This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Sourdough discard cinnamon roll focaccia is soft, fluffy, swirled with a gooey brown sugar-cinnamon filling and topped with a thick cream cheese drizzle. A unique technique folds the swirl right into the dough, giving each slice layers of warm spice and rich flavor. Focaccia meets cinnamon roll in this cozy and creative twist.
This 9×13 bake is the perfect way to use up some sourdough starter discard! This recipe is beginner-friendly (just like my easy sourdough bread recipe), made with discard and a touch of yeast for same-day baking. It’s a great breakfast or brunch for fall, holiday mornings, or just a comfort bake any time of year.
If you love sourdough focaccia bread, this recipe is a sweeter version that is quick and easy, thanks to the addition of commercial yeast. For more sourdough discard recipes, try my sourdough coffee cake, sourdough blueberry bread, or sourdough vanilla almond scones.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Same-Day Bake: This easy sourdough focaccia recipe is a same-day sourdough discard recipe (just like my sourdough discard rolls), so you won’t have to wait for an overnight rise time!
- Great Way to Use Up Sourdough Discard: If you have extra sourdough starter discard, this is a delicious way to use some of it up!
- Pantry-Staple Ingredients: This easy recipe uses simple ingredients that are pantry staples in many households. No need to go searching for unusual ingredients.
Ingredients
Find the full list of ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sourdough Starter Discard: You can use active starter or discard for this recipe. Since we’re adding a bit of yeast, the sourdough starter doesn’t need to be in its fully active state.
- Yeast: This recipe uses instant yeast, but you can also substitute active dry yeast if you prefer. To use active yeast, proof it in the warm water with honey for 5–10 minutes until foamy before mixing in the discard and flour.
- Honey: You can substitute white granulated sugar for the honey.
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is used instead of bread flour.
- Butter and Oil: This recipe uses a combination of butter and oil.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia bread.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, use a danish dough whisk or regular whisk to whisk together the sourdough discard, warm water, yeast, and honey until mostly combined. Stir in the oil (Photo 1). Add the flour and salt (Photo 2) and mix until a sticky dough forms. Note for active dry yeast: Dissolve it in the warm water with the honey for 5–10 minutes until foamy before adding the discard and flour.
Step 2: Wet your hands slightly or use a dough scraper or bench scraper to help knead the dough in the bowl for 2–3 minutes (Photo 3), just until it’s mostly smooth and starting to build some gluten (Photo 4). This quick kneading step helps the dough come together. Note: no other kneading or stretch-and-folds are needed after this.
Tip: Kneading in the bowl keeps things tidy and avoids flour mess, but you can turn it out onto a lightly oiled counter if you prefer.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, and let the sourdough focaccia dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1–2 hours (Photo 5).
Step 4: In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt into a spreadable paste (Photo 6). If it’s too stiff, microwave for 5–10 seconds or heat in a small pan on the stovetop to loosen it up.
Step 5: Line a 9×13 pan or baking dish with parchment paper. Lightly spray with nonstick spray, place the parchment, then butter the parchment and sides of the pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of oil and spread it around. (Using parchment paper is optional if you’re using a good non-stick pan, but I highly recommend using parchment paper!)
Step 6: Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and gently stretch it to fill most of the pan (Photo 7). Spread about half of the cinnamon mixture over the top of the dough, keeping it away from the very edges to prevent sticking (Photo 8).
Step 7: Starting at the top of the pan, fold the dough down over itself (Photo 9), then fold the bottom up over the first fold, like folding a letter — do not flip it over (Photo 10). Rotate the folded dough in the pan so it lines up as a neat rectangle again (Photo 11). Pinch the fold slightly to help seal the cinnamon swirl, then gently stretch the dough back out toward the edges (Photo 12). Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil on top and spread it with your fingers.
Step 8: Spread the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top, again avoiding the very edges. Use your fingers to gently dimple and swirl the filling in (Photo 13). Cover and let the dough rise again until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
Step 9: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake for 22–26 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190–200°F. Check at the 15-minute mark; if the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the remainder of the bake.
Step 10: Let the focaccia rest in the pan for 5–10 minutes (Photo 14), then carefully remove and transfer to a wire cooling rack. Placing a sheet pan or parchment under the rack can help catch any drips.
Step 11: In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add milk or cream a little at a time until you have a thick but pourable drizzle consistency (Photo 15). Drizzle the cream cheese frosting generously over the warm focaccia (Photo 16). Slice and enjoy! This would go well with a cottage cheese egg bake or easy breakfast casserole for some protein!
Storage and Reheating
Sourdough discard cinnamon roll focaccia is always best the day it’s baked. The texture is fluffiest, the swirl is gooey, and the drizzle is soft and dreamy. That said, leftovers can still be delicious with a quick warm-up. Once fully cooled, store slices tightly wrapped or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To bring back that just-baked softness, microwave individual slices for about 10–15 seconds or heat in the oven. The cinnamon swirl will melt slightly, and the cream cheese drizzle will soften right back up.
How to Freeze
You can also freeze focaccia slices for longer storage. Freeze slices wrapped well for up to 2 months. Thaw and warm gently before serving.
Tips
- Using parchment plus butter, oil, and nonstick spray helps this sticky swirl bread release cleanly.
- Try to keep the swirl filling away from the edges to avoid caramelized sugar sticking. This is where parchment paper shines, just in case you get close to the edges.
- Melt the swirl butter slightly for easy spreading. I don’t recommend melting the butter when doing the swirl within the dough. When doing the cinnamon sugar on the top part, I do recommend popping the cinnamon-butter mixture in the microwave for a few seconds (or heating gently on the stovetop without melting completely). It helps to spread on the top part of the dough without being too rough on it.
- Fold the dough like a letter, rotate, stretch, but don’t flip it over. Flipping it over can just increase the chance of it leaking on the bottom. I find that you can just leave the crease on the top and it all bakes together perfectly fine. Just try to give it a little pinch to make sure it stays together.
- If you’d like a simpler topping, make a basic vanilla glaze instead: whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 1–2 tbsp milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter to make focaccia. This recipe uses discard along with yeast to help the focaccia dough to rise.
Yes! Just proof it in the warm water with honey for 5–10 minutes until foamy before mixing in the discard and flour.
Yes! If you’d rather not use commercial yeast in your sourdough discard cinnamon roll focaccia, let the dough rise 6–8 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge) until doubled.
More Sourdough Discard Recipes
- Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
- Sourdough Blueberry Bread
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Sourdough Granola
- Sourdough Granola Bars
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please leave a comment with a 5-star recipe rating and let me know! Thank you so much!
Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough:
- 250 grams sourdough discard, room temperature, (1 cup)
- 240 grams warm water, (1 cup)
- 5 grams instant yeast (*see note for active dry yeast), (1 1/2 tsp)
- 2 tablespoons honey or sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons neutral oil or olive oil, plus more for greasing
- 480 grams all-purpose flour, (4 cups)
- 8 grams kosher salt, (1 1/2 tsp)
- 2 tablespoons butter, for greasing pan
- 1 tablespoon oil, for pan + 1 tbsp for brushing dough
Cinnamon Swirl:
- 115 grams unsalted butter, softened (melt slightly if needed), (1/2 cup, or 1 stick)
- 150 grams packed brown sugar, (3/4 cup)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Drizzle:
- 120 grams cream cheese, softened, (4 oz)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 120 grams powdered sugar, (1 cup)
- 3-4 tablespoons milk or cream, more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard, warm water, yeast, and honey until mostly combined. Stir in the oil. Add the flour and salt and mix until a sticky dough forms. *Note for active dry yeast if using: Dissolve it in the warm water with the honey for 5–10 minutes until foamy before adding the discard and flour.
- Wet your hands slightly or use a dough scraper to help knead the dough in the bowl for 2–3 minutes, just until it’s mostly smooth and starting to build some gluten. This quick kneading step helps the dough come together. Note: no other kneading or stretch-and-folds are needed after this.Tip: Kneading in the bowl keeps things tidy and avoids flour mess, but you can turn it out onto a lightly oiled counter if you prefer.
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1–2 hours.
- Make the cinnamon swirl mixture: In a small bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt into a spreadable paste. If it’s too stiff, microwave for 5–10 seconds or heat in a small pan on the stovetop to loosen it up.
- Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray with nonstick spray, place the parchment, then butter the parchment and sides of the pan with 2 tablespoons of butter. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of oil and spread it around. (Using parchment paper is optional if you’re using a good non-stick pan, but I highly recommend using parchment paper!)
- Transfer the dough into the prepared pan and gently stretch it to fill most of the pan. Spread about half of the cinnamon mixture over the top, keeping it away from the very edges to prevent sticking.
- Starting at the top of the pan, fold the dough down over itself, then fold the bottom up over the first fold, like folding a letter — do not flip it over. Rotate the folded dough in the pan so it lines up as a neat rectangle again. Pinch the fold slightly to help seal the cinnamon swirl, then gently stretch the dough back out toward the edges. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil on top and spread it with your fingers (see photos in the blog post if you need a visual for these steps).
- Spread the remaining cinnamon mixture evenly over the top, again avoiding the very edges. Use your fingers to gently dimple and swirl the filling in. Cover and let the dough rise again until puffy, about 30–45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake for 22–26 minutes, or until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190–200°F. Check at the 15-minute mark; if the top is browning too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the remainder of the bake.
- Let the focaccia rest in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then carefully remove and transfer to a wire rack. Placing a sheet pan or parchment under the rack can help catch any drips.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add milk or cream a little at a time until you have a thick but pourable drizzle consistency.
- Drizzle the cream cheese frosting generously over the warm focaccia. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
-
- Using parchment plus butter, oil, and nonstick spray helps this sticky swirl bread release cleanly.
-
- Try to keep the swirl filling away from the edges to avoid caramelized sugar sticking. This is where parchment paper shines, just in case you get close to the edges.
-
- Melt the swirl butter slightly for easy spreading. I don’t recommend melting the butter when doing the swirl within the dough. When doing the cinnamon sugar on the top part, I do recommend popping the cinnamon-butter mixture in the microwave for a few seconds (or heating gently on the stovetop without melting completely). It helps to spread on the top part of the dough without being too rough on it.
-
- Fold the dough like a letter, rotate, stretch, but don’t flip it over. Flipping it over can just increase the chance of it leaking on the bottom. I find that you can just leave the crease on the top and it all bakes together perfectly fine. Just try to give it a little pinch to make sure it stays together.
-
- If you’d like a simpler topping, make a basic vanilla glaze instead: whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 1–2 tbsp milk and 1/2 tsp vanilla.
- To substitute active dry yeast for the instant yeast, just proof it in the warm water with honey for 5–10 minutes until foamy before mixing in the discard and flour.
- Omit the yeast, if you prefer. If you’d rather not use commercial yeast in your sourdough discard cinnamon roll focaccia, let the dough rise 6–8 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge) until doubled.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This turned out amazing! Great way to use sourdough!
Thank you so much for the positive review, Anna! Your comment made my day. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Delicious sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia is so perfect for special breakfasts!
This came out wonderful!!!
Thank you so much for the positive review, LeAnn! Your note made my day, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!