Sweet Cherry Almond Focaccia
This sweet Focaccia recipe features the flavors of two relatives: cherries and almonds. It's an easy no-knead recipe, using just the bowl and baking pan (no counter work needed).
The Focaccia dough is sweetened with sugar and honey, and topped with frozen cherries, reserved cherry juice, melted butter and sugar (to add some yummy caramelization) and sliced almonds.
This makes a batch of 9 square slices in a 9x9in (22x22cm) pan.
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Ingredients
- 250 g Flour
- 175 ml Water warm
- .5 tsp Yeast Instant or Active Dry
- 65 g Sugar
- 30 g Honey
- .5 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Almond Extract optional
- 130 g Cherries zen, juice reserved
- 3 tbsp Butter Melted
- 30 g Sliced Almonds
- Granulated Sugar For topping
Instructions
- Mix flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate cup, mix the warm water, honey and almond extract if using.
- Add the water mixture to the flour mix and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until everything comes together. The dough will be sticky. Scrape the sides and let the dough rest covered for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, perform two sets of stretch and folds. Cover and rest.
- After 20 minutes, perform another two sets of stretch and folds, forming a tight ball. Cover and rest until doubled in size, about 1-1 ½ hours.
- Grease a 9×9in (22x22cm) high-edged pan with melted butter.
- Carefully lift your dough out of its bowl and place into the greased pan (don't knock too much air out).
- Gently stretch the dough to fit the pan and dimple it all over. Spread the cherries and press them in. Cover and rest about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit / 205 Celcius.
- Brush melted butter and some cherry juice (from frozen cherries) all over the dough. Sprinkle granulated sugar, then spread almonds. You can brush more melted butter and sprinkle more sugar if you like.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and eating.
Notes
Alternatives:
- Other Flours: I have not tested gluten-free flours. I'd expect slight changes in texture, but it will still be delicious!
- Cherries: I used frozen cherries, as I can get them any time of the year and they are more affordable. A great alternative is jarred cherries as you will also have some juice. Fresh cherries can also be used, but you'll have to skip the brushing of cherry juice step.
- Storing Sweet Cherry Almond Focaccia: Like most Focaccia, it is best enjoyed the same day. However, you can store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.