American Bakery Fusion
Cinnamon Roll Swirl Sourdough Focaccia with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
All the gooey caramelized brown-sugar and Ceylon cinnamon bliss of overnight sourdough cinnamon rolls with zero rolling or slicing required: bubbly 80%-hydration focaccia laminated and dimpled with cinnamon-butter paste and drizzled warm with tangy maple-vanilla vegan cream cheese glaze.
The good part
Fermentation Science & Baker’s Notes
We bake sweet focaccia at 425°F rather than 450°F so the dark brown sugar in the dimples caramelizes into a chewy toffee crust without burning. For deeper fermentation diagnostics, Desired Dough Temperature math, and starter ratios, consult our How to Bake Enriched Vegan Sourdough and the master Vegan Sourdough & Wild Fermentation Pillar Hub.
Storage, Freezing & Refreshing
Store crusty artisan sourdough loaves cut-side down on a wooden board or inside a linen bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days (avoid sealed plastic bags, which trap moisture and soften the blistered crust). For longer storage, slice the cooled loaf completely, place parchment squares between slices, and freeze in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months; toast straight from frozen or refresh whole loaves in a 375°F oven for 8 minutes.
Nutrition, Digestibility & Swaps
A crowd-stopping weekend brunch centerpiece that feeds 12 people with half the active labor of rolled cinnamon buns. Want to adapt another family bakery recipe to 100% plant-based sourdough? Open our interactive Vegan Baking Converter.
Gather
Ingredients
- 500g (4 cups) unbleached bread flour
- 400g (1 2/3 cups) warm filtered water (80°F)
- 100g (scant 1/2 cup) active peaked sourdough levain
- 20g (1 1/2 tbsp) organic cane sugar or maple syrup (in dough)
- 10g (1 3/4 tsp) fine sea salt
- For the Cinnamon Swirl Paste: 85g (6 tbsp) melted vegan block butter + 110g (1/2 cup packed) dark brown sugar + 1 1/2 tbsp ground Ceylon cinnamon + 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For the Maple Cream Cheese Glaze: 115g (4 oz) softened vegan cream cheese + 60g (1/2 cup) powdered sugar + 2 tbsp pure maple syrup + 2 tbsp oat milk
Make
Method
- 01Mix & Fold Dough: Mix bread flour, water, levain, 20g sugar, and salt. Perform 3 sets of coil folds at 30-minute intervals, bulk fermenting at 78°F until risen by 60% (or refrigerate overnight after bulk).
- 02Laminate Half the Cinnamon Paste into Pan Transfer: Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Stretch the fermented dough gently on the counter, drizzle half of the cinnamon-brown-sugar paste over the surface, fold into thirds like a letter so ribbons of cinnamon run inside the crumb, and place in the pan.
- 03Final Proof & Dimple with Remaining Cinnamon Paste: Proof 2 to 2.5 hours until puffy and filling the pan. Spoon the remaining cinnamon-butter paste in pools over the top and dimple deeply with your fingers.
- 04Bake to Caramelized Perfection: Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 22 to 25 minutes until puffed, golden, and bubbling with brown-sugar caramel around the edges.
- 05Glaze Warm: Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then whisk the vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and oat milk smooth and ribbon generously over the warm dimples.
Keep cooking
Swaps, storage, and useful next steps.
A crowd-stopping weekend brunch centerpiece that feeds 12 people with half the active labor of rolled cinnamon buns.