I have been dreaming of creating sweeter focaccia for a while now but felt a little stumped. But, my answer came when I was at the store and saw the figs currently in season, I knew exactly what I needed to do. Figs seemed like the perfect segue into the sweeter side of this bread. As a nod to traditional focaccia, I added the rosemary and some flaked salt, and I am so happy that I did.

The best way I can describe this bread is warm. The flavors make me think of fall, and it is just slightly sweet, and the pop of the lemon is exciting and complementary to the fig and rosemary. I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it would be with a cup of tea/coffee in the morning, or dare I say, with a creamy pumpkin soup.

Ingredients

120g of active sourdough starter

30g molasses (or honey/maple syrup)

375g warm water

1 tbsp olive oil (for the dough, but you will need more for the pan)

8g of salt

3g cinnamon

400g all-purpose flour (bread flour adds extra chew, so I prefer to use all-purpose)

50g whole wheat flour

Toppings

3-4 figs

1 sprig rosemary

1 lemon sliced as thinly as you can (or use lemon zest)

¼ cup pearl sugar, or use coarse sugar

Flaked salt

Optional: Honey to drizzle on after baking

Other toppings that would be good:

Nuts (pistachios, sliced almonds, walnuts)

Berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries)

Thinly sliced apple (I can’t wait to try this with apple and caramel drizzle)

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, molasses, water, sourdough starter, and salt. Mix until the starter is mixed throughout the water (it won’t be completely dissolved, and that is okay).
Add the flour and mix until combined. Cover and let the mixture sit for about 4 hours, doing a stretch and fold 4 times every 30 minutes for the first 2 hours.
Transfer the dough to an oiled pan (8 x 11) or cookie sheet. Pull the dough towards the corners of the pan.
Let it sit for 30 minutes and then cover and put the dough in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, pull the dough out of the fridge and warm up for a couple of hours until it doubles in size.
Preheat the oven to 450º.
Lightly wet your fingers and press your fingers into the dough. Sprinkle the dough with toppings.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes before putting on a cooling rack to continue cooling. Add a drizzle of honey if you like.