In June last year, I discovered both savory and sweet focaccia (fuh-KA-cha) bread for the first time. It was then that, I shared my savory recipe with you—the results were great. I have made it twice now, with good success each time since.

But during my research for that recipe, I found that some focaccias are sweet, not savory. So I did a Google search and I stumbled on Swathi’s Chocolate Skillet Focaccia and her video

She described her recipe this way:

“If you are looking for a simple less sugary dessert for your July 4th celebration here it is. It is made with sourdough and cocoa powder and chocolate chips.  Delicious dessert or breakfast dish, when you add frosting and berries it becomes Red, white and blue dish. It is far better than any dessert or breakfast dish loaded with sugar.  Get ready for Chocolate Skillet Focaccia with cream cheese frosting and berries.”

Swathi Ambujom Saraswathy

Seeing her end results caused me to recall my Pampered Chef Consultant days when I made this Stars and Stripes dessert cookie pizza (see image to the right).

While the base of this dessert pizza is a sweet sugar cookie, it seemed to me to be a simple remake as this sweet focaccia.

So I combined both ideas to make my own recipe for Independence Day in the recipe below. Just make this sweet focaccia then decorate it for the holiday of choice. Her own video works for our Independence Day celebration, but I love making it look like the US Flag.

Sweet Focaccia for the 4th of July

Serving Size:
8-10
Time:
24 hours
Difficulty:
Moderate

Sweet Focaccia Bread Dough Ingredients

  • 2 rounded cups (250g) flour
  • ⅛ cup (10 g) dark cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp (2.5g) Real Salt
  • ⅛ cup (25g) active starter
  • 1⅓ cups  (200g) water
  • ½ tbsp (10g) honey
  • ½ tsp (2.5g) pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup (45g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus extra as needed)

Directions

  1. The day before baking, mix the starter with the water and vanilla.
  2. Then stir in the honey until dissolved.
  3. In another bowl mix the salt, flour, and cocoa.
  4. Once combined, mix the dry and wet ingredients by hand to form a rough, shaggy ball.
  5. Cover the bowl to rest for half an hour.
  6. After the dough has rested, add most of the chocolate chips to the bowl.
  7. Then stretch and fold them into the dough for a few minutes.
  8. Cover the bowl for an overnight bulk rise at room temperature, 70°F (21°C).
  9. In the morning melt the butter in a 10-inch (25cm) cast-iron skillet coating the surfaces of the pan.
  10. Cool this down a bit, then add the dough, flipping it all sides to coat the dough in butter.
  11. Let this rest covered for another hour until it has nearly doubled in size.
  12. Preheat your oven to 450°F (232°C)
  13. Dimple and stretch the dough gently until it reaches the edges of the skillet
  14. Sprinkle the top with a small handful of the extra chocolate chips and push them into the dough.
  15. Bake the bread for 25–28 minutes at to 450°F (232°C).
  16. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
  17. Transfer to a cooling rack

Cream Cheese Frosting and Fruit Toppings Ingredients

  • 4 oz  (115g) cream cheese at room temperature
  • ⅓  cup (80g ) powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp (1.25g) vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp (30g) lemon juice
  • Blueberries
  • Sliced strawberries

Directions

  1. To make the cream cheese frosting,  add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl; beat well.
  2. Spread the frosting on the cooled focaccia.
  3. Then arrange sliced strawberries and blueberries like this:

Swathi’s recipe is based on one from Emilie Raffia’s Artisan Sourdough Made Simple. Sadly the cream cheese on hand was moldy, so I substituted it with some whipped cream. I have included her recipe for cream cheese frosting, which I would have used if I had had cream cheese. Also, I cut the recipe in half since my cast-iron skillet is only a 10-inch (25.5cm) one.

Tell us what you baked for Independence Day in the comment section below.