Cinnamon Roll Focaccia

Maple season 2023 ended Saturday with the last boil. The sap had been running watery for a week — the tree's announcement that it's done, that the season has completed. Final inventory: three gallons of light amber, three of medium, one of dark. Excellent total volume. The best season in years. I cleaned the sugar house over two days, the spring cleaning that closes every maple season, and laid the drop cloths over the boiler. Done until next March.

The pea seeds are in the ground along the fence. First planting of 2023, the annual bet on the season, the seeds going into cold soil with confidence that the season will catch up to them. I've been making this bet for forty-one years now. The odds are reliable. The peas always come up.

Sarah and the boys are arriving on Sunday for the week. Finn has been told that the maple season has just ended, which he received with five-year-old disappointment before Sarah reminded him that seven-year-olds don't receive bad news, they receive adjustments to plans. He wants to see the sugar house regardless of whether it's running. He'll see it. I left the drop cloths off one piece of equipment so he can see what the boiler looks like. Let him touch it if he wants. That's how you learn what a thing is.

Sunday’s arrival gave me a reason to bake something worth the occasion — seven gallons was the best finish we’ve had in years, and Finn deserved something that smelled like the sugar house even if the fire was out. I pulled from the dark amber for the glaze on this cinnamon roll focaccia, and it was exactly right: the kind of thing you set in the middle of the table and let people tear into without ceremony, which is the only way to welcome family after a long season.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 45 min (includes rise) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
Maple Glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp pure maple syrup (dark amber recommended)
1 tbsp milk or cream
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Activate the yeast. In a large bowl, combine warm water, granulated sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit 5–7 minutes until foamy.
Make the dough. Add 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the salt to the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
First rise. Coat the dough lightly with olive oil, return to the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Prepare the pan. Drizzle the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil into a 9x13-inch baking pan and spread to coat the bottom. Punch down the risen dough and press it into the pan, stretching it to the edges. If it springs back, let it rest 5 minutes and press again.
Add the cinnamon filling. In a small bowl, mix softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a paste. Drop spoonfuls evenly across the dough surface, then use your fingertips to dimple the dough deeply all over, pressing the filling in as you go. Swirl gently with a butter knife to distribute.
Second rise. Cover loosely and let the shaped dough rest 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 22–25 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are set and pulling away slightly from the pan. The cinnamon filling will bubble. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before glazing.
Make the maple glaze. Whisk together powdered sugar, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla until smooth and pourable. Drizzle generously over the warm focaccia.
Serve. Tear and pull directly from the pan while still warm. Best eaten the day it’s made.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cinnamon Roll Focaccia — The Last Boil, the First Bake