Bake apple cinnamon focaccia with a golden, chewy crumb, tender apple slices, and warm cinnamon sugar. This sweet focaccia recipe is perfect for brunch or dessert!
If you love warm apples, buttery cinnamon sugar, and bread with a golden, olive-oil crisp bottom and a soft, airy middle, this apple cinnamon focaccia is the kind of homemade treat that makes your kitchen smell like you planned your whole afternoon around baking!
Ingredients
For the Focaccia Dough
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour, spooned into the measuring cup and leveled, or weighed for best accuracy
- 1 ⅔ cups (400 g) lukewarm water, about 90 to 95°F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (7 g) instant yeast, usually one standard packet
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan and your hands
- 1 tablespoon (20 g) honey
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) fine sea salt
For the Apple Cinnamon Topping
- 2 medium firm apples, about 10 to 12 ounces total
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
- A small pinch of flaky salt, optional but lovely
Optional Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk, plus more a few drops at a time if needed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Servings: 10 to 12 pieces
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Focaccia
Lightly oil a large bowl, then add the lukewarm water, instant yeast, honey, olive oil, flour, and salt, stirring with a sturdy spoon or spatula until no dry flour remains; the dough will look shaggy, sticky, and a little untidy, which is exactly right, so do not try to make it smooth at this point.
Cover the bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes, giving flour time to absorb water and making the next step much easier on your hands.
Wet one hand lightly, slide it under one edge of the dough, stretch that section upward without tearing it, and fold it over the middle; rotate the bowl and repeat on all four sides, then cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Complete this stretch-and-fold routine three times in total, resting the covered dough for 20 minutes between each round, and you will feel it change from a loose puddle into a smoother, springier mass without any strenuous kneading.
Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature until it looks airy and roughly doubled, usually 60 to 90 minutes after the last fold in a kitchen around 72 to 75°F.
Look for bubbles along the sides and a soft jiggle when you nudge the bowl; if your kitchen is cool, give it more time instead of turning up the oven or trying to rush yeast, because dough follows its own calendar and is not impressed by our scheduling apps!
Pour about 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a 9-by-13-inch metal pan and spread it across the bottom and corners, then ease the dough into the pan with oiled hands.
Turn it once so both sides pick up a little oil, gently stretch it toward the corners, and stop if it springs back; cover it and wait 15 minutes before nudging it farther, then let it rise in the pan for another 30 to 45 minutes until puffy.
Start heating the oven to 425°F during this final rise so it is fully hot when the dough is ready.
Just before baking, core the apples and slice them into thin ⅛-inch pieces, then toss them gently with the lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Drizzle the melted butter over the dough, coat your fingertips with a little oil, and press dimples across the surface without pushing all the way through; arrange apple slices over the top with small gaps between them, pressing them lightly into the dimples rather than piling them in a thick layer.
Spoon any cinnamon sugar left in the bowl over the apples, and finish with a small pinch of flaky salt if you like a sweet-salty edge.
Bake for 24 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan once if your oven browns unevenly, until exposed bread is deep golden, apple edges look soft and lightly caramelized, and the bottom is crisp and browned.
If the apples darken before the bread is ready, lay a piece of foil loosely over the top for the final few minutes; ovens vary, so use the color and texture as your main guides rather than treating the timer like a legally binding contract.
Let the focaccia cool in its pan for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and move it to a rack or cutting board for at least 10 more minutes before slicing.
For the optional glaze, stir powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon milk until smooth, adding a few drops more milk only if it is too thick to drizzle; zigzag it over warm, not piping-hot, bread so it stays visible instead of melting away completely.
Once you have made it once, this apple cinnamon focaccia is easy to fit into a slow weekend morning or an afternoon bake, and I would save the corner pieces for anyone who loves crisp edges because they tend to vanish before the middle squares get a fair chance.
Serve a warm slice while the cinnamon is fragrant, pour something good to drink, and enjoy a homemade apple cinnamon focaccia that brings tender fruit, golden bread, and just enough buttery sweetness to make sharing feel like a generous decision!
