Apple Fritter Focaccia

April 5, 2025
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Focaccia is fabulous. It’s pillowy, buttery and so easy to customize. You can bake it up in a cast iron skillet, transform it into holiday stuffing and today, I am combining everything we love about apple fritters with my favorite no-knead focaccia dough.

It’s sweet, airy, comforting and perfect as a breakfast, a treat with coffee, an afternoon snack or dessert. This combination is something you are going to want to bake for yourself… and soon.

Let’s get started…

This focaccia dough comes together in about 2 minutes and it requires no kneading, folding or special equipment. The first proof is done in your refrigerator, so this is a great dough to mix up the night before and let it chill until you are ready to bake.

In a large bowl, combine 385 grams of bread flour (which is about 3 cups, spooned and leveled) with a teaspoon of salt and 7 grams of instant yeast (or a 1/4 ounce envelope).

Add 1 1/2 cups of warm apple juice or apple cider and mix until you see no dry ingredients unincorporated. The liquid should not be hot, just warm (approximately 90-100 degrees).

Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the dough and use your hands to gently spread it over the entire surface of the dough.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours or up to 48 hours. This is a great dough to mix the night before and have it ready to tomorrows dessert.

The dough should double in volume overnight.

Brush 2 tablespoons of melted butter all over the interior of a 9″ or 10″ round or square deep baking dish.

Transfer the dough into the buttered baking dish and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let it rest in a warm place for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until it doubles in volume.

While the dough is taking a nice warm nap, peel and dice 2 large apples. Add them into a bowl along with 6 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Set the apples aside until your dough is ready to go.

Once the dough is all puffy and full of beautiful air bubbles, spoon the apple mixture evenly over the surface of the dough and use clean fingers to dimple your focaccia dough.

If this is your first focaccia, this dough needs to be dimpled, which simple means that you need to push your fingers into the dough all over. This will help to work out the really big air bubbles and will work some of the apples down into the dough.

Right before you slide your focaccia into the oven, sprinkle some coarse sugar over the top to add a bit of crunch.

Bake your apple fritter focaccia in a 425 degree oven for 28-32 minutes or until it is golden brown and feels set to the touch.

Notes: Be careful when touching the dough to check for doneness because those apples get really hot as they bake! I also like placing the baking rack right below center to help bring the top of this bread away from the top heating elements in your oven.

Once your focaccia is fully baked, transfer the baking dish onto a cooling rack or cutting board and let it cool a bit while you whisk your vanilla glaze.

In a small bowl, combine a cup of sifted confectioners sugar (sifted, if you want to prevent lumps) with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and about 2 tablespoons of milk. You want a good drizzling consistency.

While the focaccia is still warm, drizzle your vanilla glaze all over it and let it cool until the glaze sets up.

This entire loaf is fantastic.

The underside is caramelized and crisp from both the butter that we spread in the baking dish earlier and the bits of brown sugar that worked their way down during the dimpling process.

The crumb in this loaf tender, airy and super moist from all of the apple juices, brown sugar and butter.

The top layer is full of beautifully sweet apples, little bits of crunch from the coarse sugar and that crackly doughnut style glaze that brings all of those apple fritter vibes.

This apple fritter focaccia is delicious and whether you bake it up for Easter brunch or to celebrate apple picking season in the fall, this is a recipe that you are going to be so happy you tried.

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