Celebration Pull Apart Focaccia
Pillowy focaccia balls dunked in vanilla butter, rolled in sprinkles and colored sugar, then drizzled with a crackly glaze. Perfect for birthdays, holidays, or any celebration that calls for shareable, crowd pleasing bread.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Small bowl for butter
- Medium bowl for coating mixture
- Whisk
- spatula
Ingredients
Sourdough Focaccia Dough
- 500 g water 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons
- 400 g bread flour 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons
- 75 g active sourdough starter ⅓ cup
- 10 g salt 1¾ teaspoons
- 4 g vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 12 g sugar (optional)
Coating
- 85-113 g unsalted butter melted (6 to 8 tablespoons)
- 14 g vanilla extract 1 tablespoon
- 100 g granulated sugar ½ cup
- 50 g colored sugar ¼ cup, or use 150g total granulated sugar if you prefer
- 85 g rainbow sprinkles ½ cup
- 16 g cornstarch 2 tablespoons
Vanilla Glaze
- 60 g powdered sugar ½ cup
- 15-30 g heavy cream 1 to 2 tablespoons
- 4 g vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Make the Sourdough Dough
- In a large bowl, combine the water and sourdough starter. Mix until the starter is mostly dissolved.
- Add the flour, vanilla extract, sugar (if using) and salt. Mix until no dry flour remains.
- Cover and let rest for 1 hour.
- Perform a set of stretch and folds: grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat 4 to 6 times total.
- Cover and let proof at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, until doubled or tripled in size. The dough should be jiggly and full of bubbles.
Shape and Coat
- Prepare your coating station: Melt the butter and stir in the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the granulated sugar, colored sugar (if using), sprinkles, and cornstarch. Mix well.
- Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Oil your hands lightly. Pinch off golf ball sized portions, or however large or small you want to make your servings.
- Dunk each ball in the vanilla butter, letting excess drip off.
- Roll generously in the sprinkle sugar mixture until completely coated.
- Place in the prepared pan, nestling them close together.
- Cover loosely and let proof for 1 to 2 hours, until visibly puffy, jiggly, and touching each other.
Bake
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Oil your fingers and gently dimple the center of each focaccia ball, pressing almost to the bottom of the pan. This prevents the balls from puffing up too much and creates wells for the glaze.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top and the balls have puffed together.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
Glaze
- While the focaccia cools, whisk together powdered sugar, cream (start with 3 tablespoons), and vanilla until smooth. Add more cream if needed.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm focaccia, allowing it to drip down between the balls.
- Add additional sprinkles on top for a fun color pop.
- Let the glaze set for 15 to 20 minutes until it hardens.
- Pull apart and serve while still warm.
Notes
Yeasted Version (Faster Option)
For a quicker version using commercial yeast instead of sourdough starter:
Yeasted Dough Ingredients:
500g warm water, around 100°F (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
7g instant yeast (2 teaspoons)
400g bread flour (3 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
10g salt (1¾ teaspoons)
12g sugar (1 tablespoon)
4g vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
28g olive oil (2 tablespoons) Yeasted Dough Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
Add the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and olive oil. Mix until no dry flour remains.
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Perform a set of stretch and folds (same as sourdough version).
Cover and let proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Shape into balls, coat, and proceed with the second proof and baking as directed in the main recipe. Handling Sticky Dough This dough is higher hydration and can feel wetter and stickier by design for that airy texture. Oil your hands and work surface instead of using flour Flour dries out the dough and makes it tough. Work quickly and confidently when shaping the balls. Sprinkle Tips If using colored sugar, stick to ONE color only. Mixing opposite colors on the color wheel (like red and green, or blue and orange) can blend together and turn muddy brown during rolling. Dye free sprinkles (like Supernatural or Walmart Better Goods brand) give softer, pastel tones. Traditional sprinkles with dye give vibrant, saturated colors. Arrowroot powder can be used as a 1:1 substitute for cornstarch in the coating mixture. Storage Best served the day it’s made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat individual balls in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Make Ahead After shaping and coating the balls, you can refrigerate the pan covered for up to 24 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before the second proof and baking. Don’t Have Sourdough Starter? Check out my guide on how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch. It’s easier than you think!
500g warm water, around 100°F (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
7g instant yeast (2 teaspoons)
400g bread flour (3 cups plus 2 tablespoons)
10g salt (1¾ teaspoons)
12g sugar (1 tablespoon)
4g vanilla extract (1 teaspoon)
28g olive oil (2 tablespoons) Yeasted Dough Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy.
Add the flour, salt, vanilla extract, and olive oil. Mix until no dry flour remains.
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Perform a set of stretch and folds (same as sourdough version).
Cover and let proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Shape into balls, coat, and proceed with the second proof and baking as directed in the main recipe. Handling Sticky Dough This dough is higher hydration and can feel wetter and stickier by design for that airy texture. Oil your hands and work surface instead of using flour Flour dries out the dough and makes it tough. Work quickly and confidently when shaping the balls. Sprinkle Tips If using colored sugar, stick to ONE color only. Mixing opposite colors on the color wheel (like red and green, or blue and orange) can blend together and turn muddy brown during rolling. Dye free sprinkles (like Supernatural or Walmart Better Goods brand) give softer, pastel tones. Traditional sprinkles with dye give vibrant, saturated colors. Arrowroot powder can be used as a 1:1 substitute for cornstarch in the coating mixture. Storage Best served the day it’s made. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat individual balls in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Make Ahead After shaping and coating the balls, you can refrigerate the pan covered for up to 24 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes before the second proof and baking. Don’t Have Sourdough Starter? Check out my guide on how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch. It’s easier than you think!
