Sticky Caramel Pecan Focaccia
developed & tested by:
This no-knead brown sugar caramelized pecan focaccia is made with whole pecans candied on the stovetop & folded into the dough & spooned on top after baking.
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.
The sauce will feel pretty liquidy, but it'll thicken as it cools.
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.
The pecans don’t have to be at room temperature, but you don’t want them too hot to handle, which will hinder the dough’s rise.
The top of the dough should be about level with the top of your baking dish. I like letting mine proof in the oven (turned off) with the oven light on to add a little extra warmth and speed up the proofing time.
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.
- 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
Serving: 1 slice (of 16)Calories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 263mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 275IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg
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