans from the oven. Gently flip the bread out onto a cool rack and remove the parchment if it’s still attached to the focaccia. Turn right side up and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.

5. Serve warm or allow to cool completely then store in a zippered bag.

6. To freeze: To freeze, allow the bread to cool completely, then transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze. Thaw and enjoy at room temperature or warm for 10 minutes in a 325˚F oven.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above for additional instructions.

To prep this recipe the night before, mix up the dough as directed, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes, then refrigerate. In the morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide it into the two pans as directed. The rise time, once the dough is in the pans will take longer as it's starting out cold - about 60-90 minutes. Once the dough has risen, proceed with the dimpling, sprinkling with sugar and baking as directed.

Calories 157kcal

Fat 3g

Saturated fat 1g

Trans fat 1g

Polyunsaturated fat 1g

Monounsaturated fat 2g

Cholesterol 1mg

Sodium 238mg

Potassium 100mg

Carbohydrates 29g

Fiber 2g

Sugar 3g

Protein 3g

Vitamin A 7%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 7%

Iron 1%