Chai Snickerdoodle Focacciawith Cream Cheese Frosting
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This cozy no-knead chai snickerdoodle focaccia is made with chai tea, Greek yogurt, chai spices, and a cinnamon sugar + cream of tartar topping so it stays moist and boldly spiced for days. Top it all with optional cream cheese frosting for extra tang!
Equipment
Ingredients
CHAI FOCACCIA DOUGH
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1¼ cups warm chai tea
- ⅓ 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
- ⅓ 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.
If you’ve freshly brewed your tea with boiling water, add a few ice cubes and let it cool to 105-115°F (40-46°C) faster.
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.
Aim to have the dimples spread apart by 1-inch. If you dimple the dough too much & too close together, you’ll knock too much air out.
Start checking the focaccia about halfway through baking, and if the top starts to look like it's getting too dark before the inside is fully baked, tent a large piece of foil over it, to prevent the sugar topping from burning.
If your glaze is too thick, mix in another teaspoon of milk at a time. And if it's too thin, mix in an additional tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time.
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
Serving: 1 slice (of 16)Calories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 319mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 1gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 276IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 2mg
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