Chai tea, Greek yogurt, and cozy spices are mixed into the dough of my chai snickerdoodle focaccia for a moist crumb and bold flavor. Then cinnamon sugar + cream of tartar get folded into the dough and sprinkled on top for a caramelized, gooey center and crunchy topping. This makes a cozy fall bake or fun Christmas morning brunch without a stand mixer or kneading!
Tangy + Spiced Chai Snickerdoodle Focaccia!
Chai becomes my go-to drink whenever mornings start to feel really cold, and I wanted a dessert that tasted like that first bold, spicy sip. Then I thought about snickerdoodles, because it's the tang from cream of tartar that makes them snickerdoodles and not just regular cinnamon cookies. So while most sweet focaccias lean on cinnamon sugar and stop there, I set out to build one with real chai spice throughout and snickerdoodle tang in a yeasty, chewy, slow-rise focaccia.Â
What makes this chai snickerdoodle focaccia different is that the flavor is built in layers. I use brewed chai tea in place of the water in the dough, so the whole loaf is quietly seasoned from the inside. Then chai spices including cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper go into the dough and again into the cinnamon sugar filling and topping. This layering keeps the spiced flavor in every bite without ever overpowering the bread. And a little cream of tartar gets added with the spices for that classic snickerdoodle tang.Â
While snickerdoodle cookies add cream of tartar in the dough, in a bread dough that acidity interferes with the yeast's activity. Adding it to the cinnamon sugar made a real difference, especially if you skip the cream cheese frosting. And while that frosting is totally optional, it adds one more layer of tang, so don't skip it if that's what you're after.Â
If you love the "cinnamon rolls without the rolling" idea here, definitely try my cinnamon roll focaccia next! And for another sweet brunch focaccia with classic holiday flavors, my sticky pecan focaccia belongs on your Christmas table.
My Notes on Key Ingredients
- Chai: Use plain unsweetened tea, not sweetened chai concentrate or chai syrup, which will add too much sweetness.
- Cream of Tartar: In testing, ½ and 1 teaspoon just weren't enough. You need 1½ teaspoons for the tang to really come through in the cinnamon sugar.
- Greek Yogurt: Whole milk and nonfat both worked in testing. The yogurt makes this focaccia a bit denser and less open than my other versions, a tradeoff I'll happily make for the rich, tangy flavor.
- Spices: Freshly brewed chai plus cinnamon tasted nice, but not like chai, so the dry spices are essential. And a pinch of black pepper is the real secret. It adds the subtle background kick most chai bakes miss.
Let's Bake Chai Snickerdoodle Focaccia!
My Tips for Baking Holiday Dessert Focaccia
- This focaccia bakes at a slightly lower temperature than my savory ones, so the sugar caramelizes into a crunchy, crackly crust instead of burning. Start checking yours halfway through baking, and tent with a large piece of foil if the top is darkening too fast.
- Leave an inch of bare dough around the spiced sugar filling so the dough seals to dough. As the sugar melts into a gooey caramel, this will keep it inside instead of leaking out and scorching on the pan.
- Let the focaccia cool first, or the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide right off.
Chai Snickerdoodle Focacciawith Cream Cheese Frosting
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
CHAI FOCACCIA DOUGH
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1¼ cups warm chai tea
- â…“ cup plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons salt (use fine sea salt or table salt)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (for greasing the baking dish)
SPICED CINNAMON SUGAR
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- â…“ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (½ block)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Mix, Stretch-and-Fold, and Rise
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the yeast, brown sugar, and warm tea. 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 Greek yogurt, olive oil and vanilla extract, and stir it into the foamy yeast mixture.
- Add the flour, spices, and salt, and mix for a minute with a large spoon or silicone spatula until it forms a thick, sticky dough and there are no clumps of dry flour or spices visible.
- 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 30 minutes.
- Cinnamon Sugar: In a medium bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, optional cardamom & nutmeg, salt, and cream of tartar. Set aside.
Shape, Fill, and Proof
- Spread 4 tablespoons of melted butter (or olive oil) 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 cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough.
- From a short edge, lift up the dough and fold it in half. Rotate the dough in the baking dish 90 degrees, so the long edges of the dough are parallel with the long edges of the baking dish. Press it back out to fill the bottom of the dish again.
- Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 1½ hours, or until the dough has puffed up to about double in size.
Top, Bake, and Decorate
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (230°C).
- Gently brush 2 tablespoons of melted butter evenly over the dough. Spread the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top.
- Use your fingers to press dimples into the dough, pressing all the way to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the focaccia is puffed up and golden and reaches an internal temperature of at least 200°F (93°C).
- While the focaccia bakes, prepare the optional cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese and butter until they're creamy and light. Add the powdered sugar, salt, two tablespoons of milk and mix again on low speed until it's smooth.
- Let the focaccia cool for 20 minutes, then dollop the frosting on top and spread it in an even layer all the way to the edges and corners. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes more before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make Ahead: For a holiday party, bake and cool the focaccia ahead of time, then whip up the frosting and spread it on top within a couple of hours of serving.
- Storing: The cream cheese frosting needs the fridge, but the focaccia can dry out in there. Frost only what you're about to serve, and store the un-frosted focaccia in the pan, tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container, at room temperature for a few days.
- Reheating: To reheat, microwave a piece for 15 to 20 seconds (with or without the frosting) and enjoy it right away.
Nutrition
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