To start making cinnamon sugar focaccia bread, first make the sponge. To do this, put warm water and sugar in a small bowl, sprinkle with yeast and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Add flour and stir to form a soft dough. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a plate and let sit until bubbly and the quantity seems to have doubled. This takes approximately 45 minutes.
Next, make the dough. To do this, stir the yeast in warm water in a large mixing bowl, add the olive oil and stir the sponge.
If you are making the dough by hand, add sugar and salt to the mixture and stir. Now add the flour in three batches and mix well until a dough starts to form.
Place the dough on a clean kitchen counter and knead well for 10 minutes to form a pliable dough.
Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to make the dough. Using a paddle attachment, mix together the sugar, salt, and yeast mixture with 1 cup of flour. After mixing, add the remaining dough, switch to the dough hook and knead for 4-5 minutes.
Once the dough is done, grease a large mixing bowl, place the dough in it, and roll so the dough is coated with oil. Then cover with a wet kitchen towel and ferment until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
While the dough is rising, soak the raisins in rum or orange juice and set aside.
When the dough has doubled in size, divide it into thirds.
Use a rolling pin to roll it out to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness. You can bake them with the bread on parchment paper or a pizza stone, or transfer them to a round cake tin. Cover the divided dough with a wet kitchen towel and ferment again for 30 minutes.
While the bread dough is rising, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
When the bread is ready to bake, place the cranberries and raisins on top and press slightly, then drizzle the remaining rum/orange syrup over the top and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
Bake the bread for about 15-18 minutes until lightly browned.
You can store this wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but it's best eaten the same day.
Serve Cinnamon Sugar Focaccia Warning as an after-school snack or tea-time snack Masala Chai.
