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A taste of Christmas, this Gingerbread Sourdough Focaccia is one of my favorite flavors of the season. A molasses flavored focaccia is enhanced with a sweet gingerbread filling that gives ribbons of sweetness throughout the crispy exterior and super soft middle. Add on a vanilla glaze and this bake is a seriously delicious and festive treat for the holidays!
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Why You’ll Love Gingerbread Sourdough Focaccia
- Perfect Winter Dessert: Similar to my cinnamon roll sourdough focaccia, this is a gingerbread flavor with sweet vanilla glaze on top. It’s the perfect warm dessert for a cold winter night!
- Flavor: I love the combination of molasses, brown sugar, and spices in this bake – similar in flavor to my favorite discard gingerbread loaf.
- 100% Sourdough Recipe: This Gingerbread Sourdough 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 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 vanilla 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.
- Molasses – This recipe substitutes molasses for some of the water in the focaccia dough. I like Grandma’s Brand of molasses for this recipe.
- 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.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar sweetens the dough and filling of this focaccia.
- Olive Oil & Butter – A combination of light tasting olive oil and unsalted butter are essential for a crispy focaccia that easily comes out of the pan.
- Salt – Salt helps temper fermentation and gives flavor to the focaccia.
- Gingerbread Filling – The sweet focaccia filling is made by combining brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Vanilla Glaze – This focaccia is topped with a sweet vanilla glaze made by combining powdered sugar, whole milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
How to Make Gingerbread 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 warm water
- 45 grams all purpose or bread flour
- 45 grams ripe/mature starter
Note: If you already have ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter you can substitute it for levain in this recipe. Substitute 120 grams ripe starter for levain.
Mix Dough & Begin Bulk Fermentation
Once your levain is ripe, active, and bubbly, combine it with water, molasses, brown 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 will give a good result.
Coil Folds During Bulk Fermentation
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.
Shaping Dough
Towards the end of the bulk fermentation, prepare the gingerbread filling by mixing together brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
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 gingerbread 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 gingerbread focaccia 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 almost 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 gingerbread sourdough focaccia dough 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 vanilla glaze while the focaccia is baking by whisking together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt together. Spread over the warm focaccia. Enjoy!
Amy’s Recipe Tip
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.
- Molasses: I like Grandma’s Brand of molasses for this recipe, but if you prefer a more bitter flavor you can substitute blackstrap molasses. If you leave the molasses out completely, you will need to adjust the water in the recipe and increase it about 65 grams in place of the molasses. This will change the depth of flavor of the gingerbread focaccia.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover sourdough gingerbread 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 like using a levain, but you don’t have to. If you have ripe, bubbly, active starter ready to go, feel free to use that instead – substitute for the same weight of the risen levain.
I think it does. All the flavors work together to make an incredibly spiced and perfect sweet focaccia bread.
I love adding different flavors to a traditional focaccia. The crispy outside the soft middle make this the perfect vehicle for lots of flavor combinations.
Gingerbread Sourdough Focaccia
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Equipment
- 10-12 inch metal pan non-stick or 9 by 13 metal pan
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
Gingerbread Sourdough Focaccia
- 120 grams levain, ripe and active, about 1/2 cup
- 320 grams water, about 1 1/3 cups
- 100 grams molasses, not blackstrap – Grandma's brand, scant 1/3 cup
- 25 grams brown sugar, about 2 Tablespoons
- 10 grams salt, about 1.5 teaspoons
- 500 grams bread flour, about 3 2/3 cup
- 50 grams olive oil, reserved for pan, about 1/4 cup
- 55 grams unsalted butter, melted, divided, reserved for pan, about 1/4 cup
Gingerbread Focaccia Filling
- 75 grams brown sugar, about 1/3 cup
- 4 grams ground ginger, about 2 teaspoons
- 2 grams ground cinnamon, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 grams ground cloves, about 1/2 teaspoon
- 1 grams ground nutmeg, about 1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla Glaze
- 150 grams powdered sugar, about 1 1/4 cups
- 30 grams whole milk, about 2 Tablespoons
- 5 grams vanilla extract, about 1 teaspoon
- pinch of salt, to taste
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 120 grams of bubbly sourdough starter if you prefer.
Gingerbread Sourdough Focaccia
- Mix: Mix together ripe, bubbly, active levain with water, molasses, brown 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: Mix together brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- Shape the Dough: Dump the focaccia dough into the pan and spread out with your fingers. Pour 2/3 of the 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.Optional: 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 3-4 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.
- Vanilla Glaze: While the focaccia bakes, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt until it forms an icing. Spread over warm focaccia and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a delightful bread. I made it with the option of using an active starter and no levain, and it rose well. Nice crispy outside without being tough ,with a nice soft inside.
Great recipe.
Thanks for the review! I’m glad it was a winner!
I’m rating 4 because it’s not baked yet. I’m planning to refrigerate the dough overnight and bake in-the am.
My dough rather than a wet dough seems dry so my hands are very wet doing folds and it seems much smoother. It definitely needs more time but then my home is quite cool and I’m using a warming mat to help.
I can’t wait to bake and sample. Thank you
Thanks for the review! I hope it turned out great!
Delicious!!! I let it proof overnight because our house is around 68 degrees. Perfection. Light, bubby & so satisfying to dimple. The glaze is the perfect topping. Thank you for a Christmas week brunch idea!
So glad you loved this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s been a hit both times! My husband raves about it. The second time I added some cinnamon to the dough itself but besides that I kept it exactly the same! I will likely make it again for Christmas! So good!
So glad you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your review!
The crispy edges and soft inside and the gingerbread filling – I LOVE this recipe. Reminds me of the smells, tastes and season of European Christmas markets. Perfect for the holidays!