This cinnamon roll focaccia is everything you love about a cinnamon roll, minus the work! Soft and fluffy focaccia dough with a warm, gooey cinnamon sugar throughout and then drizzled with a cream cheese icing.
Skip the focaccia version and make my classic homemade cinnamon rolls!
CINNAMON ROLL FOCACCIA
Nothing beats a soft and fluffy dough that is filled with a sweet and gooey cinnamon sugar. This delicious cinnamon roll focaccia bread gives you all the best flavors, then drizzled with a delicious cream cheese icing. What makes this easier than cinnamon rolls is it requires no rolling, and shaping. The focaccia dough is soft, fluffy and so easy to work with. Make this dessert bread for your next sweet treat no matter the occasion!
WHAT YOU NEED-
- Focaccia Dough– The base of this recipe uses my simple focaccia dough recipe! You can swap my classic dough for sourdough if you prefer. I just like to sweeten the dough a little with granulated sugar or honey.
- Butter– Instead of coating the baking pan with olive oil, this recipe calls for butter. You can use either salted or unsalted butter. You will also need butter for the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Cinnamon– The key ingredient is the ground cinnamon!
- Sugar– The cinnamon sugar mixture in this recipe calls for brown sugar. Either light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Cream Cheese– For the cream cheese icing, you want to use either classic or low-fat cream cheese. Be sure the cream cheese is softened.
- Powdered Sugar– To sweeten the icing, you want to use powdered sugar, also known as confectioners sugar.
- Vanilla– You can’t forget the vanilla for added flavor! You can use either vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Milk- To thin out the icing you can use either whole milk or half and half creamer.
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON ROLL FOCACCIA
Have this delicious cinnamon roll focaccia ready in no time, making this recipe the ultimate sweet treat!
- Mix the focaccia dough ingredients in a large bowl until a wet, sticky dough forms. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
- With wet hands, stretch and fold the dough 4-5 times. Rest for 15 minutes, then repeat twice more for a total of 3 rounds.
- Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for 45 minutes. Prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Prepare the cinnamon sugar mixture and butter in a 9×9-inch pan.
- Transfer the dough to the pan, add half of the cinnamon mixture, then fold and stretch the dough toward the edges. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours, until fluffy and bubbly.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Top with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture and gently dimple the dough. Gently press your fingertips into the dough to create dimples, then add the remaining cheese and your favorite pizza toppings.
- Bake until the edges are crisp and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- While it bakes, prepare the cream cheese icing.
- Let the focaccia cool slightly, then drizzle with icing and serve warm.
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Yes! You can use the measurements from my classic focaccia recipe for a full 9×13 size pan! Just be sure to double the cinnamon sugar and icing also!
For my overnight focaccia ingredients, use my guide from my classic focaccia dough recipe.
No, the most vital step in getting the perfect batch of focaccia is to be patient during the rise time!
Yes, focaccia dough is a high-hydration dough, so it will be loose, sticky and wet. The stretch and folds help build the structure of the dough!
The focaccia dough should be very puffy and pillowy. You will also have bubbles and the dough will be jiggly.
Yes, this step is what makes this cinnamon roll focaccia so delicious!
No! You can totally swap the cream cheese frosting for classic sugar glaze or maple syrup sugar glaze.
Once the cinnamon roll focaccia is completely cool, store it covered at room temp for 2 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days!
Yes! This focaccia recipe freezes great! Once cool, slice and wrap individually in plastic wrap then store in a freeze safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
OTHER CINNAMON ROLL INSPIRED RECIPES-
If you love cinnamon rolls, check out all my other cinnamon roll inspired recipes!
Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough-
- 240 grams all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp active dry yeast or instant
- 204 grams warm water
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled for pan
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture-
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting-
- 3 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whole milk or half and half creamer
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the focaccia dough to a large bowl. Using a dough whisk or your hands, mix until everything is well combined and a wet, sticky dough forms. Cover and let the dough rest at room temp for 15 minutes.240 grams all-purpose flour, ¾ tsp salt, 1 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp active dry yeast , or instant, 204 grams warm water, 1 Tbsp olive oil
- After 15 minutes, stretch and fold the dough. With wet hands, grab one edge of the dough, gently pull it upward, and fold it toward the center. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat with another section of dough. Continue this process until you have stretched and folded the dough 4-5 times.
- Cover the dough and let rest another 15 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold process. Rest the dough for another 15 minutes, then repeat the stretch-and-fold process one final time, for a total of 3 rounds of stretching and folding.
- After the third and final stretch and fold, cover the dough and let rise at room temp, or in a warm, draft-free spot, for 45 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the cinnamon sugar mixture. Set aside. (If needed, melt the mixture to loosen the butter before adding it to the dough.)5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- Drizzle a 9×9 inch baking pan with 2 Tbsp of melted butter. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Using lightly oiled or wet hands, gently stretch the dough toward the edges of the pan.2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled for pan
- Spread half of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Starting with one side of the dough, gently stretch it upward and fold it toward the center. Repeat with the opposite side, folding it over the first fold.
- Carefully flip the dough over so the folded side is underneath. Using wet or lightly oiled hands, gently stretch the dough toward the edges of the pan. (If the dough does not reach all the way to the edges, that’s okay! It will continue to spread as it rises.)
- Cover the baking pan and allow the dough to rise for another 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size and looks fluffy and bubbly. (Do NOT rush this step! The dough needs enough time to rise properly for the best texture and flavor.)
- About 20–30 minutes before the dough is finished rising, preheat the oven to 450°F. This ensures the oven is fully heated when the focaccia is ready to bake.
- Once the dough has finished rising, uncover it and drizzle the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top. Wet your hands, then gently press your fingertips straight down into the dough to create deep dimples. Continue until the entire surface of the dough is covered with dimples.
- Bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes, until the focaccia is deep golden brown and crisp around the edges.
- While the focaccia is baking, whisk together all of the cream cheese icing ingredients until smooth. Set aside.3 oz cream cheese , softened, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 cup whole milk, or half and half creamer
- Remove the focaccia from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then, carefully transfer it to a wire cooling rack and let it cool slightly.
- Drizzle the warm cinnamon roll focaccia with the cream cheese icing, then slice and serve. For the best flavor and texture, serve warm.
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