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Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia

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This incredible Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia features tart cranberries and tangy orange juice, topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel and white chocolate drizzle. The sweetness from the toppings combine with the tartness of the cranberries to create a mouth watering dessert bread. 

white chocolate drizzled on top of cranberry orange focaccia

It’s finally cranberry season and I couldn’t be more excited for all the fresh cranberry recipes. Orange and cranberry is a classic combination for the holiday season and paired with white chocolate this sourdough focaccia couldn’t get any better. This may just be my favorite combination I’ve made to date which is saying a lot! If you love this flavor combination, be sure to check out my Cranberry Orange Sourdough Muffins too!

Flavored Sourdough Focaccias

I love sourdough focaccia! It’s so easy to make and has a very forgiving timeline. You can make it sweet or savory or keep it plain with just a drizzle of olive oil. All my focaccia recipes are based off my simple sourdough focaccia recipe made with active sourdough starter. Some of my favorite flavors have been Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Sourdough Focaccia, Cheeseburger Sourdough Focaccia, Caramel Apple Sourdough Focaccia, Hawaiian Roll Sourdough Focaccia, Sticky Pecan Sourdough Focaccia and now this Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia. Check out more of my Sourdough Focaccia Flavors here.   

slice of cranberry orange sourdough focaccia

What is focaccia?

Focaccia is a flatbread with a thin crispy crust and a fluffy, chewy interior. The bread is made in a pan, usually something like a 9×13 dish or round cast iron pan. It has signature dimples in the dough and has a drizzle of olive oil, or in this case butter, to help create the crispy, golden brown crust. You can make focaccia with sweet toppings such as this recipe, or with savory toppings like my Margherita Pizza Sourdough Focaccia recipe

I love making focaccia because it can be made in one day so you can start it in the morning and have delicious bread by dinner time. This recipe is really simple and beginner-friendly and doesn’t require any kneading. 

Tips for success when making Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia 

  • Make sure to let the dough get puffy and rise fully. Baking it too early will result in a denser focaccia. 
  • To speed up the process, find a warmer spot for the dough to rise. Using warm ingredients in the dough will help with this as well. If it is rising too slowly at room temperature, you can use a bread mat (use code country10 for 10%) or bread proofing box to keep the dough warm. 
  • If you want to bake the next day, place the dough in the fridge after the first rise. Remove the dough from the fridge in the morning. Place in a buttered 9×13″ pan and let rise until puffy and doubled in size. Alternatively you can finish the second rise and then place it in the fridge and bake immediately the next day.
  • Add dough to a straight edge container so you can easily see when the dough has risen 50%. 
sliced Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia with a white chocolate drizzle.

Helpful tools to make sourdough focaccia

9×13 pan – The focaccia is baked in a rectangle shape in a 9×13 pan. Alternatively you can use a 12″ round cast iron pan.

Kitchen Scale –When making sourdough bread, I always recommend weighing your ingredients on a kitchen scale for more accurate measurements.  

Cooling Rack – Removing the bread from the pan helps the bottom from getting soggy.

2 quart proofing container– This is the easiest way to tell when the dough has risen 50% for the first rise.

Ingredients 

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia

  • Orange Juice – You can use fresh orange juice or purchase an orage juice that is 100% orange juice. I recommend warming it up in the microwave, as cold orange juice will slow down fermentation.
  • Sourdough Starter – Use active starter that is at it’s peak and is bubbly and has doubled in size. If you do not have a sourdough starter, you can make one with this Easy Sourdough Starter recipe
  • Bread Flour –I prefer bread flour, but in a pinch, you can swap bread flour for all-purpose flour. However since this is a high hydration dough I recommend cutting the amount of liquid by 25-50 grams if using all purpose flour as it does not absorb as much water.
  • Granulated sugar – To add a touch of sweetness to the dough. 
  • Salt – Any type of salt will work. 
  • Cranberries- I recommend using fresh cranberries. However if you can’t find fresh you could use dried cranberries or frozen.

Toppings

  • White Chocolate– you can either melt white chocolate chips or a bar of white chocolate. 
  • Butter- For the streusel you will need to use cold butter. 
  • All-purpose flour – Unbleached is what I recommend.
  • Brown sugar – The brown sugar gives a delicious sweet flavor.

Sample Schedule

This is based on the dough temperature being in the mid 70s. There are many factors that can impact how slowly or quickly dough rises so use this as a guideline but look for the visual cues the dough is ready to move on.

StepTime
Feed sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams starter: 70 grams flour: 70 grams water)10 pm
Mix dough together8 am
Add cranberries
Stretch & Folds
8:30-9:30 am
Add dough to 9×13 pan1:00 pm
Bake3:30 pm

Instructions to make the Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia 

Mix together warm orange juice, sourdough starter, sugar, and salt until the starter is mostly combined. Add in the flour and mix until the flour is just incorporated. 

focaccia dough in a bowl with a bowl of cranberries next to it

Let sit in a warm place covered for about 30 minutes. I like to cover with a lid or dinner plate instead of a tea towel so that the dough doesn’t dry out.

Rinse the cranberries and cut the cranberries in half. Add to the dough during the first set of stretch and folds.

cranberries in a bowl of sourdough focaccia dough

Perform 2-3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with at least a 30-minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.

Continue to let the covered dough rise for bulk fermentation until it has risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise will take about 4-5 hours total, including the stretch and folds.

Spray a 9×13” pan with non-stick spray and then add 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to the pan. Dump the dough into the pan and flip it once to coat both sides in butter. Cover and let it rise another hour or two covered in a warm spot until it has risen well and is puffy. 

side by side of cranberry orange focaccia in a 9x13 pan before after the rise

Prepare the streusel topping by dicing the cold butter and placing it in a small bowl. Add the brown sugar and flour to the bowl and using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, incorporate the ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. 

streusel topping on top of focaccia dough in a 9x13 inch pan

Once puffy, top the focaccia with the streusel and dimple the dough by placing fingers down directly into the dough. Do that multiple times dimpling the entire pan. Pop any large bubbles to ensure they don’t burn while baking. 

Bake the focaccia at 400F for 27-30 minutes. 

Once the focaccia is done baking microwave the white chocolate in 30 second increments mixing well in between each set until melted. I find it takes about 1 minutes to melt. Drizzle over the focaccia.

white chocolate drizzled on top of cranberry orange focaccia

Remove the focaccia from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool.

How to store sourdough focaccia

Store the Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia in an airtight container on the counter for 5-7 days. To reheat, you can warm it in the microwave, or  add it back to a 400-degree oven or air fryer for a few minutes until warmed through.

Slices of Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia with a white chocolate drizzle.

Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia

Emily Christensen
This incredible Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia features tart cranberries and tangy orange juice, topped with a buttery brown sugar streusel and white chocolate drizzle. The sweetness from the toppings combine with the tartness of the cranberries to create a mouth watering dessert bread.
4.45 from 40 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 27 minutes
Rise Time 7 hours
Total Time 7 hours 47 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings
Calories 378 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cranberry Orange Focaccia

  • 400 grams orange juice, warm 1 ⅔ cup
  • 150 grams active sourdough starter ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons
  • 10 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoon
  • 50 grams granulated sugar ¼ cup
  • 500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔ cups
  • 200 grams fresh cranberries, halved 2 cups

Toppings

  • 57 grams butter 4 Tablespoons
  • 70 grams all-purpose flour ½ cup
  • 110 grams brown sugar ½ cup
  • 170 grams white chocolate chips 1 cup

Instructions
 

  • Mix together warm orange juice, sourdough starter, sugar, and salt until the starter is dissolved. Add in the flour and mix until the flour is just incorporated.
    400 grams orange juice, warm, 150 grams active sourdough starter, 10 grams salt, 50 grams granulated sugar, 500 grams bread flour
  • Let sit in a warm place covered for about 30 minutes.
  • Rinse the cranberries and cut in half. Add to the dough during the first set of stretch and folds.
    200 grams fresh cranberries, halved
  • Perform 2-3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with at least a 30-minute rest in between each set. To stretch and fold the dough, grab one side with a damp hand and gently shimmy the dough up, and then fold it on itself. Repeat this 3 more times rotating the bowl 90 degrees each time.
  • Continue to let the covered dough rise for bulk fermentation until it has risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise will take about 4-5 hours total, including the stretch and folds.
  • Spray a 9×13” pan with non-stick spray and then add 2 Tablespoons of melted butter to the pan. Dump the dough into the pan and flip it once to coat both sides in butter. Cover and let it rise another hour or two covered in a warm spot until it has risen well and is puffy. 
  • Prepare the streusel topping by dicing the cold butter and placing it in a small bowl. Add the brown sugar and flour to the bowl and using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, incorporate the ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. 
    57 grams butter, 70 grams all-purpose flour, 110 grams brown sugar, 170 grams white chocolate chips
  • Once puffy, top the focaccia with the streusel and dimple the dough by placing fingers down directly into the dough. Do that multiple times dimpling the entire pan. Pop any large bubbles to ensure they don't burn while baking. 
  • Bake the focaccia at 400F for 27-30 minutes. 
  • Once the focaccia is done baking, microwave the white chocolate in 30 second increments mixing well in between each set until melted. I find it takes about 1 minutes to melt. Drizzle over the focaccia.
  • Remove the focaccia from the pan and place on a cooling rack to cool.

Notes

  • Let the dough get puffy and rise fully. Baking it too early will result in a denser focaccia. 
  • To speed up the process, find a warmer spot for the dough to rise, and be sure to use warm water when mixing the dough. 
  • If you want to bake the next day, after the first rise place the dough in the fridge. Then, let it come to room temperature in a greased 9×13" pan and let it get puffy before baking as directed.
  • You can use dried cranberries in place of fresh.
  • Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 8gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 371mgFiber: 2gSugar: 25g
    Keyword active starter, cranberry, cranberry orange, focaccia, orange, sourdough starter
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    7 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      This is a very very wet dough so I kept question the amount of flour I added but I kept going. This turned out so beautiful! And tastes amazing!

    2. 5 stars
      I made this for Christmas, and everyone loved it! I followed the recipe exactly except for the topping. Instead of the strudel and white chocolate drizzle I made an orange sugar glaze. Delicious, highly recommend!

    3. My other sourdough focaccia recipes bake at 425 for about 25 minutes. Would that work, or does it need to be a lower temperature for the crumble topping?

    4. 5 stars
      I made this but left the chocolate off – hands down the best focaccia recipe I’ve tried so far! I refrigerated it after the 2nd rise. I pulled it out about an hour before spreading in the pan and adding the strudel. Definitely make this bread!!!! I just have to stop myself from eating the whole loaf 🙃

    4.45 from 40 votes (37 ratings without comment)

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