Focaccia happens to be one of our favorite flatbreads and I make them quite often for dinner. Our favorite happens to be the Focaccia with herbed oil and Caramelized onions. I was first exposed to focaccia with this recipe for Focaccia Caprese, which happens to be the most popular one. This time I wanted to make something slightly sweeter to be served with the evening tea and that is how I landed on this recipe from Pavani’s blog. She has adapted the recipe from King Arthur Flour’s website and that happens to be one of my favorite places to look for baking recipes. I love their products and pretty much what I use in my kitchen for baking. This fruit foccacia had the perfect combination of sweetness and tartness from the cherries and raisins used in the recipe. It was perfect with the evening cup of tea and the boys loved it as their after-school snack. The addition of the sugar gave the focaccia a very beautiful deep golden color.
My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –
A for Aish BaladiB for Boulanee KatchaluC for Chickpea Flatbread / SoccaD for Dhal PuriE for Emirati Khameer Preparation time - 15 minutesBaking time - 25 to 30 minutesDifficulty level - EasyRecipe adapted from - Cook’s Hideout
Ingredients to make Sweet Focaccia with Dried Fruits - Makes one 8-inch pan
Bread flour - 1 ¼ cup (can be substituted with bread APF) Instant yeast - ¾ tsp Sugar - 3 TBSP Salt - ¾ tsp Raisins - ¼ cup Dried cherries - ¼ cup Boiling water - ¾ cup Olive oil - 3 TBSP Coarse Sugar / Turbinado sugar - 2 TBSP
Procedure to make Fruit Focaccia -
Place the dried cherries and the raisins in boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the dried fruits to soften a bit.
In a large bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine.
Pour in about 2 tablespoon of oil and mix. Add the soaked fruits along with about ½ cup of the soaking liquid. Make sure that the soaking liquid is warm. If not, heat it up until warm to touch and then use it in the recipe.
Mix until a soft dough forms. Add more water if needed and make a very soft dough. The dough will be slightly tacky but should not be stuck to the touch.
Grease an 8-inch round pan with olive oil and place the kneaded dough on the pan. Using your fingers spread the dough until it touches all the sides of the pan. The dough would sort of curl up and come towards the center. Rest the dough for a few minutes and spread again. You might need to do this 2 or 3 times for the dough to be evenly spread all over the pan.
Cover the pan and let the dough rest for about an hour or until it is puffed up.
During the last 30 minutes of the resting time, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 F.
Once the dough has rested, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on the surface and spread evenly. Make a few shallow marks with your fingers and sprinkle the top with coarse / turbinado sugar.
Place the pan on the pizza stone and bake until golden brown. It took me about 25 minutes.
Remove the pan and let the focaccia cool on a rack. Slice and serve warm.
Other Baking Ideas
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