Black Forest Focaccia
This Black Forest Focaccia combines a rich chocolate focaccia bread with a homemade cherry filling and drizzle of vanilla icing. The chocolate focaccia has the addition of semi-sweet chocolate to the dough, which creates pockets of melted chocolate in each bite. The cherry filling is made with Troegs Mad Elf Beer, which has notes of cherry, honey, and hints of cinnamon clove and allspice. These flavors add depth to the sweet cherry filling, but you can also make the filling with just water, if you prefer. The focaccia is finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing.
Here is what you will love about this Black Forest Focaccia
- You can make this with either sourdough or focaccia, and both recipes are simple to make!
- You can make this Focaccia with the addition of Troegs Mad Elf beer, or without. Either way is delicious. The Troegs Mad Elf beer adds notes of cherry, honey, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and truly adds depth of flavor the the cherry filling. The alcohol burns off as you cook it on the stovetop. If you prefer to make it without the beer, you can just substitute water in place of it.
- This Black Forest Focaccia makes a delicious breakfast or brunch treat, but it can even be enjoyed as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream!
- This Black Forest Focaccia would make a great special breakfast during the Christmas/holiday season. But you can truly enjoy it any time you are just craving a delicious, rich chocolatey focaccia 🙂
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator the day before you plan to eat them.
FAQ
can i use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast?
Yes, you may use active dry yeast in place of the instant yeast in a one to one ratio. Just make sure you add the active dry yeast to the warm water. Whisk to combine, then allow the mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the surface of the mixture is frothy in appearance and you can smell the yeast.
How do I make sourdough starter?
I have a super easy sourdough starter recipe here. It is a no discard sourdough starter recipe and is great for beginners and experts alike.
What if my dough doesn’t get super puffy? Focaccia bread is known for it’s big air pockets.
Both the sourdough recipe and the yeast recipe included in this recipe have a high hydration dough. This means that there is a lot of water in proportion to the flour. This high amount of water allows for the dough to get big, bubbly air pockets.
In terms of the dough rising, the temperature of your house can make a huge difference. I notice a big difference in my dough rising temperatures during the winter time versus the summer time. During the winter, my dough rises much slower. The cooler environment as well as the lower humidity create an environment that isn’t as ideal for the dough to rise as during the summer.
You may have to add additional time for rising during the cooler winter months. Dough is one of those baking recipes that just takes time to get used to. Once you bake a few focaccia recipes and understand how your dough should look, you’ll begin to understand when the dough is just right. With that being said, I have found that the overnight rise for the sourdough recipe has been plenty long enough, even during the cooler winter months.
Here are some of my favorite focaccia recipes
Let me know what you thought!
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Black Forest Focaccia
- Total Time: 0 hours
Description
This Black Forest Focaccia combines a rich chocolate focaccia bread with a homemade cherry filling and drizzle of vanilla icing. The chocolate focaccia has the addition of semi-sweet chocolate to the dough, which creates pockets of melted chocolate in each bite. The cherry filling is made with Troegs Mad Elf Beer, which has notes of cherry, honey, and hints of cinnamon clove and allspice. These flavors add depth to the sweet cherry filling, but you can also make the filling with just water, if you prefer. The focaccia is finished with a drizzle of vanilla icing.
Ingredients
Sourdough
- 2 1/4 cups water, warmed to roughly 100F
- 1/2 cup active sourdough starter
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Yeast
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 1/4 cups water, warmed to 110F
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Cherry Filling
- 2 cups cherries, seed removed, cut in half
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup water or Troegs Mad Elf Beer
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1/2 cup water
Vanilla Icing
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. SOURDOUGH RECIPE (overnight): In a large bowl, add the sourdough starter, warm water, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, bread flour and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon or Danish dough hook until ingredients are fully combined. Cover the dough and allow to rest overnight (for 8-12 hours). You do not need to do any stretch and folds. The long rise time allows for the development of gluten and structure in the dough.
YEAST RECIPE (same day): In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all ingredients for dough. Knead on medium-low speed for 4 minutes. Transfer dough to a large greased bowl. Spray the top of the dough with nonstick cooking spray, then cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise for 1 ½ hours in a warm place.
2. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 9×13 inch pan. Tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Add the dough to the pan. Gently stretch the dough to mostly fit the size of the pan.
3. Sprinkle half of the chopped semi-sweet chocolate on top of the dough. Fold the dough in half, then gently stretch the dough out to fit the pan. Sprinkle the remaining chopped chocolate on top of the dough.
4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
5. When the dough is almost done rising, preheat oven to 425F.
6. When the dough is done rising, with oiled fingertips, deeply indent the dough all over.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 22-26 minutes. Remove from oven and allow focaccia to cool in pan on a wire cooling rack.
8. Make the cherry filling. In a small saucepan, add the cherries, granulated sugar, juice of lemon, Mad Elf beer, or water. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and ½ cup water. Add to the saucepan. Over medium heat, cook the cherry filling until thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
9. Make the vanilla icing. In a medium size bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, milk (or heavy cream), and vanilla extract until combined.
10. Use a butterknife to make random holes in the focaccia, twisting the knife in a circle. Pipe the cherry filling into the holes.
11. Drizzle the icing over the focaccia. Cut, serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30
- Rise Time: Yeast – 2 1/2 hours Sourdough – 9 hours
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Breakfast/Brunch
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
