Chocolate focaccia is the perfect combination of chewy focaccia and chocolatey brownies. It’s full of rich flavor thanks to olive oil and flaky sea salt. This easy dessert focaccia recipe is perfect for brunch and dessert!
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Chocolate focaccia might sound like unusual, but it’s a match made in heaven. Chocolate chip focaccia bread is the perfect balance of a savory bread and a rich chocolate dessert.
This chocolate focaccia recipe bridges the gap between dessert and bread. It’s perfect for brunch an afternoon snack and dessert!
For more yummy treats, try my tahini caramel slice, caramel popcorn, and condensed milk brownies.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Fluffy and gooey: The fluffy, airy texture and gooey pockets of melty chocolate chips are irresistible!
- Chocolatey: This dessert focaccia recipe is made with a whole cup of chocolate chips! It’s super chocolatey just like my chocolate zucchini bread recipe and chocolate chip coconut cookie bars.
- Easy to make: It’s made with a few basic steps and simple ingredients.
- Savory-sweet: The rich flavor from the olive oil with flaky sea salt and chocolate chips makes this a winner! For more delicious chocolate and olive oil recipes, try this recipe for mini chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies with olive oil!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes about some of the ingredients for chocolate focaccia bread.
- Warm water: Make sure to use warm water to dissolve the active dry yeast. I recommend using a cooking thermometer to double-check the temperature of the water if possible. It should be around 110°F.
- Active dry yeast: Use half a packet or 1 and 1/8 teaspoons of active dry yeast.
- Flaky and fine sea salt: I recommend fine sea salt in the dough and flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. For more delicious desserts with olive oil, try my olive oil pumpkin cake and lemon olive oil cake!
- Cocoa powder: I recommend dutch-process cocoa powder or natural unsweetened cocoa powder. Be sure to also try these chocolatey chocolate strawberry brownies!
- Chocolate chips: Use 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Cherries (optional): Cherries add extra sweet and juicy flavor. If you prefer not to add them, simply leave them out.
Substitutions & Variations
- Top with a handful of mini marshmallows! Add them when the focaccia is almost finished baking. Remove from oven, sprinkle some halved mini marshmallows on top. Return to oven for 1-2 more minutes until marshmallows start to puff up!
- Use chopped chocolate or chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle some chopped fresh rosemary on top before baking.
- You can use vegetable oil or melted butter in place of olive oil.
Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)– Stir together the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir again. Let stand til yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)– Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix on low until ingredients are incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down sides of bowl if needed to combine ingredients.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)– Increase to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes. A sticky, elastic dough should form. Add the chocolate chips and mix til just combined.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Brush a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Use a spatula to transfer dough to the oiled bowl. Lightly rub any oil around the edges over on top of the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set aside until the dough has doubled, 1 to 1½ hours.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)– Uncover the dough. Grease your hands with olive oil. Slide one hand under the edge of the dough then fold it into itself. Continue folding the dough into itself as you work around the edge of the bowl til you have a rough ball.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– Brush an 8 inch square pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place dough in the pan. Turn over to coat in the oil. Press the dough to the edges. Let dough relax and pull back from the edges then press it to the edges again. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set aside to rise til dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 425°F about 30 minutes into the rise.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Remove the plastic wrap then drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Grease your hands with olive oil. Now the fun part, use your fingers to make indentations or dimples across the surface of the dough. Press your fingers all the way through the dough to the pan. Top with the chopped cherries, if using, and sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)–Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn focaccia out of pan and allow to cool on the cooling rack for 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can use vegetable oil or melted butter.
Yes! You can easily double this recipe. Bake it in a 9×13 inch rectangular pan.
Focaccia is best enjoyed the day it’s made. Store focaccia in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Expert Tips
- Make sure yeast foams. If your yeast does not get foamy after five minutes, discard it and start again. Be sure to check the expiration date on the yeast. Also make sure to use warm water.
- Oil your hands. Focaccia dough is sticky. Generously oil your hands with olive oil to keep the dough from sticking to your hands.
- Temperature of room. The dough could take more or less time to double depending on the temperature of where it’s rising. The warmer dough, the faster it will rise.
- Use a nonstick pan. I prefer to bake this in an 8 inch nonstick aluminum pan.
- Slicing. Use a long serrated knife to slice this focaccia dessert!
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Chocolate Focaccia
Equipment
- stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup warm water 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1⅛ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided, plus more for your hands
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2½ tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping
- flaky sea salt optional but highly recommended
- ⅓ cup cherries pitted, halved or quartered, optional
Instructions
- Stir together the water and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir again. Let stand til yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. (If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast).
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix on low until ingredients are incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down sides of bowl if needed to combine ingredients. Next, increase the speed to medium. Mix for 5 minutes. A sticky, elastic dough should form and start sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chips and mix til just combined.
- Brush a large mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Use a spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl and to transfer it to the oiled bowl. Lightly rub any oil that's pooled around the edges of the dough over on top of the surface of the dough.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set aside until the dough has doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
- Brush an 8 inch square pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Uncover the dough. Grease your hands with olive oil. Slide one hand under the edge of the dough then fold it into itself. Continue folding the dough into itself as you work around the edge of the bowl til you have a rough ball that you can lift out of the bowl.
- Place the dough in the prepared pan. Turn over to coat in the oil. Use your hands to gently press the dough to the pan’s edges. Allow the dough to relax and pull back from the edges then press it to the edges again. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Set aside to rise for about 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 425°F about 30 minutes into the rise.
- Remove the plastic wrap then drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Grease your hands with olive oil and use your fingers to make indentations or dimples across the surface of the dough. Press your fingers all the way through the dough to the pan. Top with the chopped cherries, if using and sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Turn focaccia out of pan and allow to cool on the cooling rack for 10 minutes.
- Slice with a long serrated knife. Slice and enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Natalie
Hi Kim, I’m so sorry the sauce seized up. Unfortunately I don’t think there would’ve been a way to fix it after it seized up other than starting over. I’m sorry this happened especially after following the instructions exactly. My guess was that the sugar was not actually caramelized before you added the other ingredients. I haven’t heard of this happening with this recipe before, but I will add a temperature to the recipe as I know it’s not easy to identify the stage by color alone.