Sticky Bun Pull-Apart Sourdough Focaccia
Soft vanilla sourdough focaccia balls dipped in vanilla butter, rolled in walnut cinnamon sugar, and nestled into a bed of brown sugar caramel and walnuts, then baked and flipped so every piece comes out glossy, gooey, and ready to pull apart. The overnight rise does most of the work for you.
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Danish dough whisk or large spoon or hands
- Medium saucepan
- 9x13 inch metal baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Food processor or mini chopper
- Two shallow bowls (for dipping and coating)
- bench scraper
- Instant read thermometer
- Large serving platter or sheet pan (for flipping)
- Plastic wrap or a lid
Ingredients
FOR THE VANILLA SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA DOUGH:
- 500 g bread flour 4 cups plus 2 tablespoons, spooned and leveled
- 400 g water room temperature (1¾ cups)
- 75 g active sourdough starter fed and bubbly (⅓ cup)
- 8 g fine sea salt 1½ teaspoons
- 10 g vanilla extract for the dough (2 teaspoons)
FOR THE CARAMEL WALNUT BASE:
- 115 g unsalted butter for the caramel (½ cup)
- 213 g brown sugar packed, for the caramel (1 cup)
- 57 g heavy cream for the caramel (¼ cup)
- 1.5 g salt for the caramel (¼ teaspoon)
- 170 to 227 g walnuts chopped or crushed, for the pan (1½ to 2 cups)
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTER DIP:
- 85 g butter melted, for dipping (6 tablespoons)
- 5 g vanilla extract for the dipping butter (1 teaspoon)
FOR THE WALNUT CINNAMON SUGAR COATING:
- 107 g brown sugar packed, for the coating (½ cup)
- 38 g walnuts for the coating (⅓ cup chopped, measured before grinding)
- 5 g cornstarch for the coating (2 teaspoons)
- 9 to 10 g ground cinnamon for the coating (1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon)
Instructions
DAY 1: MAKE THE DOUGH
Mix the dough.
- In a large bowl, combine the 400 g water, 75 g active sourdough starter, and 10 g vanilla extract, and stir until combined. Add the 500 g bread flour and 8 g salt and mix until no dry flour remains. The dough will be sticky and shaggy, which is exactly right.
Rest the dough.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Stretch and fold.
- With a wet hand, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over itself. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat, working all the way around the dough 4 to 6 times total. One set is all this dough needs.
Bulk ferment.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours, until it has at least doubled and has a domed top, visible bubbles throughout, and a puffy, jiggly texture. Timing depends on your kitchen temperature and the strength of your starter, so watch the dough rather than the clock.
DAY 2: CARAMEL, SHAPE, RISE, AND BAKE
Make the caramel walnut base.
- Line a 9x13 inch metal pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the 115 g butter, 213 g brown sugar, 57 g heavy cream, and 1.5 g salt. Stir constantly until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, about 3 to 4 minutes. Let it bubble for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat. Pour the caramel into the lined pan, spread it evenly into the corners, and scatter the chopped or crushed walnuts over the top. Set aside.
Prepare the vanilla butter.
- Melt the 85 g butter and stir in the 5 g vanilla extract. Pour into a shallow bowl for dipping.
Prepare the walnut cinnamon sugar.
- Add the 38 g walnuts and the 107 g brown sugar to a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the walnuts look like coarse sand. Pulsing the walnuts together with the sugar keeps them loose instead of turning them into a paste. Stir in the cornstarch and cinnamon, then pour the mixture into a second shallow bowl. You can also use a rolling pin and gently roll, being sure to target larger chunks. It may not be as fine, but it will do in a pinch!
Portion, dip, and coat.
- Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly sprayed with oil. With oiled hands, pinch off a golf ball size piece of dough, dip it into the vanilla butter so all sides are coated, let the excess drip off, then roll it in the walnut cinnamon sugar until it is completely covered and set it into the pan on top of the caramel and walnuts. Work one ball at a time all the way through, dipping, rolling, and placing each one before you pinch off the next.
Arrange as you go.
- Nestle the balls right up against each other in rows as you fill the pan, about five or six rows of four across a 9x13 pan. They should be touching with very little space between them, and you will end up with roughly 24 to 30 balls depending on how large you make them.
Finish the top.
- Sprinkle any leftover walnut cinnamon sugar over the tops. Skip any leftover vanilla butter here, since the caramel base underneath is already rich and buttery enough.
Second rise.
- Cover and let rise at room temperature. Mine took 1 hour 45 minutes, until the balls are puffy, jiggly, and have grown together into one pull-apart loaf. Watch the dough rather than the clock, since a warm kitchen moves faster and a cool one slower.
Bake.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the center position, and set a sheet pan on the rack below to catch any caramel that bubbles over. Gently dimple the tops with your fingers. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep golden brown and the caramel is bubbling at the edges. The internal temperature should read 190 to 200°F. Tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes if the tops are browning too quickly.
Rest and flip.
- Let the pan sit for 5 minutes. Place a serving platter or sheet pan over the top, and using oven mitts, hold both together and flip quickly and confidently. Lift off the pan, peel away the parchment, and spoon any caramel or walnuts left behind back over the top.
- Serve warm and pull apart.
Notes
Use an Active Starter
Your starter should be fed, bubbly, and at its peak, roughly doubled since its last feeding, when you mix the dough. A sluggish starter still works, but plan for a longer bulk rise of up to 14 to 16 hours.
Watch the Dough, Not the Clock
Every kitchen, starter, and bag of yeast behaves differently, so the times in this recipe are a guide rather than a schedule. Move on to the next step when the dough shows you it is ready: doubled and bubbly after the bulk rise, and puffy, jiggly, and grown together after the second rise.
Make Ahead
Mix the dough in the morning and let it bulk ferment all day. In the evening, make the caramel base, shape, dip, coat, and arrange the balls, then cover the pan well and refrigerate overnight, up to 12 hours. In the morning, let the pan sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until puffy and jiggly, then bake and flip as directed.
Handling the Sticky Dough
This is a high hydration dough, and sticky is completely normal. Work with damp or lightly oiled hands and quick, gentle movements, and resist the urge to add extra flour. If you are using all purpose flour, reduce the water to 360 g (1½ cups).
Golf Ball Size, No Scale Needed
There is no need to weigh these. Pinch off pieces roughly the size of a golf ball and you will land somewhere around 24 to 30 balls, which is exactly right for a 9x13 pan. Keep in mind that each ball nearly doubles between shaping and the end of the bake, so smaller pieces still fill the pan beautifully.
The 5 Minute Rest Is the Key
Flip too soon and the pieces are too delicate to hold together. Wait too long and the caramel sets in the pan. If it does set, warm the bottom of the pan on a burner for about 30 seconds to loosen it, then flip.
Use a Metal Pan
Glass and ceramic heat more slowly, so the caramel will not bubble and set up the same way. Lining the pan with parchment makes the flip release cleanly.
Choosing Your Nuts
Walnuts are my pick for their slight bitterness against all that caramel, but pecans work the same way in both the base and the coating. Hickory nuts are a wonderful choice too and are a favorite in my area, with a sweet, buttery flavor a lot like pecans. Black walnuts have a much bolder, earthier flavor, so try them mixed half and half with regular walnuts the first time.
Skip the Walnut Coating
If you would rather keep the coating plain, leave the 38 g walnuts out and simply mix the brown sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon together. No food processor needed.
Storage
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat individual pieces in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or warm the pan in a 300°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the caramel softens again.
No Sourdough Starter?
Use the same day yeast version, which is the second recipe card on this post.
