Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

Soft and chewy Cinnamon Roll Focaccia is the perfect breakfast treat or sweet snack made with basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. Finish with a drizzle of icing and enjoy with a cup of coffee or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This is one of those recipes that can double as both a breakfast and a dessert. Best of all, it can be prepped the night before and baked fresh in the morning. If you’re looking for more sweet bread recipes, you can also try my Cinnamon Twist Bread, Nutella Twist Bread, or any of my sweet rolls.

You can think of this recipe like lazy cinnamon rolls. All of the pieces are there—soft and chewy dough, cinnamon brown sugar filling, icing. But rather than having to roll out the dough, roll them up, and cut into individual portions this focaccia is just made into one giant piece.

Email This Recipe

Get a link to this recipe emailed so you can save it for later + get all the latest Carefree Kitchen recipes!

By submitting this form you consent to receive emails from The Carefree Kitchen

The dough itself is super simple to prep and doesn’t even need more than a single rise to get nice and fluffy. Drizzle with homemade icing and enjoy the warm, cozy, and delicious flavors for breakfast or even dessert.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s warm and cozy. Try and think of something more cozy in the morning than the smell of cinnamon sugar dough baking in the oven—it’s hard to beat! There’s something warm and comforting about it, even before you serve it.
You probably already have all of the ingredients. Every single ingredient that you need to make this recipe is likely already in your pantry or fridge, meaning you won’t need to make a special trip to the store or plan ahead if you want to make this for the weekend.
Make it the night before! Who doesn’t appreciate an easy make-ahead breakfast recipe? You can prepare the entire thing the night before, cover it up, and then pull it out the next morning while you preheat the oven.

Cinnamon focaccia cut into pieces on a cutting board.

Key Ingredients You Will Need

Cinnamon: just like with cinnamon rolls, you’ll use a good amount of cinnamon mixed with sugar to make the filling.
Brown Sugar: for the cinnamon roll mixture, brown sugar adds a deeper caramel flavor than regular granulated sugar.
Yeast: you will need active dry yeast for this recipe to help the dough rise. This is different from instant yeast and needs to be proofed before mixing the dough.
Flour: all-purpose flour is perfect for making the structure of the dough.
Powdered Sugar: to make icing, I always use powdered sugar rather than granulated because it doesn’t have any grittiness to it.
Cream: to thin down the icing, you will need heavy cream. Milk would also work.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

Make the cinnamon mixture. Melt together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then allow to cool.
Mix the dough. Mix the warm water, yeast, and sugar together and let sit until bubbly—about 5-10 minutes. Then, add the oil, salt, and most of the flour. Mix on low until combined, then add up to ¾ cup more flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Mix on low for 2 more minutes, then remove the dough from the bowl.

Focaccia dough spread into a baking dish covered with cinnamon sugar

Press the dough into a baking dish. Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish and press the dough into the bottom, poking your fingers to make indentations.
Add the cinnamon swirl. Spread about ¾ of the cinnamon mixture over the top of the focaccia dough, then fold the dough over itself and press it into the pan again. Sprinkle the rest over the top, then let the dough rise for about 30 minutes.

Focaccia dough after being folded and then covered with more cinnamon sugar filling.

Bake. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Ice the focaccia. Mix together the powdered sugar and cream until it’s smooth and drizzly. Once the focaccia has finished baking, remove it from the oven and immediately drizzle the icing over the top.

Icing in a bowl, being drizzled over the top of focaccia.

Recipe Notes

If your dough is resisting when you are trying to press it out into your baking dish, let it rest for a few minutes before trying again. Sometimes the gluten that you developed while mixing the dough just needs to relax a bit.
You can easily get a head start on this by making the entire thing the day before, covering, and storing in the fridge overnight. Just be sure to pull the baking dish out to room temperature while you preheat the oven. You don’t want to risk cracking a cold glass dish by putting it directly into a hot oven!
Feel free to create your own variations by adding raisins, using different baking spices, or even drizzling Nutella into the dough along with the cinnamon sugar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you freeze focaccia?

Yup! If it’s already been baked, wrap in foil, place in freezer bags, and store frozen for up to 3 months. You could also freeze the focaccia dough for up to 1 month, then thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

Does this need to be refrigerated?

You can either store this focaccia in the fridge or at room temperature. Either way, be sure to store either covered or in an airtight container. At room temperature it will take fresh for up to 2 days, but in the fridge you can store this for up to about 5 days.

Storage Instructions

Room Temperature: transfer focaccia to an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: if you want the focaccia to last a bit longer, you can also store it in an airtight container or freezer bags in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: store baked focaccia wrapped in plastic or in freezer bags in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge or countertop overnight.
To Reheat: for a single serving, you can reheat in the microwave until warm. Otherwise, transfer to a baking sheet or baking dish and warm in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.