This sticky caramelized pecan focaccia is made with whole pecans candied on the stovetop in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon before getting folded into the dough and spooned on top after baking. It's the best parts of pecan pie and sticky buns, turned into slow-rise sweet focaccia.
Candied Pecan Pie Focaccia!
Every fall my kitchen fills up with the usual suspects: pumpkin spice and apple everything. I love them, but this year I wanted something cozy that didn't lean on either one. This sweet caramel pecan focaccia is buttery, nutty, spiced, and ticks all the boxes for my fall cravings.
What makes my version different is how the pecans are handled. I caramelize them first in hot butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar, and that one step does four jobs. It toasts the pecans so their nutty flavor comes forward, and it gives them a sweet, crunchy shell. It also makes a buttery sauce that soaks into the warm bread and keeps it moist, then sets into a sticky coating that is finger-licking good. And because that caramel sauce is already there, you don't need to top this focaccia with a separate glaze.
In recipe testing, when I baked the caramelized pecans on top, they turned bitter and burnt. So now half get folded inside the dough, where the bread protects them in the oven and they stay sweet and crunchy. Then the rest go on after baking, along with the warm pan sauce spooned over the focaccia.
It's delicious as-is, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup served for Thanksgiving dessert (or any random day your sweet cravings strike) makes it taste absolutely divine. And if you love these stovetop caramelized pecans, try them swirled into my pecan cinnamon rolls next. Or if you're in the mood for another sweet stuffed focaccia, I highly recommend my glazed cinnamon roll focaccia.
Let's Bake Pecan Focaccia!
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
My Tips for No-Knead Pecan Focaccia
- Instant yeast works, but I prefer active dry yeast for its built-in guarantee. The 10-minute activation step tells me my yeast hasn't expired and my water isn't too hot or too cold before I commit the rest of my ingredients.
- This dough is about 87% hydration, which is what gives focaccia its open, fluffy crumb, so it's supposed to feel sticky. Wet your hands with cold water or rub a little olive oil on them so it won't cling to you.
- Ceramic and light-colored metal baking dishes both work. Metal runs a bit hotter, so you'll get slightly crisper & more deeply caramelized edges.
Sticky Caramel Pecan Focaccia
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Focaccia Dough
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1¾ cups warm water (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for greasing the baking dish)
Sticky Caramel Pecans
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk
- 1½ cups raw pecans
Instructions
Mix, Stretch-and-Folds, Rise
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, 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 be expired.)
- Add the olive oil and vanilla extract, and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, and salt, and mix for a minute with a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a soft, sticky dough.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel 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.
Cook the Caramelized Pecans
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until all the sugar has dissolved and it starts to bubble gently.
- Mix in the cinnamon and salt. Then slowly pour in the milk (it will bubble and sizzle a bit).
- Stir in the pecans until they're coated in the mixture. Let it all bubble for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Shape, Fill, and Proof
- Spread 4 tablespoons of melted butter on the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 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.
- Spread half of the cooled sticky pecans evenly over the dough. Leave the remaining pecans in the pan to add on top after the focaccia is baked.
- From a short edge, lift up the dough and fold it in half. Then pick up the dough from the long edges, lift it out of the dish, rotate it 90 degrees, and place it back down. Press it back out to all the edges of the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours, or until the dough has really puffed up and jiggles when you shake the baking dish.
Dollop, Bake, and Top with Pecans
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) with the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
- Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter evenly over the dough.
- 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 out 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 golden, and it's reached an internal temperature of at least 190°F (88°C).
- For the pecans still in the pan, the butter will have hardened. Warm the pan on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, just to re-melt the butter and give it all a good stir.
- Dollop the warm sticky pecans and all the sauce in the pan evenly over the baked focaccia. Let it cool for at least 30 minutes so the sauce can thicken and soak into the bread a bit, then slice and serve.
Notes
- Overnight Rise: After mixing, let the dough sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Skip the stretch and folds and go straight to spreading the dough into the greased baking dish, then give it 3-4 hours to proof instead of 2 hours. In my testing, the overnight dough tore a little more easily around the pecans, so handle it gently and pinch any holes closed so no pecans are left exposed in the oven.
- Storing: Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then aluminum foil for up to a few months.Â
- Reheating: Warm slices uncovered on a baking dish in the oven at 300°F (148°C) for 10 minutes, until the center is soft again. I sometimes use the microwave for a single slice (for about 20 seconds), but it softens the crust while making the inside extra chewy.
- Pecans: Keep your pecans whole or at least halved, since bigger pieces keep a crisp, caramel-shelled crunch in every bite and stay distinct from the soft bread around them.
Nutrition
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