This no-knead pumpkin churro focaccia is made with canned pumpkin puree, active dry yeast (no sourdough needed), and without a stand mixer. Cinnamon sugar added before and after baking creates a sweet, crackly crust, all topped with homemade dulce de leche!
The Cozy Pumpkin Churro Focaccia I Bake Every Fall
After my pumpkin cinnamon roll focaccia went viral, I knew I wasn't done combining pumpkin + focaccia. I wanted another cozy fall bake, and my mind kept drifting to my favorite churros at my local farmers market. After several tests and tweaks to get the perfect crunchy crust, this decadent pumpkin churro focaccia was born! And the dulce de leche glaze is totally optional, but I think it's what firmly makes this a dessert and not just a sweet-ish bread.Â
Churros get their crackly shell in the fryer, so to get the same texture in the oven, I borrowed the fryer's two secrets: fat + direct heat. Greasing the baking dish with a generous amount of olive oil actually creates a crispier exterior than melted butter did in testing. And the real secret is adding the cinnamon sugar in three separate layers. A light sprinkle goes in the middle to ensure it's sweet throughout every bite, then again just before baking to caramelize into the crust. A final sprinkle goes on right after baking, which is what really gives you that crunchy crust.Â
The no-knead dough uses less water than a typical focaccia because pumpkin puree adds a ton of moisture. It's still sticky, and that's on purpose, since that's what gives you a really airy, puffy crumb. It'll probably cling to your hands during the stretch and folds and while pressing it into the dish, so first coat your hands in a little olive oil or wet them with cold water. Whatever you do, don't add more flour.
And if you're craving more of that crackly cinnamon sugar crust, my apple cider donut focaccia is another reader-favorite, donut-inspired sweet focaccia!
My Notes on Key Ingredients
- Yeast: I prefer using active dry yeast that gets a head start on fermentation in water with a little sugar. Pumpkin, sugar, and olive oil all slow down yeast activity, so this quick 10 minute activation at the very beginning helps the dough rise and bake up light and fluffy, not dense and heavy.
- Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin puree only, please. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and will push the flavor overboard, while fresh pumpkin in testing added too much moisture. And there's no need to blot the pumpkin puree first, since I designed this dough to have it used straight from the can.
- Spices: Don't skimp on the pumpkin pie spice, which amplifies pumpkin's mild flavor so this truly tastes like a sweet fall dessert.
- Dulce de Leche: Set a timer for your dulce de leche. I once accidentally forgot about mine and boiled the sweetened condensed milk an extra hour, and it ended up gummy and oddly tangy.
Let's Bake Churro Pumpkin Focaccia Together!
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
My Tips for a Crispy Outside & Fluffy Inside
- Wait to dimple the dough until just before it goes in the oven. If you add dimples before the dough proofs, they'll disappear as it puffs up.Â
- If you have a kitchen thermometer, I recommend checking to make sure the center of your bread reaches at least 190°F before pulling it from the oven to avoid an underbaked, gummy middle.Â
- Store it loosely covered at room temperature, and if it softens overnight, 5-10 minutes in a 350°F oven brings most of the crackle back.
Pumpkin Churro Focaccia
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Focaccia
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1¼ cups warm water (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
Cinnamon Sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, for greasing the baking dish
- 4 tablespoons melted butter, divided (for brushing on top)
Dulce de Leche
- 1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
Make the Dulce de Leche
- Remove the label from the canned sweetened condensed milk. Place it in a large saucepan or pot and cover it with at least 1 inch of water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours, covered with the lid. Then dump out the water and let the can cool.
Mix, Stretch-and-Fold, and Rise
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, brown sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it's foamy on top. (If it's not foamy, check your yeast packet, as it might have expired.)
- Mix the canned pumpkin puree, olive oil, and vanilla extract into the foamy yeast mixture.
- Add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and mix for a minute with a large spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a soft, sticky dough.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 1: Use your hand to scoop a handful of dough from underneath, up one side, up out of the bowl as far as you can stretch it without tearing, then fold it over itself on top. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat another stretching of the dough up and folding over itself. Repeat rotating the bowl and stretching & folding the dough twice more, until you've completed four stretch-and-folds.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 2: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 3: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 4: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a dinner plate for 1 hour until it doubles in size and looks bubbly on top.
Shape, Fill, and Proof
- Mix the Cinnamon Sugar: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Spread four tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 ceramic or glass baking dish.
- Dump the dough from your mixing bowl onto the center of the baking dish and press it down into all the edges and corners.
- Sprinkle one third (about â…“ cup) of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the dough. Pick up one of the short edges and fold the dough in half. Then pick up the dough out of the baking dish, rotate it 90 degrees, and place it back down in the dish. Press it out again to all the edges.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough has really puffed up and jiggles when you shake the baking dish.
Dimple, Bake, and Glaze
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Brush two tablespoons of melted butter evenly over the top of the dough.
- Sprinkle one third (about â…“ cup) of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top.
- Generously coat your fingers in olive oil or melted butter (don't skip this, or else the dough will stick all over your fingers.) Use your fingers to press dimples into the dough, spread apart by 1-inch, pressing all the way to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the focaccia is puffed up and dark brown on top.
- While the focaccia bakes, prepare the glaze. In a large bowl, add the dulce de leche from the can. Use an electric hand mixer or a large spoon or whisk to whip it until it's smooth enough to drizzle.
- As soon as the focaccia comes out of the oven, brush the top with two tablespoons of melted butter, then sprinkle on the remaining cinnamon sugar (about â…“ cup).
- Let the bread cool for at least 30 minutes, then drizzle on the dulce de leche glaze, or serve it in a bowl on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Equipment: I recommend using a ceramic baking dish rather than metal, which runs hotter and can cause the sugar on the exterior to burn.Â
- Overnight Rise: To make this overnight, let the dough sit out for 1-2 hours after mixing, then refrigerate the covered bowl for 8-12 hours. Skip the stretch and folds and go straight to pressing the dough into the baking dish. Then add 1 to 2 hours to the proof time, so the dough can warm up before puffing up.
- Topping: Dulce de leche is plenty sweet on its own, so I always finish each slice with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt to balance it.
Nutrition
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