This Sweet Focaccia studded with dried fruit makes for a delicious tea time snack.
We are starting a new week of Blogging marathon today and I picked a very interesting theme. Valli has asked us to make ‘Sweet flatbreads’ and I was intrigued by the idea of trying some delicious flatbreads that are sweet instead of savory (like this no fuss focaccia or this rosemary focaccia). So for the first day I made this Sweet Focaccia with dried cherries and raisins.
The first place I go when I am looking for any flour based recipes is King Arthur flour. If you follow my blog you already know that I am a big fan of their site and their products. I have had 95~100% success rate with their recipes. Today’s recipe also comes from King Arthur flour site.
I have seen a few focaccia recipes that fall into the sweet category, but I never thought I would be making it myself. For some reason, I cannot imagine sweet versions of some dishes (like desserts with potatoes). I am sure they taste amazing, but I can’t get myself to make them.
But this sweet focaccia is nothing but delicious. I made this last week when the schools were closed due to snow and the kids were driving me insane. The smell of this flatbread baking in the oven hushed them up for a little bit. Both of them loved the chewy focaccia and the plumped cherries and raisins.
The best part of this recipe is that it is vegan, easy to make and absolutely yummy!! You can easily make this for a crowd — just double the ingredients and bake the focaccia in 2 8″ round cake pans or 9″x13″ baking pan. This flatbread is great to eat warm with some tea (I’m in love Trader Joe’s Festive Black Tea). Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days — warm it up a little before serving.
Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 84.
Sweet Focaccia
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- ½ cup Dried Cherries
- ¼ cup Golden Raisins
- ¾ cup Boiling Water
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1¼ cups bread flour
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- ¾ tsp Instant Yeast
- ¾ tsp salt
For the Topping:
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Turbinado Sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine dried cherries, raisins and boiling water. Set aside to soak for 10~15 minutes. Drain the fruit and reserve the soaking liquid. Set the fruit aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon; mix until combined. Add ½ cup of the soaking liquid, soaked fruit and 1tbsp olive oil. Mix till the fruit are evenly distributed. Dough will be quite tacky.
- Knead for about 1~2 minutes.
- Brush 2tbsp olive oil in a 8" round pan. Transfer the dough into the pan and spread it out as close to the side as possible.
- Cover and set it aside to rest, pressing it out every 10 minutes until it fills the pan. It took me about 30~40 minutes to do that. Cover and let the dough rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Place a baking stone in the oven and preheat it to 425°F.
- Just before baking, press dimples into the risen dough with greased fingers. Drizzle with the remaining 1tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the top.
- Set the pan on the baking stone and bake until the focaccia is deep golden on top and bottom, about 25~30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the focaccia onto a wire rack to cool. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
Usha
A sweet focaccia, ha.. I always associate savory bread with focaccia. Sweet one sounds interesting and this something I would really love. You know what, you should become a brand ambassador for KAF. You make so many recipes from their site 🙂
Srivalli
Oh Pavani, your pictures are driving me crazy! Wish I could grab them yaar…while you say sweet flatbread is unimaginable, think about myself, making a savory focaccia is tough and you go ahead to make a sweet version..hehehe..I know you must have had a tough time because of the snow, but I love that pictures…:)
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth
Doesn’t that look awesome? I love how you come up with amazing pictures for each dish you cook up… That’s a lovely bake to do on a snowy day with a cup of black tea…
Preeti
Wow.. pictures and recipe both makes hungry.. awesome bread.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
Surprisingly, I have never made a sweet focaccia yet. This looks awesome and I love the recipes from King Arthur’s flour website as well. They turn out amazingly well and now seeing your pictures, it is tempting me to bake soon.
Chef Mireille
oh wow what a unique and innovative focaccia – would definitely like to try a slice
Harini
Never thought that there could be a sweet version of focaccia. Very unique. Looks like you guys had a mini snow storm there !
Priya
This dry fruit focaccia bread looks great. Love the new version of sweet. I baked savory one. love this idea my son gonna love it.
Priya Suresh
Stunning dried fruits loaded focaccia, am sure this flat bread will definitely please some hungry tummies around us. Would love to kick start my day with a super huge slice of this incredible bread.
Padmajha PJ
Loved that snowy picture and I wishing I could come there! But I’m sure you would have had a tough time this winter. This focaccia looks delicious.And like you said, I just can’t imagine desserts with certain ingredients!
Sapana
I am more like you and have a very peculiar taste for sweet fla=tbreads. But as you said this focaccia is nothing but delicious, I hear you and will make it for sure.
Suja Ram
Perfect round Focaccia with beautifully cut wedges, can’t stop drooling here!