This no-knead apple cider donut focaccia is made with fresh, chopped apples folded into the dough with a gooey caramelized center. Cinnamon sugar is sprinkled on top to create a crackly donut-style crunch.
Apple Cider Donut Focaccia Has No Business Tasting This Good
Every fall, we visit our local pumpkin patch so I can beeline straight to their mini, sugar-coated apple cider donuts, pierced onto the straw of an apple cider slushie for the ultimate sugar-spike snack. And I wanted to recreate that exact flavor in the form of my favorite bread, focaccia. I kept the apples raw instead of cooking them down, so this truly tastes like an apple cider donut, not apple pie.
This sweet focaccia is deceptively simple. Chopped fresh apples (no peeling & no precooking needed) get sprinkled over the dough, which then gets folded in half once to work them in. The result is tender (never mushy) apple pieces in every single bite without any real effort. On top, a cinnamon sugar blend bakes up crackly and caramelized, just like the real donut coating. I like adding a teaspoon of ground cardamom to the cinnamon and nutmeg; it's optional, but it brings a little European warmth I can't resist. And despite how soft and pillowy this bread bakes up, make no mistake, it's still bread. Chewy, rustic, yeasted, and definitely not a loaf cake pretending to be bread.
For the cinnamon sugar topping, I use a blend of white and brown sugar. Brown sugar draws moisture out of the apples and holds onto it, creating a caramel-flavored syrup in the center instead of dry, bland fruit. And white sugar delivers that shattering crunch on top. It all goes on the bread in three stages: a layer folded into the middle and two more layers on top (one before baking, one right after).
I swap the water in the dough for apple cider, which adds sweet-tart apple flavor and a darker golden crust. Apple juice works nearly as well, if that's what you have on hand, though it is noticeably sweeter. I also tested a reduced cider version, but the extra step wasn't worth it, since the flavor barely budged.
This apple cider donut focaccia tastes great on its own, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a pinch of flaky sea salt for the ultimate cozy fall dessert. And if you love a good fall focaccia moment, my pumpkin cinnamon roll focaccia is basically this bread's cinnamon-swirled cousin. Or if apple orchard flavors are your love language, my apple fritter cake is calling your name next!
How to Bake Apple CIder Focaccia
For the full step-by-step directions, scroll down to the recipe card.
Focaccia Dimples Technique
Indent the dough with your fingers firmly, pressing all the way down until you feel the baking dish. Space the dimples about 1 inch apart, like you're playing the piano. Those little pools created in the dough hold onto the butter and sugar as it bakes, turning into pockets of caramelized goodness. This dimpling step also pops any uneven gas bubbles so the focaccia rises evenly in the oven.
My Tips for Cinnamon Sugar Focaccia with Apples
- Watch closely as the focaccia nears the end of the bake time, since the sugar on top browns quickly and can go from caramelized to burnt fast.
- Give the yeast a full 10 minutes to activate and get frothy before mixing it into the dough. If it doesn't foam up, your yeast may have expired, or the apple cider was too hot (which kills yeast) or too cold (which just slows it way down).
- Use 4 tablespoons of melted butter (or olive oil) to grease the baking dish. It sounds like a lot, but that's what it takes to keep the bread and caramelized sugar from sticking.
- Once baked, run a fork or spatula around the edges and underneath to release it cleanly for serving.
- For a topping that actually sticks to the bread, brush the dough with melted butter first so the initial sugar layer caramelizes onto it. Then add the final sprinkle of sugar while it's still hot, so it doesn't fall off the second you lift the first slice.
Apple Cider Donut Focaccia
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
FOCACCIA DOUGH
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1¾ cups warm apple cider (between 105-115°F or 40-46°C)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for greasing the baking dish)
FILLINGS & TOPPINGS
- ½ pound apples, diced (1 large or 2 medium apples; no need to peel them)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
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 be expired.)
- Add the olive oil and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
- Add the flour, salt, and cinnamon, 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 kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 2: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 3: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and Fold 4: Repeat the process for four stretch-and-folds. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for 1 hour until it doubles in size and looks bubbly on top.
Shape, Fill, and Proof
- In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and optional cardamom. Set aside.
- In a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread four tablespoons of melted butter on the bottom and up the sides.
- 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 the diced apples over the dough, then sprinkle one-third of the cinnamon sugar (about ⅓ cup) on top.
- From a short end, lift up the dough and fold it in half. Then pick up the dough out of the dish, rotate it 90 degrees, and place it back down in the dish. Gently press it back out to fill all the edges.
- 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 gently shake the baking dish.
Dimple, Bake, and Serve
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Brush two tablespoons of melted butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle one-third of the cinnamon sugar (about ⅓ cup) on top.
- Generously coat your fingers in a little extra melted butter or olive oil (don't skip this, or else the dough will stick all over your fingers.) Use your fingers to press dimples into the dough, pressing all the way to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the focaccia is puffed up and golden. Immediately sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the bread, and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- Apples: Stick with apples that hold their shape when baked, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Braeburn, or Jonagold, so you get tender bites instead of mush.
- Overnight Rise: I like making this same-day so it's ready by mid-afternoon for a sweet treat, but it also works overnight in the fridge. Mix the dough, then let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to get fermentation started before moving it to the fridge for 8-12 hours (it should double in size). From there, continue with the rest of the recipe, but let it proof for 3-4 hours instead of 2, since the dough needs extra time to warm back up.
- Sticky Dough: Expect the dough to feel sticky, which is on purpose. The high hydration is what gives you those big, airy pockets in the crumb. When doing stretch and folds, wet your hands with cold water first so the dough doesn't stick to you as much.
- Storing: Store fully cooled leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. The topping will soften & moisten slightly over time. Reheat for about 20 seconds in the microwave to soften and warm it.
- Cool First: I know it's tempting to cut into the bread right away, but it continues cooking after it's pulled from the oven. If you slice it too soon, you'll end up with gummy bread.
Nutrition
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