Sourdough Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

Slices of sourdough gingerbread focaccia with cream cheese icing on a white cake stand.

5 from 2 votes

Sourdough Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

This Sourdough Gingerbread Cinnamon Roll Focaccia is filled with warm spices, a swirl of cinnamon sugar, and topped with a tangy vanilla cream cheese icing.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Rise time7

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Christensen

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain (active sourdough starter)

15 grams active sourdough starter 1 Tablespoon
70 grams all-purpose or bread flour ½ cup
70 grams water ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon

Focaccia

100 grams molasses ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon
320 grams water 1 ⅓ cups
150 grams active sourdough starter ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons
10 grams salt 1 ½ teaspoon
6 grams ground ginger 3 teaspoons
10 grams Taylor & Colledge Organic Madagascan Vanilla Extract 2 teaspoons
500 grams bread flour 3 ⅔ cups

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

113 grams butter, melted ½ cup
110 grams brown sugar ½ cup
4 grams cinnamon 2 teaspoons

Cream Cheese Frosting

113 grams cream cheese, softened ½ cup
240 grams powdered sugar 2 cups
45-60 grams milk 3-4 Tablespoons
5 grams Taylor & Colledge Organic Madagascan Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon

Instructions

About 10 hours before making this recipe, feed your sourdough starter a 1:5:5 ratio (15 grams sourdough starter: 70 grams flour: 70 grams water) and leave at 70-72°F until doubled in size and bubbly.
If you already have 150 grams of active starter on hand, feel free to skip this step and move right into making the focaccia.
15 grams active sourdough starter, 70 grams all-purpose or bread flour, 70 grams water
In a large bowl or straight edge container, mix together all the ingredients except for the flour until the starter is dissolved. Add the bread flour and mix until the flour is fully combined. The dough will be wet and sticky. Let it 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.
100 grams molasses, 320 grams water, 150 grams active sourdough starter, 10 grams salt, 6 grams ground ginger, 10 grams Taylor & Colledge Organic Madagascan Vanilla Extract, 500 grams bread flour
Perform 3 sets of stretch and folds to develop the dough with 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. With dough at 75℉ this will take about 4-5 hours total.
In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.
113 grams butter, melted110 grams brown sugar, 4 grams cinnamon
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan and then add ¼ cup melted butter to the bottom of the pan.
Dump the focaccia dough into the pan and gently press it out to the edges. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the surface. Fold one long side of the dough over itself, about two-thirds of the way across. Sprinkle half of the remaining cinnamon sugar on top, then fold the opposite long side over. Add the rest of the cinnamon sugar, then fold the dough in half the other direction to finish layering.
Cover and let it rise another 2-3 hours in a warm spot until it has risen and is puffy.
Pour the remaining ¼ cup melter butter over the dough. Gently spread the dough to fill the pan. Dimple the dough with your fingers and bake in the oven at 425℉ degrees for 27-30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. If the dough is getting too dark, tent with foil for the last 10 minutes.
While the focaccia is baking, whisk together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Stir until fully combined and smooth.
113 grams cream cheese, softened, 240 grams powdered sugar, 45-60 grams milk, 5 grams Taylor & Colledge Organic Madagascan Vanilla Extract
After the focaccia has finished baking, let it cool for a few minutes. Drizzle the cream cheese frosting on top while it is still warm and serve.

Notes

See sample schedule included in the post above.
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, let the dough rise in the pan for the second rise about 80% of the way, and then place it in the fridge for up to 18 hours. An hour or two before baking, let the dough sit out to reach room temperature and finish rising until puffy. Then bake as directed.
If you’d like to let the dough rise overnight for the first rise, reduce the starter to 50 grams and let the dough rest at 68–70°F for 8–12 hours, or until it has risen about 50%. Reducing the starter slows fermentation and helps prevent the dough from over-proofing while it rests. In the morning add the dough to the pan with cinnamon sugar and place in a warmer spot to rise until puffy and doubled. Bake as directed.

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