Sourdough Apple Pie Focaccia

A slice of focaccia on a wire rack, cut open and lying on its side.

4.89 from 26 votes

Sourdough Apple Pie Focaccia

Sweet sourdough apple pie focaccia is filled with apples, ribbons of cinnamon sugar and topped with an incredible crumb topping. Top with a sweet glaze and the whole family is sure to love this special sourdough apple pie focaccia bread.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Fermentation Time21 30

Total Time22 30

Course: Bread, Focaccia Bread

Cuisine: American

Servings: slices

Author: Amy Coyne

Equipment

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 all-purpose flour scant 1/2 cup
55 grams water about 1/4 cup

Sourdough Apple Pie Focaccia

100 grams levain, ripe, bubbly and active scant 1/2 cup
300 grams water about 1 1/4 cups
250 grams grated apple about 2 cups, see recipe notes
20 grams granulated sugar about 1 1/2 Tablespoons
10 grams salt about 1 1/2 teaspoons
500 grams bread flour about 3 1/2 cups
40 grams light tasting olive oil reserved for pan, about 3 Tablespoons
30 grams unsalted butter, melted reserved for baking, about 2 Tablespoons

Filling

120 grams brown sugar 1/2 cup, packed
6 grams ground cinnamon 1 Tablespoon

Crumb Topping

30 grams unsalted butter, softened about 2 Tablespoons
30 grams brown sugar about 2 Tablespoons
2 grams ground cinnamon about 1 teapsoon
50 grams all-purpose flour about 1/3 cup
pinch of salt about 1/4 teaspoon

Sweet Glaze

150 grams powdered sugar about 1 1/4 cups
30 grams milk about 2 Tablespoons
5 grams vanilla extract about 1 teaspoon
pinch of salt to taste

Instructions

Mix Levain: Overnight (1:10:10 about 10-12 hours)

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.

Sourdough Apple Pie Focaccia

Mix: Mix together ripe, bubbly, active levain with water, freshly grated apple, granulated 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.
Note: If your apples are especially juicy, lightly squeeze them to release some of the excess liquid before adding them to the dough. For more experienced bakers who are comfortable working with wetter doughs, you can reserve some of that juice and add it back in with the apples for extra flavor.
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 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 12 inch round or 9 by 13 metal baking pan with parchment paper. Pour 40 grams of light-flavored olive oil in the pan. 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 of the cinnamon sugar mixture 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: Let the dough 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.
Prepare the Crumb Topping: Add softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and salt to a small bowl. Use your fingers or a spoon to stir together until a thick crumb topping is formed. Set aside.
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. Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the top of the risen 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.
Optional: For more apple flavor, add some freshly grated apple to the top of the focaccia along with the crumb topping.
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.
Sweet Glaze: While the focaccia is baking, mix together the glaze. Whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt together. Pour over the warm focaccia. Enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Update: I've received some feedback on this recipe that the dough is feeling too wet depending on which apples you are using. The original recipe called for 350 grams for water. I have reduced that to 300 grams of water. If you are using a juicier apple, lightly squeeze it to remove some juice. Reserve some of the juice to add into the dough, if you think your flour can handle it. Make sure you are using a high protein bread flour in this recipe so it can absorb all the liquid. The dough should come together after the first few folds with the gluten strands aligning. If your dough is still feeling too wet, knead in a little more flour to compensate.

Sourdough Starter: I make a levain for all of my sourdough recipes because it gives more consistent results. If you don’t want to use that method, you can substitute ripe, bubbly, active sourdough starter for the same amount of levain.

Bread Flour: This is a high hydration recipe. If you choose to use a flour with a lower protein content than bread flour (lower than 12.5%), you will want to decrease the water in the recipe.

Olive Oil: Choose an olive oil that is light in flavor and taste. An extra virgin olive oil often has more olive flavor than a light-tasting olive oil, which can transfer over to the sweet focaccia dough.

Apples: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples are my favorite to use in this apple pie focaccia. If your apples are especially juicy, lightly squeeze them to release some of the excess liquid before adding them to the dough. For more experienced bakers who are comfortable working with wetter doughs, you can reserve some of that juice and add it back in with the apples for extra flavor.

Nutrition