Strawberry Streusel Focaccia Bread
An unconventional sweet and fluffy focaccia bread stuffed with strawberries.
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A pillow dessert focaccia stuffed with plenty of seasonal fruit that you can customize in endless ways. One of my favorite spring and summertime traditions here in Seattle is going to all the local farmer’s market. I’m always on the hunt for new recipes that will highlight the delicious, yet expensive produce. This recipe transforms a traditional Italian flatbread into a dessert. No baking cakes, just using a plain base to build something great out of. It makes so much sense and it’s about to become your new favorite dessert.
Who would have guessed that the soft and airy texture of bread would lend itself to a dessert. The fresh strawberry topping reminds me of a Danish pastry and the buttery cinnamon streusel reminds me of coffee cake. It’s truly a masterpiece and I didn’t even come up with the original idea. It will be in bakeries all over by the end of next year.
It’s easy to make, highly customizable with seasonal fruits, and perfect for impressing guests—or treatin’ yo’ self.
I first discovered this recipe with blueberries, so as a strawberry fanatic, naturally here’s my take! The best way to perfect a recipe as finicky as bread is to not overdo it with the toppings. Strawberries weigh MUCH heavier than blueberries, so it’s important to use more of the juice from strawberries rather the bulk of the actual strawberry over the bread. The lighter the dough is weighed down, the better the result.
Making focaccia bread is the big learning curve of this recipe. Bread is a hugely accomplishing recipe to master and you will always be learning when making. If this is your first bread, I would suggest (as a visual learner) tuning into one or multiple videos on YouTube.
Shameless entertaining focaccia bread plug:
This is an incredible dessert. I want to scream it from the rooftop. It’s another blueprint recipe for you to input YOUR favorite focaccia bread recipe, YOUR favorite fruit, a streusel topping, and royal glaze. My best tip for this recipe if you already understand the concept of making a focaccia bread and a fruit compote is just trust yourself. No heavy fruits to weigh the dough down, don’t overcomplicate with added layers of toppings, and have fun! You will love how it comes out!
Strawberry Streusel Focaccia Bread
Allergens: Gluten strawberries
Watch How It's Made
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For focaccia:
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the tray
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
For compote:
- 24 oz. frozen strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For streusel:
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (sub plant butter if vegan)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
For glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons half and half (sub milk alternative for vegan)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preparation
- Using the dough hook attachment in a stand mixer, mix all ingredients for the focaccia bread recipe together until a rough forms. (2 minutes)
- Increase the speed and mix the focaccia dough until it the dough doesn't stick to the sides or bottom. Remove to a greased bowl , cover in plastic, and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Make the strawberry compote by combining all ingredients in a large pot over medium-low heat. Stir and let the strawberries cook for 6 - 8 minutes or until they start to soften. Remove from heat and let cool. They will continue cooking.
- In a bowl, mix together the streusel topping until the butter is fully incorporated and the streusel is crumbly. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzly. You may need to add extra half and half to thin the glaze. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400º F and prepare a baking pan with olive oil.
- Add the proofed dough to the pan with half the cooled strawberry compote and fold the dough over the strawberries two times to mix the strawberries in.
- Cover the dough and let rise for another 30 minutes or until almost doubled in size.
- Dimple the dough with greased fingers and spoon the remaining compote into the dimples. Top with streusel topping and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden. The temperature should register at 190ºF.
- Let the focaccia cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to fully cool. Drizzle with glaze and let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
