Carrot Cake Pull-Apart Focaccia with Cream Cheese Drizzle
Soft sourdough focaccia balls spiced with carrot, cinnamon, and cloves, rolled in brown sugar, and finished with a cream cheese drizzle. All the flavor of carrot cake without baking one.
Servings: 16 focaccia balls
Calories: 320kcal
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 9x13 inch metal baking pan
- Parchment paper
- kitchen scale
- Box Grater
- Two shallow bowls
- Whisk
- Stand mixer or hand mixer (for cream cheese drizzle)
Ingredients
FOCACCIA DOUGH
- 385 grams water 1 and 2/3 cups
- 500 grams bread flour 4 cups
- 75 grams active sourdough starter 1/3 cup
- 10 grams salt 1 and 3/4 teaspoons
- 20 grams brown sugar 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
- 5 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 3 grams cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- 0.5 grams nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon
- 0.5 grams ginger 1/4 teaspoon
- 0.3 grams cloves 1/8 teaspoon
- zest of 1 orange
- 150 grams finely shredded carrot squeezed dry (about 1 and 1/4 cups loosely packed before squeezing, yields approximately 95 grams after squeezing)
VANILLA BUTTER DUNK
- 113 grams unsalted butter melted (1/2 cup)
- 5 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
SPICED COATING
- 150 grams brown sugar 3/4 cup
- 5 grams cinnamon 2 teaspoons
- 1 gram nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon
- 0.5 grams ginger 1/4 teaspoon
- 0.3 grams cloves 1/8 teaspoon
- 8 grams cornstarch 1 tablespoon
CREAM CHEESE DRIZZLE
- 115 grams cream cheese softened (1/2 cup)
- 60 grams powdered sugar 1/2 cup
- 30 to 45 grams milk 2 to 3 tablespoons
- 3 grams vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
VANILLA GLAZE (alternative to cream cheese drizzle)
- 120 grams powdered sugar 1 cup
- 15 to 30 grams heavy cream or milk 1 to 2 tablespoons
- 3 grams vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon
Instructions
- Grate your carrots using the small holes of a box grater, then wrap in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over the sink until no more liquid drips out. You should have approximately 95 grams of carrot after squeezing.
- In a large bowl, combine the water, sourdough starter, bread flour, salt, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, orange zest, and squeezed carrot. Mix everything together at once until no dry flour remains. The dough will look sticky and shaggy, which is completely normal.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- After resting, perform one round of stretch and folds to build strength in the dough. Wet your hands, grab one edge of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat 4 to 6 times total until you have worked all the way around the dough. Slap and fold the seam onto the bottom of the bowl.
- Cover and bulk ferment at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, or until the dough has doubled or tripled in size, looks full of bubbles, and feels jiggly when you gently shake the bowl. Watch the dough, not the clock, as timing varies with kitchen temperature.
- When ready to shape, line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper. Melt the butter and stir in the vanilla extract, then pour into one shallow bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cornstarch until evenly combined.
- Oil your hands lightly. Grab a golf ball sized hunk of dough, dunk it fully in the vanilla butter letting excess drip off, then roll it generously in the spiced coating until completely covered. Place it in the prepared pan. Repeat until the pan is full with all balls touching.
- Cover the pan loosely and let proof for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature until the balls are visibly puffy, jiggly, and have grown to almost doubled.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 C)
- Once proofed, use an oiled finger to press one firm dimple into the center of each ball, pushing the coating down into the middle of the dough. One press per ball is all you need.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are deep golden brown and the coating has caramelized.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- While the focaccia cools, make your drizzle. For the cream cheese drizzle, beat the softened cream cheese and milk together until smooth and lump free, then add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until glossy and pourable. For the vanilla glaze, simply whisk together the powdered sugar, cream or milk, and vanilla until smooth.
- Drizzle generously over the warm focaccia, letting it fall into the gaps between the balls. Serve warm.
Notes
Storage:
If using the cream cheese drizzle, the focaccia must be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cream cheese cannot sit at room temperature safely for extended periods. Reheat individual pieces in a 300 degree oven for 5 to 8 minutes or in an air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes. If using the vanilla glaze, the focaccia can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate if you prefer, but it is not required.
Make Ahead:
After coating the dough balls and arranging them in the pan, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight instead of doing the second proof at room temperature. The next morning, pull the pan out and let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until the balls are puffy and jiggly, then bake as directed. This is perfect for Easter morning or any time you want warm pull-apart bread on the table with minimal effort.
Substitutions:
Bread flour is recommended for the best chew and structure, but all-purpose flour works if that is what you have. The crumb will be slightly softer but still delicious.
Arrowroot powder is a direct one-to-one substitute for cornstarch in the coating.
For a dairy free version, use melted coconut oil or plant-based butter for the dunk and a dairy free cream cheese like Violife or Kite Hill for the drizzle.
Troubleshooting:
If the dough feels too sticky to shape, remember this is a high-hydration dough and stickiness is completely normal. Oil your surface generously before dumping the dough out and make sure your hands are well oiled. Do not add more flour. After one or two rounds of making this, the stickiness will feel much more manageable.
If the cream cheese drizzle is too thick, add milk one teaspoon at a time, whisking between each addition, until it reaches a pourable consistency. If it gets too thin, add a small amount of powdered sugar to bring it back.
Yeast Version:
No sourdough starter? No problem. Replace the 75 grams of active sourdough starter with the following:
37 grams (about 1/4 cup) all-purpose flour
37 grams (about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons) water
7 grams (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast OR 9 grams (2 and 3/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast Using instant yeast: Add the 37 grams flour, 37 grams water, and instant yeast directly into the bowl along with all other dough ingredients. No activation needed. Mix until no dry flour remains. Rest 30 to 60 minutes, then stretch and fold. Bulk ferment for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature until doubled. Proceed with the recipe exactly as written. Using active dry yeast: Mix the 37 grams warm water (100 to 110 degrees F) with the active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. If it does not foam, your yeast is dead and you need to start fresh. Once foamy, add to the bowl along with the 37 grams flour and all other dough ingredients. Mix until no dry flour remains. Rest 30 to 60 minutes, then stretch and fold. Bulk ferment for 2 to 3 hours until doubled. Proceed with the recipe exactly as written. Water temperature matters: use room temperature water for instant yeast and warm water at 100 to 110 degrees F for active dry yeast. Everything else in the recipe stays the same. Optional Add-Ins: For nuts: after the second proof and right before baking, scatter roughly chopped walnuts or pecans over the tops of the balls and press in gently to anchor them. They will toast and caramelize in the oven. Walnuts are the traditional carrot cake choice. Pecans are slightly sweeter and more buttery. Both work well. For raisins: fold about 80 grams of raisins into the dough at the same time as the carrots. They plump during the long ferment and add pockets of sweetness throughout every ball.
37 grams (about 2 and 1/2 tablespoons) water
7 grams (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast OR 9 grams (2 and 3/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast Using instant yeast: Add the 37 grams flour, 37 grams water, and instant yeast directly into the bowl along with all other dough ingredients. No activation needed. Mix until no dry flour remains. Rest 30 to 60 minutes, then stretch and fold. Bulk ferment for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature until doubled. Proceed with the recipe exactly as written. Using active dry yeast: Mix the 37 grams warm water (100 to 110 degrees F) with the active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let sit 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. If it does not foam, your yeast is dead and you need to start fresh. Once foamy, add to the bowl along with the 37 grams flour and all other dough ingredients. Mix until no dry flour remains. Rest 30 to 60 minutes, then stretch and fold. Bulk ferment for 2 to 3 hours until doubled. Proceed with the recipe exactly as written. Water temperature matters: use room temperature water for instant yeast and warm water at 100 to 110 degrees F for active dry yeast. Everything else in the recipe stays the same. Optional Add-Ins: For nuts: after the second proof and right before baking, scatter roughly chopped walnuts or pecans over the tops of the balls and press in gently to anchor them. They will toast and caramelize in the oven. Walnuts are the traditional carrot cake choice. Pecans are slightly sweeter and more buttery. Both work well. For raisins: fold about 80 grams of raisins into the dough at the same time as the carrots. They plump during the long ferment and add pockets of sweetness throughout every ball.
