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If there’s one sweet focaccia recipe you need to make, this is it. Sweet. Cinnamon Roll. Sourdough. Focaccia. It’s crispy on the outside, sweet and tender inside with ribbons of cinnamon sugar swirled throughout and a cream cheese glaze.
This is my unique take on sourdough focaccia and every time I make it – there are NO leftovers. People go crazy for this bread – in the best way. Serious deliciousness in every cinnamony bite. Also find this recipe and other delicious sourdough recipes in my collaborative sourdough cookbook.
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Why You’ll Love Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Focaccia
- Texture: You’ll love how this cinnamon roll sourdough focaccia is like a sweet donut – crispy and soft in all the right places. Or try my honey butter sourdough focaccia if you love honey butter rolls!
- Cream Cheese Glaze: The subtle, but delicious, glaze on top of this sweet focaccia is perfection – similar to the glaze on my sourdough donuts.
- Flavor: Sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia packs in the flavor with cinnamon sugar ripples throughout. It’s similar to my sticky pecan focacia buns and a unique take on my traditional sourdough focaccia recipe that you will also love.
- Mix it Up: If you love this cinnamon roll version, you may also love my mixed berry sourdough focaccia or chocolate strawberry sourdough focaccia – other favorite sweet focaccia variations. Or try my Funfetti Sourdough loaf – another unique take on a classic artisan sourdough – but with sprinkles!
Sample Sourdough Baker’s Timeline
A sample baking schedule helps me when baking with sourdough. I’ve been baking sourdough for over a decade and this schedule helps me plan my bake. Please Note: This schedule assumes the dough temperature is 78-80ºF throughout the process.
| Day 1 | Mix Levain |
| 8:00 PM- 8:00 AM | Mix Levain. Let sit at 78º F for about 10-12 hours until doubled/bubbly and ripe. |
| Day 2 | Mixing/Bulk Fermentation/Shaping/Baking |
| 8:00 AM | Mix together dough Begin Bulk Fermentation |
| 8:30 AM | Coil Fold #1 |
| 9:00 AM | Coil Fold #2 |
| 9:30 AM | Coil Fold #3 |
| 10:00 AM | Coil Fold #4 |
| 10:00 AM –1:00 or 2:00 PM | Finish Bulk Fermentation |
| 1:00 PM | Place dough in pan, add cinnamon sugar and cover Optional Overnight Refrigeration |
| 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Let dough rise in a warm 78-80º F place until the dough is doubled, airy, light and jiggly. Do not bake unless the dough is puffed up and aerated. |
| 5:00 PM | Bake |
Important Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter: Use an active/ripe sourdough starter (doubled in size/bubbly/mild sour aroma) to mix the levain.
- Focaccia Dough – When mixing your focaccia dough, there is no autolyse or fermentolyse. Instead, you’ll mix all of your focaccia dough ingredients together at the same time (including the salt). I also recommend using bread flour with a strong protein content for this dough. I almost always use a 12.5% protein bread flour for my breads. This focaccia with it’s high water content needs to be paired with a strong flour. If you don’t have bread flour and substitute all purpose, you will need to reduce some of the water in the recipe.
- Cinnamon Filling – This focaccia incorporates a cinnamon filling of brown sugar and cinnamon mixed together.
- Cream Cheese Glaze – This cinnamon roll focaccia is topped with a glaze made of powdered sugar, cream cheese, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. It’s delicious!
- Olive Oil and Butter – Good quality olive oil that you like the flavor of is important in this recipe. The dough will take on the flavor of the oil as it bakes. I like using a light olive oil that doesn’t have distinct flavor. Because this is a sweeter recipe, I also use a combination of butter and olive oil.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Focaccia
Levain
1:10:10 levain (ready in 10-12 hours/overnight): This recipe calls for levain mixed the night before you want to mix your dough. Prepare the levain and keep it overnight at 78-80ºF. It will be ready in approximately 10-12 hours (overnight). Mix together:
- 5 grams of ripe/mature sourdough starter
- 55 grams water
- 55 grams all purpose or bread flour
Note: To make it a true 1:10:10 ratio, it would be 5.5 grams of ripe/mature starter and 55 grams bread flour, 55 grams water. Chances are you are going to be somewhere in the ballpark of 5-6 grams of starter, and it will work out just fine. Sourdough doesn’t have to be exact – it’s a method of learning to read your dough and its readiness.
If you prefer to mix the levain the morning you mix the dough, you can mix a 1:1:1 Levain (ready in 3-4 hours/same day): It should take 3-4 hours to rise and peak if kept at 78-80ºF. Levain is ready when it has at least doubled in size, has lots of bubbles, a slightly sour aroma and is just about to start going down from its peak height. Mix together:
- 35 grams ripe/mature starter
- 35 grams warm water
- 35 grams all purpose or bread flour
Bulk Fermentation
Once your levain is ripe, active, and bubbly, combine it with water, sugar, salt, and bread flour. Mix your focaccia dough together with a dough whisk or spoon until a sticky dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes of resting time, begin performing your first set of 4-6 coil folds. The dough will be very sticky, but it will strengthen over the next several hours. To perform your first set of coil folds, wet your hands with water. Place your hands under the middle of the dough and pull up. The dough will stretch up (but should not tear) and release from the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough releases, let the dough fall back under itself. Repeat the process for both sides of dough. Then turn the container and repeat the coil fold. Watch a video of the coil fold process here. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat your coil folds 3 more times every 30 minutes. After your fourth set of coil folds, cover and let sourdough focaccia dough rest at 78ºF for 2.5-3 hours until the dough has risen about 50-60% in the bowl.
Shaping Dough
While waiting for your sourdough focaccia dough to finish rising, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
After the long bulk rest, line a 9 by 13 (or 12-inch round) metal baking pan with parchment paper. Pour 20 grams of light-flavored olive oil into the pan and 25 grams of melted butter. Tip the pan around to coat the entire bottom of the parchment paper.
Dump the focaccia dough into the pan and spread out with your fingers. Pour half to 2/3 of the cinnamon sugar focaccia filling on top of the focaccia dough. Fold the dough in half and sprinkle the rest of the mixture on the dough. Fold again. At this point the dough will be all together in the middle of the pan. Don’t worry about spreading it out yet.
Cold Ferment and Proofing
At this point you can cover the dough and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours before proceeding with a second proof and baking.
If you refrigerated your dough overnight, pull out of the refrigerator. Cover the focaccia dough and let it sit in a warm place (approximately 78-80ºF) for 2-3 hours until doubled in size, puffed up and very airy. Depending on your temperature, you may need to let it rise for longer than 3 hours to achieve this.
Baking
After the dough is puffed up, jiggly and aerated with air bubbles, gently spread the dough out to fill the edges of the pan. Pour 25 grams of melted butter on top of the dough. Take your fingers and gently dimple the dough. Start at the top and work your way down the dough until the entire focaccia is dimpled and bubbly.
Bake sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia at 425ºF until crispy and light golden brown on top and the baked focaccia registers 200ºF. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
While the focaccia bakes, whisk together powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, milk, vanilla extract and salt until it forms an icing. Spread over warm focaccia and enjoy!
Amy’s Recipe Tip
Add parchment paper to the bottom of your pan before adding the oil and dough – trust me! It will make cleanup much easier. Cinnamon sugar can get sticky and tend to burn if you don’t have the parchment paper.
Substitutions
- Bread Flour: All-purpose flour should not be substituted for bread flour in this recipe. This is a high-hydration dough meaning it has lots of water in it and all-purpose flour doesn’t have the strength to absorb all the liquid. If you don’t have bread flour, you can add 15 grams vital wheat gluten to all-purpose flour to increase the protein content of the flour making it similar to bread flour.
- Levain: Ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter can be substituted for levain in this recipe.
- Cream Cheese Glaze: You can substitute a more cream cheese forward frosting like this one in my pumpkin sourdough focaccia.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia bread can be stored at room temperature for a few hours. However, because of the cream cheese glaze, it should not be left out too long. The best way to store leftovers is to bag it in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to a couple months. Warm up in the microwave or oven for a few minutes before serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure you’re use a good quality non-stick metal pan. I’ve been using the same USA pans for years and love them. If your pan is not non-stick, add some parchment paper to the bottom of your pan. Top the parchment with the olive oil/butter. Then put the focaccia dough on top.
Focaccia is a wet dough. It’s made that way so that it can fill with air bubbles and get nice and puffy when risen. If your dough is too wet for you to handle, add a little flour. Add in a few more strengthening folds if needed to help strengthen those gluten strands. Focaccia doesn’t need to be shaped much, just rise in a pan so it’s okay if it’s a very wet dough.
Cinnamon roll focaccia is similar to cinnamon rolls in the flavor profile, but it’s also crispy like a donut from being baked in the butter and oil. It’s soft in the middle and tastes incredible. I think you’re going to love it!
Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Focaccia
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Equipment
- 9 by 13 pan or 12-inch round pan
Ingredients
Levain (1:10:10 ratio, ready in 10-12 hours at 78ºF)
- 5 grams sourdough starter, ripe and active, about 1 teaspoon
- 55 grams flour (all-purpose or bread flour), scant 1/2 cup
- 55 grams water, about 1/4 cup
Cinnamon Roll Focaccia Dough
- 100 grams levain, ripe and active, scant 1/2 cup
- 385 grams water, about 1 2/3 cup
- 20 grams granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons
- 10 grams salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons
- 500 grams bread flour, about 3 1/2 cups
- 20 grams olive oil, reserved for the pan, about 1.5 Tablespoons
- 50 grams unsalted butter, melted, divided, reserved for the pan, 25 grams for the bottom and 25 grams for the top, about 4 Tablespoons total
Cinnamon Filling
- 120 grams brown sugar, 1/2 cup
- 8 grams ground cinnamon, 1 Tablespoon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 75 grams powdered sugar, 2/3 cup
- 30 grams cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons
- 15 grams milk, about 1 Tablespoon
- 4 grams vanilla extract, about 1 teaspoon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Levain (1:10:10 ratio, ready in 10-12 hours at 78ºF)
- Mix together 5 grams ripe sourdough starter with 55 grams water and 55 grams flour. Cover and let sit overnight at 78ºF until doubled in size, bubbly and active. You can also substitute 100 grams of bubbly sourdough starter if you prefer.
Cinnamon Roll Focaccia Dough
- Mix: Mix together ripe, bubbly, active levain with water, sugar, salt and bread flour. Mix together with a dough whisk or spoon until a sticky dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold # 1: Take the cover off the dough and perform 4-6 coil folds. The dough will be very sticky for this first set of coil folds but will strengthen over time. Wet your hands with water. Place your hands under the middle of the dough and pull up. The dough will stretch up (but should not tear) and release from the bottom of the bowl. Once the dough releases, let the dough fall back under itself. Repeat the process for both sides of dough. Then turn the container and repeat the coil fold. Watch a video of the coil fold process here. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold #2: Wet your hands. You will notice the dough is stronger than your first set of folds. Repeat the coil folds, noticing how the dough is changing and strengthening over time. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold #3: Wet your hands. Perform 3-4 coil folds. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Coil Fold #4: Repeat the last set of coil folds.
- Finish Bulk Fermentation: Cover with plastic wrap and rest the dough at 78ºF for 2.5-3 hours until the dough has risen about 50-60% in the bowl.
- Prepare Filling: Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon until combined.
- Prepare the Pan: After the long bulk rest, line a 9 by 13 (or 12 inch round) metal baking pan with parchment paper. Pour 20 grams light-flavored olive oil in the pan and 25 grams of melted butter. Tip the pan around to coat the entire bottom of the parchment paper.
- Shape the Dough: Dump the focaccia dough into the pan and spread out with your fingers. Pour half to 2/3 of the focaccia filling on top of the focaccia dough. Fold the dough in half and sprinkle the rest of the mixture on the dough. Fold again. At this point the dough will be all together in the middle of the pan. Don't worry about spreading it out yet.At this point you can cover the dough and refrigerate it for up to 48 hours before proceeding with a second proof and baking.
- Proof the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm 78-80ºF place for 2-3 hours until doubled in size, puffed up and very airy. If the dough doesn't look like this, warm it up a little more and let it rise longer.
- Dimple the Dough: After the dough is puffed up, jiggly and aerated with air bubbles, gently spread the dough out to fill the edges of the pan. Pour 25 grams of melted butter on top of the dough. Take your fingers and gently dimple the dough. Start at the top and work your way down the dough until the entire focaccia is dimpled and bubbly.
- Bake Focaccia: Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF. Once the oven is pre-heated, bake the focaccia for 25-30 minutes until bubbly, crispy and light golden brown on top and the baked focaccia registers 200ºF. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
- Cream Cheese Glaze: While the focaccia bakes, whisk together powdered sugar, softened cream cheese, milk, vanilla extract and salt until it forms an icing. Spread over warm focaccia and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve got my dough in the pan, ready for cinnamon/ sugar mixture. It is way too sticky for me to fold in half. Please help.
What do I do?
Sorry for the delayed response! I hope it turned out in the end. For the future, gently spread or dimple the dough in the pan, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top, then use oiled or damp hands to lightly fold sections over or swirl it in. It doesn’t have to be perfect at all—the layering will still work. If it’s fighting you, just treat it more like a topping than a fold—it will still turn out delicious!
Oh my goodness. This is amazing! I cut down on the sugar as a preference and skipped the topping. This would be perfect to take to a brunch and share. I did ferment it overnight. So good.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad you love the focaccia.
Can you use a glass pan?
Glass doesn’t conduct heat quite as well as metal for a bake like this focaccia, so you might need to bake for a longer time (glass takes longer to heat up). The bottom won’t get quite as crispy as it would in a metal pan. but it should still be delicious!
My dough didn’t seem as “wet” or thin as yours in your coil folds video, but I used the same amounts in the recipe. Why is that?
That’s totally normal! Dough consistency can vary based on your flour and environment—some flours absorb more water. If it feels smooth and slightly tacky, you’re in a good spot.
I made the same-day bake version, and these are incredibly delicious…the layers of gooey cinnamon sugar between fluffy layers are fantastic. I made a simplified frosting consisting of 1.5 cups powdered sugar, 2 TBSP milk, and 1 TSP vanilla. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m glad it turned out great! Thanks for the review.
I’m giving it a 5 start because everything I’ve made from your recipes has been 5 star but I haven’t made this yet. I’m wanting to do this so I can freeze and then my granddaughters can just heat it up. Is this possible? Maybe not put the glaze on or just go ahead and make it and then freeze it after it’s completely made? They are going away for spring break and I wanted to send this with them!
That’s so sweet—you can absolutely do that! This recipe freezes really well. I’d recommend baking it completely, but leaving the glaze off, then letting it cool fully before freezing. Wrap it tightly (plastic wrap + foil or a freezer bag). When they’re ready to eat it, they can warm it in the oven at 300–325°F until heated through, then add the glaze fresh if possible.
If adding glaze later isn’t an option, you can freeze it already glazed, just know it may soak in a bit more after thawing. Either way, it’ll still be delicious—perfect for a special treat on their trip.
For the optional overnight refrigeration, do I need to let it get to room temp before baking? Basically we want it for breakfast at like 7:30am.
Yes – it still needs to proof at room temperature after the refrigerated bake.
I made this for the first time and it was awesome! You make it so easy to follow.
What I could have improved on was spreading more of the cinnamon throughout that was the hard part for me so that it was evenly distributed.
Thanks for the review!