Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
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This Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia has warm and comforting flavors of fall in every bite! Pumpkin focaccia swirled with a sweet cinnamon and pumpkin spice filling and topped with a cream cheese icing. If you love pumpkin, this is a must-try!

I have been experimenting with swapping water for other liquids in focaccia recipes, and now that fall is approaching, I knew I had to make a pumpkin edition! This recipe uses pumpkin puree in the dough and has a gooey pumpkin spice filling throughout the dough. It combines the flavors of pumpkin spice with cinnamon rolls all in a sweet and delicious focaccia! If you love fall recipes, you’ll also love my Sourdough Caramel Apple Focaccia that swaps applesauce for water!

What is focaccia?
Focaccia is a flatbread and is made similar to how pizza dough is made. The bread is made in a pan, usually something like a 9×13 dish or round cast iron pan. The bread is fluffy and chewy with a thin crispy crust. 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 making Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
- 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 dough is placed in the pan cover it and place it in the fridge. Then, let it come to room temperature and get puffy before baking as directed.

Tools for this sourdough focaccia recipe
9×13 pan– Glass or metal 9×13 inch pans will both work.
Kitchen Scale –When making sourdough bread, I always recommend weighing your ingredients on a kitchen scale for more accurate measurements.
Cooling Rack – Using a wire rack helps the bread cool quicker by allowing air under the bread.
2 quart proofing container– This is the easiest way to tell when the dough has risen 50% for the first rise.
Ingredients for the Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia
- Pumpkin purée – make sure to use pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. Or if you prefer, you can use a homemade pumpkin purée.
- Water- use warm water to help the dough ferment quicker. You want the water to be room temperature or warm, but not hot.
- Sourdough starter – use a starter that is active and bubbly and is at peak. If you don’t have a starter yet check out my post how to make a sourdough starter.
- Salt – any type of salt will work such as sea salt or kosher salt.
- Bread flour – I recommend using bread flour instead of all-purpose flour when baking sourdough bread because it has a higher protein content and absorbs moisture better.
- Granulated sugar – you don’t have to include this but it does help give the dough a little extra sweetness. You could use honey or maple syrup instead but it could make the dough stickier.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- Butter – using salted butter will help bring out the flavors even more.
- Brown sugar – the brown sugar gives a richer flavor in the filling.
- Cinnamon – compliments the pumpkin flavors so well.
- Pumpkin pie seasoning – this seasoning blend includes flavors of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream cheese – softened so it is easy to work with. Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature until soft or add to the microwave a few seconds at a time.
- Powdered sugar – to add sweetness to the frosting.
- Milk – I used whole milk but any type will work.
How to make Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Mix all the ingredients for the dough together in a large mixing bowl until a shaggy dough is formed. Let sit in a warm spot 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. With dough in the mid 70’s F, the first rise will take about 4-5 hours total.

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 dough rise for bulk fermentation until it is risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl.

Mix together sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie seasoning. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9×13 pan and add dough. Coat both sides with butter. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture and then fold the dough in half and gently stretch out the dough.

Let it rise another hour or two covered in a warm spot until it has risen well and is puffy. Add the remaining melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake in the oven at 425F degrees for 27-30 minutes.
While the focaccia is baking, whisk together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir until fully combined and smooth.

After the focaccia has finished baking, add it to a cooling rack and let it cool. Drizzle the cream cheese frosting while it is still warm and serve.

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.
Step | Time |
Feed sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams starter: 70 grams flour: 70 grams water) | 10 pm |
Mix dough together | 8 am |
Stretch & Folds | 8:30-9:30 am |
Add dough to 9×13 pan | 12:30 pm |
Bake | 2:00 pm |
How to store Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
If the focaccia does not have the cream cheese icing on top it can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. If the icing is added it needs to be stored in the fridge. It should be good for about 5 days.
To warm up slices of the focaccia place it in the microwave for about 15 seconds until heated through. To heat up the entire focaccia without the icing place it in a warm oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through and then top with the icing.
More sourdough focaccia recipes to try

Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Ingredients
Sourdough Pumpkin Focaccia
- 300 grams pumpkin purée 1 ¼ cup
- 150 grams water, warm scant ½ cup
- 150 grams sourdough starter heaping ½ cup
- 10 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoon
- 500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔ cups
- 50 grams granulated sugar ¼ cup
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 113 grams butter ½ cup
- 110 grams brown sugar ½ cup
- 2 grams cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- 2 grams pumpkin pie seasoning 1 teaspoon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 113 grams cream cheese, softened ½ cup
- 240 grams powdered sugar 2 cups
- 45-60 grams milk 3-4 Tablespoons
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the dough together in a large mixing bowl until a shaggy dough is formed. Let sit in a warm spot 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. With dough in the mid 70's F, the first rise will take about 4-5 hours total.300 grams pumpkin purée, 150 grams water, warm, 150 grams sourdough starter, 10 grams salt, 500 grams bread flour, 50 grams granulated sugar
- 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 dough rise for bulk fermentation until it is risen 50% and is jiggly with bubbles forming around the sides of the bowl.
- Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie seasoning. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a 9×13 pan and add dough. Coat both sides with butter. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture and then fold the dough in half and gently stretch out the dough.110 grams brown sugar, 2 grams cinnamon, 2 grams pumpkin pie seasoning
- Let it rise another hour or two covered in a warm spot until it has risen well and is puffy. Add the remaining melted butter and cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake in the oven at 425℉ degrees for 27-30 minutes.
- While the focaccia is baking, whisk together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir until fully combined and smooth, adding milk as needed to get to the desired consistency. You want it thin enough to drizzle but not watery.113 grams cream cheese, softened, 240 grams powdered sugar, 45-60 grams milk
- After the focaccia has finished baking, add it to a cooling rack and let it cool. Drizzle the cream cheese frosting while it is still warm and serve.
Notes
- Make sure the dough is puffy and rising before baking. You don't want to bake it dense. If it is struggling to rise, find a warmer spot for the dough.
- If you do not want to bake right away, once the dough is in the 9×13 pan cover it and place it in the fridge. The following day, remove the pan from the fridge and let the dough come to room temperature. Once risen and puffy, proceed forward with the instructions.
I never have leftovers when I make this, because it’s that good! It’s moist and flavorful without the icing being too overpowering. I always cook it in my cast iron skillet and it turns out great!
Can I bake this in an aluminum foil pan ? Or do you suggest baking in dish
You can bake in an aluminum foil pan just keep an eye on it as bake times may vary.
I used honey 20mg instead of sugar and it turned out great!
Good to know thank you for sharing!
Wow. wow. wow. This recipe is amazing. I have made it three times in the past month and keep getting
My dough is almost dough rising but I wanted to bake it tomorrow. Should I do the butter and cinnamon mixture and then put it in the fridge or do that tomorrow before letting it get puffy and dimpling it? Thanks!
It can work either way. I prefer to add the sugar and butter the next day.
Can this recipe be used with all
Purpose flour ?
Yes but you may want to reduce the amount of water added to the recipe.
I was frazzled and mixing up several loaves of bread, and forgot this was supposed to be a foccacia, shaped it into a pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread and WOW! That’s an option too 😁
So glad it came out well!
The first time I tried this recipe it did not rise… at all (ah!) and the final bake was insanely dense. Second time I added a little yeast with the dough mix, took away 50g pumpkin puree, and patiently waited for the dough to fluff up. Wow the wait was worth it – sooo yummy. I think I would add the full amount of pumpkin back in next time I make this to see how it works out. Tastes like autumnal french toast sticks.
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I made this last night and it is so yummy! Thank you for the great recipe!
Question! In the first phase it says cover for 30 minutes, but later says first rise is 4-5 hours. When do I start the stretch and pull? After 30 minutes? Or after the few hours?
After 30 minutes. The 4-5 hours is how long the whole first rise is, including stretch and folds.
Excellent recipe! Not too sweet and easy to follow instructions! Thank you!!
Left a comment already- this was a huge hit!!! Yum!!
Made this for breakfast and it was a huge hit! So delicious! My husband is a picky eater and couldn’t stop eating this! A few adjustments I made: I left it out overnight on the counter and then moved on to step 4 in the morning. tented it with aluminum foil for first 15 minutes of baking and it came out beautiful! Will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the recipe!!!
Baking times and temperature is spot on, no burned sugar as I’ve had issues with in the past when making sweet sourdough recipes. Instructions are flawless.
I am a sourdough baker for a living. I have not had great luck with sweet focaccias, but everyone was sending me this recipe on Insta so I had to try it. Well, she’s made me a believer. This was sooooo good! My kids and husband loved it. It made a lot so I shared with friends down the street too. I didn’t make the icing because it was glorious as it was! Pumpkin cinnamon roll tasting for sure, but in focaccia form. The buttery pumpkin bread is perfect with the amount of spices. Bravo bravo!
Tastes amazing! Crunchy top with moist focaccia inside with sweetness of cinnamon pockets. Great 1 day bake.