Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Focaccia

     As I explore more and more of the amazing world of sourdough there are more and more things I want to try! In this process of exploration, I have found my new favorite breakfast: Sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia! In the past I have struggled to make cinnamon rolls because of how limited my kitchen space is (apartments, am I right?) so, the cinnamon roll focaccia sounded like my jam. 

    My first question for this recipe was: how is focaccia dough different from a normal bread dough? Luckily, the answer was very simple! With just a few tweaks to my Sourdough Loaf recipe, I successfully made focaccia dough! From there I took the standard cinnamon roll components and incorporated it into focaccia. 

    I started making my cinnamon roll focaccia by mixing together starter, water, olive oil, salt, and flour. I like to first dissolve my starter in the water, then mix in my salt and oil, then slowly mix in all of my flour until there are no more dry parts. When everything was combined, I let my dough rest for about 30 minutes. When the time was up I did three rounds of stretch and folds every 20-30 minutes. 

    Stretch and folds are when you carefully take one side of your dough and stretch it away from the the rest of the dough without tearing it. Next, you turn the dough and do the same thing on the next side. Once you have made it to all (4) sides of the dough, you have finished your round! 

    After I was done with my stretch and folds, I covered my dough with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm spot until it doubled in size. This took about 5 hours in my oven on warm but it can take up to 8. If you need more time you can stick it in the fridge and it can take up to 24. 

    When my dough was doubled, I oiled a 9x13 casserole dish and dumped my dough into it. I let it sit for 30 min-1 hour or until it started to repuff a bit. Usually when you make focaccia you will dimple it with olive oil but I thought it would be a good idea to use melted butter instead (and it was.) I used about 1/2 a stick of butter but you can use up to one. I let it brown a bit to give it some more flavor.

    While my butter was melting, I mixed together brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I spread it all over my dough while my butter cooled a bit. Once it was cool enough to touch I drizzled it all over my dough. Using my fingers, I made dimples in the dough. This makes the butter and all of the flavors on top go into the dough and helps foster the amazing signature focaccia texture. 

   Once my dough was topped and dimpled, I covered it again with a damp towel and let it sit in a warm spot for another 2-4 hours or until there were bubbles appearing on top and it jiggled a bit when I shook it. I baked my focaccia at 450 degrees for 45 minutes or until the brown sugar was caramelized on top but not burnt. 

    I like to top my focaccia while it is still warm so while it was baking, I beat together my room temperature sour cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. If you want more of a glaze than a frosting, just increase the amount of milk you add by a tablespoon or two. 

    When your focaccia is cool (or still warm if you're impatient like me) it has all of the amazing cinnamon roll flavors with the extra amazingness that sourdough adds to everything. Not to mention the awesome texture  of focaccia! Cinnamon roll sourdough focaccia and a cup of coffee is my new favorite way to start my morning!

    How did this recipe work for you? What should I make next? Leave me a comment!