Il Cucinologo
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Sweet Focaccia

17/11/2023

Sweet focaccia is a leavened and sweetened variant of the more classic savory focaccia. Here is the simple recipe to prepare a soft and fragrant sweet focaccia.

Ingredients

  • 500 g Manitoba flour
  • 250 ml warm milk
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 70 g soft butter
  • 1 egg
  • 25 g fresh brewer’s yeast or 7 g dry brewer’s yeast
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon (untreated)
  • For the topping:
    • Brown sugar to taste
    • Butter to taste (about 30 g)
    • To flavor: vanilla or orange blossom water (optional)

Preparation

  1. Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in the warm milk with a teaspoon of sugar taken from the total. Let it rest for a few minutes until small bubbles form on the surface.
  2. In a large bowl, sift the flour and add the salt, the remaining sugar, the grated lemon zest and the egg. Mix to combine the dry ingredients.
  3. Add the milk with the dissolved yeast and start kneading. Once the dough begins to come together, add the soft butter in pieces and knead until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
  4. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place away from drafts until it doubles in volume, about 1-2 hours.
  5. Take a baking pan and grease it with a little butter, then pour the risen dough into the pan, gently spreading it with your hands to create an even surface.
  6. Let the focaccia rise again in the pan for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  7. Before baking, distribute small pieces of butter over the surface and sprinkle with plenty of brown sugar.
  8. Bake and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the surface turns golden.
  9. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving. If desired, you can add a special touch with a drizzle of honey or a dusting of powdered sugar.

Trivia

Sweet focaccia is a simple and versatile dessert that can be enjoyed for breakfast, soaked in milk or tea, or used as a base for other preparations, such as filled cakes. Often, in the Italian regions where it is most widespread, it is flavored with local ingredients, such as raisins, pine nuts or candied fruit, making each recipe unique!