Pumpkin Churro Focaccia
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This easy pumpkin churro focaccia is made with no-knead yeast dough, canned pumpkin puree, & a cinnamon sugar crust for a cozy fall dessert or brunch.
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.
Keep an eye on the water level, and add more water to the pot as needed to keep the can fully submerged.
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 ⅓ 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 ⅓ 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 ⅓ 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.
- 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
Serving: 1 serving (of 16)Calories: 330kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 6gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 277mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 2539IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 2mg
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