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Sweet, tart and crispy edges, I knew I needed to make this focaccia flavor as soon as fresh cranberries showed up at my grocery store. Based off my traditional sourdough focaccia bread, this cranberry orange sourdough focaccia is a sweet focaccia filled with tart, slightly sweetened cranberries and flavored with a hint of orange. It tastes delicious on its own, but drizzle on a sweet orange glaze and it will become a true favorite for the holiday season.
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Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia
- Flavor and Texture: With a crisp crust and a soft middle, this recipe balances sweet and tart flavors with the perfect focaccia texture.
- Seasonal Favorite: I love incorporating cranberry and orange flavors in the fall and winter months. It’s similar to my mixed berry sourdough focaccia, but is perfect for the holiday season!
- 100% Sourdough Recipe: This cranberry orange focaccia has a long fermentation because no commercial yeast is used.
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 oiled pan – add cranberry filling Optional Overnight Refrigeration |
| 1:00 PM – 4:00 or 5:00 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 | Dimple and Bake Top with orange glaze |
Important Ingredients
- Levain – Use ripe and active sourdough starter, flour, and room temperature water to mix your levain.
- Bread Flour – 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.
- Orange Juice – This recipe calls for orange juice to replace some of the water in a traditional focaccia. This gives a slight orange flavor to the dough.
- Water – Water makes up the rest of the liquid in this dough. It is a high hydration dough, so prepare for it to be sticky as you develop it.
- Salt – Salt helps temper fermentation and gives flavor to the focaccia.
- Cranberry Filling – The cranberry filling is made by pulsing fresh cranberries in a blender and then combining them with granulated sugar and orange zest.
- Orange Glaze – This focaccia is topped with a sweet orange glaze made by combining powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and a pinch of salt.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia
Mix the 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:
- 6 grams of ripe/mature sourdough starter
- 60 grams water
- 60 grams all purpose or bread flour
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:
- 45 grams all purpose or bread flour
- 45 grams ripe/mature starter
- 45 grams warm water
Note: If you have ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter on hand, you can substitute it for the levain in this recipe and skip this step.
Mix the Dough and Begin Bulk Fermentation
Once your levain is ripe, active, and bubbly, combine it with water, orange juice, 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. I chose not to autolyse or fermentolyse this dough because with all the additions, I think it works fine without it. BUT, if you want to add in an autolyse or fermentolyse, it should give a good result.
Coil Folds during Bulk Fermentation
Coil Folds: Over the course of the next 2 hours, perform sets of “coil folds”. Coil folds are a way of aligning gluten stands in high hydration dough instead of kneading it. To perform a coil fold, 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. Perform 4-6 coil folds. The dough will be very sticky for the first set of coil folds, but will strengthen over time. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. You will repeat this process a total of 4 times over a 2 hour period.
After you have completed 4 sets of coil folds over a 2 hour period, cover and let focaccia dough rest at 78-80ºF for 2.5-3 more hours until the dough has risen about 40-50% in the bowl.
Prepare Filling and Shape the Dough
Shortly before the focaccia dough is ready, prepare the filling by pulsing fresh cranberries in a blender until they are finely chopped. Add sugar and orange zest to the chopped cranberries and mix together until combined.
Prepare a pan by lining a 12 inch round or 9 by 13 metal baking pan with parchment paper. Pour 50 grams light-flavored olive oil and 25 grams of melted butter in the pan. Tip the pan around to coat the entire bottom of the parchment paper.
Turn the dough out into the pan and stretch slowly to fill the edges of the pan. Sprinkle 2/3 of the cranberry filling mixture on top of the dough. Fold the dough in half and sprinkle with the remainder of the filling on top of 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.
Proofing the Dough
Place the dough in a warm spot (78-mid 80ºF) and let the dough rise until puffed up, aerated and jiggly. After about 2-3 hours, the dough should have doubled in size. The key to a light, airy and bubbly focaccia is letting the dough rise long enough to have large air bubbles in it. This will take more or less time depending on the temperature of your dough as it’s rising. If the dough doesn’t look like this, warm it up a little more and let it rise longer.
After the dough is puffed up, jiggly and aerated with air bubbles, pour 30 grams of reserved melted butter on top of the dough. Take your fingers and gently dimple and spread the dough to the edges of the pan. Start at the top and work your way down the dough until the entire cranberry orange sourdough focaccia is dimpled and bubbly.
Bake the Focaccia
Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF. Once the oven is pre-heated, bake 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.
Prepare the sweet orange glaze while the focaccia is baking by whisking powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and salt together. Spread over the warm focaccia. Enjoy!
Amy’s Recipe Tip
This focaccia is delicious any way you serve, but I especially love eating it warm. Wait until it has cooled most of the way, but enjoy a piece of it warm. You can also reheat in a toaster oven or even in the microwave for a few seconds (just to warm up the center).
Substitutions
- Sourdough Starter: Ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter can be substituted for the levain in this recipe.
- Bread Flour: Bread flour should not be substituted for all-purpose flour in this recipe without other modifications. 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. You can also decrease the amount of water in the dough by about 25-50 grams.
- Orange Juice: If you don’t have orange juice on hand, you can substitute water. I would add orange zest into the dough for more orange flavor if you choose this substitution.
- Cranberries: I love the flavor of fresh cranberries in this focaccia. I have not tried dried, but if you do, you may want to soak them first and chop them. Leave out most or all of the sugar, but keep the orange zest in the filling.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover cranberry orange sourdough focaccia bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours. After that, 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 and enjoy!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Make sure you’re use a good quality non-stick metal pan. USA pans are my go-to for focaccia bread. I love the 9 by 13 pan and the 12 inch round for focaccia. A 10-12 inch cast iron skillet also works well. If your pan is not non-stick, try adding some parchment paper to the bottom of your pan. Top the parchment with the olive oil/butter. Then put the focaccia dough on top.
I have not made it this way before, but you can. Take inspiration from this sourdough discard focaccia recipe.
Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia
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Ingredients
Levain (1:10:10 ratio, ready in 10-12 hours at 78ºF)
- 6 grams sourdough starter, ripe and active, about 1 teaspoon
- 60 grams flour (all-purpose or bread flour), about 1/2 cup
- 60 grams water, about 1/4 cup
Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia Bread
- 120 grams levain, ripe and active, 1/2 cup
- 175 grams water, scant 3/4 cup
- 175 grams orange juice, scant 3/4 cup
- 25 grams granulated sugar, about 2 Tablespoons
- 10 grams salt, about 1.5 teaspoons
- 500 grams bread flour, about 3 3/4 cups
- 50 grams olive oil, reserved for the pan, about 1/4 cup
- 55 grams unsalted butter, melted, reserved for the pan, about 1/4 cup
Fresh Cranberry Filling
- 130 grams fresh cranberries, about 3/4 cup, pulsed in a blender or finely chopped
- 60 grams granulated sugar, heaping 1/4 cup
- 4 grams orange zest, about 2 teaspoons
Orange Glaze
- 100 grams powdered sugar, about 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons
- 25 grams orange juice, about 5 teaspoons
- 2 grams orange zest, about 1 teaspoon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Levain (1:10:10 ratio, ready in 10-12 hours at 78ºF)
- Mix together 6 grams ripe sourdough starter with 60 grams water and 60 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.
Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia Bread
- Mix: Mix together ripe, bubbly, active levain with water, orange juice, 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 and rest the dough at 78ºF for 2.5-3 hours until the dough has risen about 40-50% in the bowl.
- Prepare Filling: Pulse cranberries in a blender or chop finely. Add the sugar and orange zest. Mix together until combined.
- Shape the Dough: Dump the focaccia dough into the pan and spread out with your fingers. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the cranberry 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 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 30 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.
- Orange Glaze: While the focaccia bakes, whisk together powdered sugar, orange juice, orange zest and salt until it forms a glaze. Spread over warm focaccia and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use freshly squeezed orange juice?
Yes! That would be great.
I couldn’t find fresh cranberries so I used craisins. Soaked them overnight, drained them in the morning, then used as per the recipe. I took the focaccia to a potluck that evening and it was the hit of the dinner. Received many compliments. Thanks Amy!
Yum! I’m glad soaking the craisins worked beautifully!
I only have extra virgin olive oil. Could I use avocado oil instead?
I prefer the taste of olive oil over avocado oil, especially in a sweeter bake. Avocado oil tends to burn more easily than olive oil. You can try and see how it turns out. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out.
This came out beautifully and so delicious! Took longer to proof than regular focaccia but totally easy! Recommending this to all my sourdough friends!
Thanks for the review! I’m glad this focaccia was a success!