I think I need an intervention.
Yesterday I was making this cinnamon sugar focaccia (OMG), and that’s not the worst part — I found myself tuned to the “country love song” station on Pandora and I honestly don’t remember how I ended up there.
Ummmm, what?
If you remember, I wasn’t into country music, then I married someone who is a total country fan, and somehow it’s starting to grow on me (hello Blake Shelton, my celebrity crush). Still, I’m not particularly eager to listen to songs about polishing dogs or serenading rusty rifles. Or whatever they sing about.
It’s that awkward time of year when Christmas music is off the table and I’m at a loss for what to listen to. Ask anyone who knows me — my husband or immediate family — and they’ll tell you my music taste is questionable at best. But hey, some albums deserve love. Sweet Kisses, for example, is totally underrated.
See? This is why I make food that actually tastes amazing — it’s not like I attract people with my charm. Baking is my social currency.
I’ve been thinking this focaccia would be incredible turned into a dessert panini. Imagine chocolate and peanut butter pressed between slices, or peanut butter and banana, or even marshmallow fluff. Toast it until the fillings melt. Yes, please.
I’ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve.
Cinnamon Sugar Focaccia
Makes one 9×13 dish
[adapted from Tyler Florence]
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon (plus 1 teaspoon for the sugar mix)
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or more to taste), mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2–3 tablespoons melted butter
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm water, yeast and honey. Stir briefly to help the yeast dissolve, then let sit about 10 minutes until foamy. Add the flours, salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and begin mixing so a dough forms. While mixing, stream in 2 tablespoons of canola oil. Continue mixing until a ball forms, then knead on low speed for 5–6 minutes. Add a little more flour only if the dough becomes too sticky.
Shape the dough into a ball and brush a large bowl with 1 teaspoon canola oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turn to coat, cover with a slightly damp towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Brush a 9×13 baking dish with the remaining canola oil. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and press or stretch it into a 9×13 rectangle. Transfer it to the prepared dish, cover, and let rise again in a warm place for 15–20 minutes.
Use your thumb to make indentations across the dough (I did about six rows). Brush the top with melted butter and generously sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake on the lowest oven rack for 15–20 minutes, until golden. Remove and cool 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack or countertop. Brush the bottom with melted butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar; let rest 10 minutes. Flip the bread back over, brush with the remaining butter and add a final sprinkling of cinnamon sugar if you like. Slice and serve.
I definitely dipped those focaccia sticks in extra melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Do it — you won’t regret it.