This Fruit Mince Focaccia is what happens when Christmas baking meets my ongoing focaccia obsession. Is it breakfast? Is it dessert? Maybe it’s afternoon tea, or all of the above? I’m not totally sure how to classify it! Just imagine super fluffy bread with pockets of spiced fruit throughout, baked until golden. I finish it with a generous dusting of icing sugar, making it perfect for sharing at any time of day.

Focaccia is one of those versatile breads that happily moves between savoury and sweet. The base dough recipe and process barely change at all, whether I’m adding rosemary and sea salt, garlic and cheese, or a seasonal fruit topping. I generally reduce the salt, and use melted butter instead of olive oil but that’s it. Once you’ve nailed the process, you can make almost any flavour you like.

I love to make a no-knead dough (originally from Bon Appetit) that proves overnight in the fridge. If you’re brand new to baking focaccia, I’d recommend starting with this post. It goes into the ingredients and method in more detail. I’m always surprised at how quickly the dough comes together (especially with a dough whisk) and that you only need one round of stretch-and-folds, rather than multiple like many other recipes. Yes, it’s technically a two day process but the vast majority of that time is completely hands off. There’s a very high reward to effort ratio here, which I always appreciate.

The only part that’s a little different in this version is how the fruit mince is added. Instead of just dimpling it over the top, some of the filling is layered through the middle of the dough as well, so every slice gets a generous amount of spiced fruit goodness.

After completing the stretch-and-fold step, transfer the dough into a well-buttered baking dish and gently press out with your fingers. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of fruit mince to the top of the dough and spread into a roughly even layer, taking it almost to the edges. Fold one third of the dough in towards the center as if folding a letter. Add more fruit mince to the top. Finally, fold the remaining dough over the top, rotate the dough in the pan and flip seam side down. Leave it to rest for another 90 minutes to 2 hours before dimpling in even more fruit mince and baking. 

Keep an eye on the focaccia as it bakes, as fruit mince can burn quite quickly at higher oven temperatures. If you notice it browning too fast, simply lower the oven temperature slightly or loosely cover the top with foil. And if the fruit does catch a little (mine did!), I couldn’t really taste it, and a generous dusting of icing sugar hides a multitude of sins anyway.

How to serve Fruit Mince Focaccia

• Warm or at room temperature, cut into thick slabs
• Toasted under the grill with a little melted butter
• Drizzled with a generous amount of homemade custard
• Topped with mascarpone or whipped ricotta and a drizzle of honey
• With a cream cheese glaze, similar to a cinnamon roll

Add this to your Christmas recipe repertoire and serve it for breakfast, dessert, or transform the leftovers into an epic French toast situation on Boxing Day!

Related Post: Cheesy Garlic Bread Focaccia

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Fruit Mince Focaccia

This Fruit Mince Focaccia combines fluffy focaccia with spiced fruit mince for a festive bake that’s perfect for Christmas baking and sharing.

Course Afternoon Tea, Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword Bread & Yeast, Breakfast, Christmas

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Rising 12 hours

Total Time 13 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

Focaccia Dough

• 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active or instant dried yeast
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 625 g plain/all purpose flour (5 cups)
• 1/2 tablespoon cooking salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Butter, for greasing pan
• 25 g butter extra, melted
• Icing sugar, to serve

Fruit Mince

• 200 grams sultanas
• 100 grams dried cranberries
• 80 grams dates, de-seeded and chopped
• 80 grams dried apricots or peaches, finely chopped
• 150 grams brown sugar
• 1 apple, grated
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice, or mixed spice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger, fresh
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest
• 50 grams butter, melted
• 30 ml spiced rum (see note)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the water, yeast and honey. If you are using active dry yeast, let it sit for a few minutes to activate, until it starts to look foamy on top. If you are using instant dry yeast, you can skip the wait and move on to the next step.
2. Add the flour and salt and mix together with a spatula or wooden spoon until flour is incorporated and you have a shaggy dough.
3. In another large bowl, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl around the bowl to coat. Transfer the dough into this bowl and over with plastic wrap. Now you have two options – for a quick rise, leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours depending on the temperature. Or, place the bowl into the fridge to chill and rise for 8 hours, overnight, or up to 1 day. Either way the dough should be doubled in size and look very bubbly.
4. To make the fruit mince filling mixture, place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well to fully combine. Set aside for at least 30 minutes to infuse. You can make this days ahead and keep covered in the fridge if you like!
5. Butter your pan generously. I use a 23 x 32cm metal pan with straight sides.
6. Stretch and fold your dough either using wet hands or two forks. You want to pick up the dough from the edge and lift it towards the centre. Rotate your bowl and repeat 3 more times. I usually just do this once, however you can continue doing this 2 more times if you like.
7. Transfer the dough to the buttered pan and stretch out slightly with your fingers. Scatter 1 1/2 cups of the fruit mince over the dough, taking it close to the edges. Fold 1/3 of the dough in towards the center. Place another layer of fruit mince (about 1/2 cup or so) onto the surface this section. Fold the remaining dough in towards the center to enclose the filling. Rotate the dough in the pan and flip seam side down.
8. Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size again (this usually takes about 2 hours for me).
9. When the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 230°C (450°F).
10. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the focaccia dough and then scatter the remaining fruit mince over the top as evenly as possible. With damp hands, dimple the fruit mince into the dough. By this, I mean get your fingers into the dough, all the way to the bottom of the pan, to form deep holes. The dough may bubble up around the hole. Repeat until there are dimples and bubbles all over the dough.
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden, checking at the halfway point and rotating the pan. If the fruit mince is browning too quickly, turn the oven temperature down slightly or cover loosely with foil. When cooked, remove from the oven and cool in the pan for at least about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the pan carefully and place onto a wire rack or wooden board.
12. Dust with icing sugar and cut into slices. This focaccia is best on the day it’s made. It can be stored in an airtight container and placed into the oven for a few minutes to crisp back up.

Recipe Notes

You can use whisky, dessert wine or muscat in place of rum. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can use orange juice or black tea!