Gingerbread Pull-Apart Focaccia
Soft sourdough focaccia chunks dipped in molasses butter, rolled in warm spiced sugar, and drizzled with vanilla icing. It tastes like gingerbread cookie dough in pull-apart bread form. Perfect for Christmas morning breakfast or holiday gatherings. Yeasted version included.
Calories: 285kcal
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 9x13 inch baking pan
- Parchment paper
- 2 shallow bowls or plates (for dipping and rolling)
- Whisk
- Kitchen scale (recommended) Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 500 g bread flour about 4 cups
- 375 g water about 1.5 cups + 2 tbsp
- 25 g molasses about 1 tbsp
- 75 g active sourdough starter about ⅓ cup
- 10 g salt about 2 tsp
For the Butter Dip:
- 115 g butter melted (1 stick)
- 25 g molasses about 1 tbsp
- 5 g vanilla extract 1 tsp
- For the Spice Sugar Coating:
- 150 g dark brown sugar about ¾ cup packed
- 30 g cornstarch about ¼ cup
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
- 40 g crystallized ginger finely minced (about ¼ cup, optional)
For the Icing Drizzle:
- 120 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 30 to 60 g milk or heavy cream 2 to 4 tbsp
- 5 to 10 g vanilla extract 1 to 2 tsp
Instructions
- Mix the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour, water, molasses, active sourdough starter, and salt. Mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky and shaggy.
- Bulk fermentation. Cover the bowl and let it ferment at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, depending on your kitchen temperature. Warmer kitchens will ferment faster. The dough should roughly double in size and look puffy and airy. Note that the molasses may slow fermentation slightly, so don’t panic if it takes the full 12 hours.
- Shape and proof. Once bulk fermentation is complete, gently shape the dough into a rough rectangle and place it in a parchment lined 9x13 inch pan. Cover and let it proof for another 2 to 3 hours until puffy and jiggly.
- Prepare the coatings. While the dough is proofing, melt the butter and stir in the molasses and vanilla extract. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. If using crystallized ginger, add it now.
- Preheat oven. Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Tear the dough. Once the dough is fully proofed, use your hands to tear it into roughly 2 to 3 inch chunks. Don’t worry about making them perfect.
- Dip and roll. Take each chunk and dip it into the molasses butter mixture, making sure it’s well coated. Then roll it in the spice sugar mixture until completely covered. Place each coated chunk back into the 9x13 pan as you go.
- Dimple the dough. Use your fingertips to gently dimple the surface of the dough all over, creating small indentations. This pushes the spiced sugar down into the dough for beautiful marbled swirls and helps the focaccia maintain its texture while baking.
- Bake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and the sugar is caramelized in spots. The edges should be slightly crispy and the center soft.
- Make the icing. While the focaccia bakes, whisk together the powdered sugar, cream (start with 30g and add more as needed), and vanilla until you reach a drizzly consistency.
- Drizzle and serve. Let the focaccia cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then drizzle the icing over the top while it’s still warm. Serve immediately for maximum gooeyness.
Notes
YEAST CONVERSION: Want to use instant yeast instead of sourdough? Use 500g bread flour, 375g water, 25g molasses, 7g (2¼ tsp) instant yeast, and 10g salt. Mix everything together until no dry flour remains. Cover and let rise for 1 to 1.5 hours. Optional: do a stretch and fold at the 30 minute mark (wet your hands, grab one side of dough, stretch up and fold over, rotate bowl and repeat 3 to 4 times). Prepare your butter dip and spice sugar coating. Once risen, turn dough out onto a lightly greased surface or work directly from the bowl. Tear into 2 to 3 inch chunks. Dip each chunk in butter, roll in spice sugar, and arrange in parchment lined 9x13 pan. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour until puffy. Use your fingertips to dimple the surface all over before baking. Bake as directed. The sourdough version has more flavor complexity and tang that balances the sweetness.
MAKE AHEAD: Do your bulk fermentation during the day as usual. Once proofed, tear into chunks, dip in butter, roll in spice sugar, and arrange in your parchment lined pan. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, pull out and let come to room temperature and get puffy again (1 to 2 hours), then bake.
PARCHMENT IS KEY: Line your 9x13 pan with parchment paper for easy removal. The sugar caramelizes and can stick, so parchment saves you from a mess.
ICING CONSISTENCY: Start with less liquid and add more until you get a drizzly consistency. Heavy cream makes a richer icing than milk, but both work.
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes before serving. Can freeze without icing for up to 2 months.
CRYSTALLIZED GINGER: This is totally optional. It adds extra ginger flavor and texture, but the recipe is fantastic without it.
ACTIVE STARTER: Make sure your sourdough starter is fed and bubbly for best results. Weak starter will result in dense focaccia.
