Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Focaccia Bread (Easy & Long-Fermented Recipe)
There’s something magical about pulling a sheet pan of warm focaccia out of the oven. The crisp golden edges, the soft squishy center, and the aroma of fresh bread filling the kitchen make it one of my favorite recipes to bake year-round. I love incorporating toppings as well, which is why this cranberry walnut sourdough focaccia bread does not disappoint. You’d think of this more as a fall or winter staple, but I actually have multiple customers who ask for it in the spring and summer too!
While traditional focaccia is often savory, this Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Focaccia takes a slightly sweeter approach. Tart dried cranberries, crunchy walnuts, cinnamon, fragrant clove, and sweet orange create a loaf that’s perfect alongside a cup of coffee, for a cozy brunch, or even served as a simple dessert. I especially love it hot slathered in butter.
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Because it’s naturally leavened with sourdough starter, the dough develops incredible flavor without requiring any commercial yeast. Even better, you have the option to long-ferment the dough in the refrigerator for several days, allowing the sourdough cultures to continue breaking down the flour for improved flavor and digestibility. If you’ve only ever made savory focaccia, prepare to discover a new favorite.
How I Like to Serve Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Focaccia Bread
This recipe has become one of my favorite recipes during the week because it is so easy to make and is a welcome change from savory focaccia. Enjoy it:
- Warm with butter
- Dusted with powdered sugar for a tea party
- Toasted the next morning for breakfast
- Alongside coffee or tea
- As part of a holiday brunch
- With whipped honey butter
- With cream cheese and jam
- As a simple dessert with vanilla ice cream
- On a charcuterie board with cheeses and fruit
- Leftovers also make excellent French toast
The warm spices make your entire home smell like fall, but honestly, I bake this recipe throughout the year.
The Best Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Focaccia Bread
Equipment
- Rimmed sheet pan or non-stick rectangular pan (9×13-inch or 10×14-inch)
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 50 g bubbly active sourdough starter
- 350 g water
- 25 g honey
- 500 g bread flour or all purpose flour
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil to coat the pan
- 2-3 tbsp cinnamon
- 1-2 tsp ground clove
- 5 drops orange essential oil or orange extract
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2-3 tbsp organic cane sugar to sprinkle on top
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil to use on the pan
Instructions
- Feed your starter: about 3-4 hours before starting your dough, add equal parts flour and water to your starter with a clean fork. Cover and let rest for a couple of hours until it’s bubbling and doubled in size.
- Make the Dough: whisk the sourdough starter, water and honey together in a large bowl. Add the flour and salt. Add in the cinnamon, clove, orange essential oil, walnuts, and cranberries. Mix to combine and then finish by hand to form a rough dough. It will be wet and sticky. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Timing is flexible here. Then do the stretch and fold method the same way you would for the sourdough bread loaf (4 times over a period of 2 hours aka once every 30 minutes 4 times).
- Bulk Rise: Cover the bowl of dough with an airtight lid or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for about 6-10 hours (if your house is colder than 65 degrees F, it may take up to 12 hours). The dough will double in size when ready. Note: if the weather is warmer than 70 F (20-21 C) the dough will rise faster than 8 hours. Please adjust your timeframes accordingly.
- At this point you have two options: 1) bake the focaccia the same day, or 2) long-ferment the dough to help break down the phytic acid and gluten in the flour even more.
- If you are long-fermenting your dough- After the bulk rise: take a dough scraper or your hands and fold the dough into a ball, keeping it in the bowl, but removing any air bubbles/pockets so that it looks like one lump of dough again. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap or an airtight lid, and let the dough sit in the fridge for up to 3 days (sometimes 4 or 5 is ok). On the day you are ready to bake your focaccia bread, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, and add 2-3 tbsp olive oil in the middle. Take your dough out of the fridge and shape the dough into a ball, placing it in the middle of the olive oil. Follow the rest of the instructions below. If you want to bake it right away, then follow the instructions below immediately after the bulk rise.
- On Bake Day: Pour 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil onto a rimmed sheet pan that is covered in parchment paper.
- Final Rise: With your oiled hands, remove the dough from the bowl onto the pan, shaping it into a loose ball as you go and placing it onto the olive oil. Stretch your dough out gently. Let rest for 10 minutes, then stretch it out again until it reaches the desired shape and size. Let rest for 2-3 hours at room temperature on the countertop until it has risen and is bubbling slightly.
- Preheat your oven to 425 F (220 C).
- Assemble the focaccia: Gently dimple the dough with oiled fingertips. As you dimple, the dough will naturally stretch outwards as well.
- Add Focaccia Toppings: sprinkle the top of your dough with sugar or cinnamon sugar.
- Bake the Focaccia: Place the dough onto the center rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting. Enjoy!
My Favorite Time-Saving Trick
Here’s a little baking shortcut that saves me time nearly every week.
The ingredient ratios for this focaccia are almost identical to my long-fermented artisan sourdough bread recipe (with the addition of a little more honey. Rather than making separate batches of dough, I simply double the recipe.
After the overnight bulk fermentation, I divide the dough in half.
One half becomes a cranberry walnut rustic artisan sourdough loaf.
The second half stays in the bowl and goes into the refrigerator for several days until I’m ready to bake fresh focaccia.
It gives me two completely different styles of breads from one batch of dough, making homemade sourdough much easier to fit into a busy week.
Storage
Store the cooled focaccia in an airtight container or wrapped well at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze individual slices in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Simply thaw and warm in a toaster oven or conventional oven before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of relying on commercial yeast for a quick rise, wild yeast and beneficial bacteria slowly ferment the dough over many hours. During this time, they begin breaking down portions of the starches and phytic acid naturally found in wheat.
Many people find that properly fermented sourdough is easier to digest than conventional bread. While everyone’s body is different, the extended fermentation creates a bread with deeper flavor, improved texture, and a more complex nutritional profile.
For this recipe, you can bake the focaccia immediately after the bulk rise, or refrigerate it for several days before baking. I almost always choose the second option because the flavor continues to develop beautifully and it develops even more health benefits
Absolutely. Orange extract works wonderfully, or you can simply add the zest of one orange for fresh citrus flavor.
Yes. Three days generally gives the best balance of flavor and structure, but four or even five days often works well depending on your refrigerator temperature and the strength of your starter.
I recommend dried cranberries for this recipe. Fresh cranberries release much more moisture and can make the crumb gummy.
Not at all. It’s lightly sweet with warm spices, making it ideal for breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea rather than tasting like cake.
No. This dough comes together easily by hand using stretch-and-folds, making it a wonderful recipe for beginner sourdough bakers.
Final Thoughts about Cranberry Walnut Sourdough
One of the things I love most about sourdough is how incredibly versatile it is. With just a few simple ingredients, you can transform a basic loaf into something completely different.
This Cranberry Walnut Sourdough Focaccia has become one of those recipes I find myself returning to every season. It’s rustic enough for everyday baking, yet beautiful enough to serve during the holidays or when friends gather around the table.
If you’re looking for a new way to use your sourdough starter, this recipe is one you’ll want to bake again and again. The crisp olive oil crust, soft interior, warm spices, tart cranberries, and crunchy walnuts come together to create a focaccia that’s every bit as comforting as it is delicious.
