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This chocolate cherry focaccia is soft, chewy, and lightly sweet with rosemary, dark chocolate, tart cherries, and a bright orange glaze. Made with either sourdough starter or instant yeast for an easy, flexible bake.
I know… chocolate, rosemary, cherries, AND orange glaze in a focaccia sounds like a lot going on 😅 But trust me on this one. The dough itself is chewy, airy, and deeply flavorful thanks to an overnight cold ferment. Then you get little pockets of melty chocolate, pops of tart cherries, and that subtle savory rosemary note that keeps everything from tasting too sweet. The orange glaze at the end just ties everything together.
It feels fancy, but it’s honestly super easy to make. I usually make it with my sourdough starter for that extra depth of flavor, but don’t worry — I included an instant yeast option too, so you can bake this anytime without planning. I love this for breakfast with coffee, an afternoon snack, or when I want something a little special (hello Valentine’s Day or brunch board moment). It’s kind of like the grown-up version of chocolate bread.
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
The overnight cold retard gives the focaccia incredible flavor and chew with very little extra work
Sweet, savory, and tart flavors balance each other beautifully (not overly sweet at all)
The dough is soft, airy, and super easy to handle
Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert
Make it in different pans — square, loaf, or one big sheet
Feels special and bakery-worthy but uses simple pantry ingredients
Ingredients and Substitutions
Bread flour: high protein gives a better chew and airy texture. I don’t recommend using all-purpose flour
Active sourdough starter: I use 100% hydration sourdough starter
Instant yeast: You can use active dry yeast too, but make sure you bloom it with a bit of water before mixing it into the dough
Honey: you can also use sugar or maple syrup
Oil: any neutral-tasting oil
Salt: I use fine sea salt
Dried tart cherries: you can also use any dried fruits like dried cranberries, raisins, or dried apricots, etc
Fresh rosemary: I don’t recommend using dried. Fresh really gives an incredible aroma
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can also use dark chocolate bar, just chop it into smaller pieces
Powdered sugar: I don’t recommend any substitution
Orange juice: Freshly squeezed or bottled is fine (preferably no sugar added)
What to Serve This With
Coffee or cappuccino
Hot tea or Earl Grey
Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast
Cheese board (brie or goat cheese is amazing with this)
Toast it on a pan and slab some salted butter (yum!!)
Storage & Reheating
Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days
Freeze slices tightly wrapped for up to 2 months
Reheat in toaster oven or 350°F oven for 5–7 minutes to refresh texture
Frequently Asked Questions
Does chocolate melt too much in focaccia? No. It softens and creates little gooey pockets without making the bread soggy.
Can I skip the rosemary? Yes, but it adds a subtle savory balance that makes the flavors pop.
Can I make this sweeter? Add more glaze or sprinkle sugar (turbinado sugar for texture) on top before baking.
Can I use yeast instead of sourdough starter? Yes, I include recipes for both sourdough version and using instant yeast version
Can I bake it in one big pan? Absolutely. A 9×13-inch pan works great. The baking time remains the same
Chocolate Cherry Focaccia with Rosemary and Orange Glaze
Prep 10 minutesmins
Cook 30 minutesmins
Proof the dough twice and cold retard: 14 hourshrs
This recipe can make one 8 x 8 inch thick focaccia and one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf (or use 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, but it will be shorter) OR two 8 x 8 inch thick focaccia, OR one 9 x 13 inch thick focaccia, OR one half-sheet pan thin focaccia
Soak the cherries: (do this the day before you plan to bake)
I used dried tart cherries. Place them in a bowl and add some gold or dark rum to cover the cherries. Cover and let them soak overnight. You can just use warm water and let them soak overnight
Prepare the dough:
Place all ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Give it a stir to roughly moisten the flour so it won't fly all over the place when you start the machine.
Mix on the lowest speed for 1 minute to combine everything and then increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough sort of wrap around the beater and clear the sides of the bowl, still sticky, but very elastic. This shows that the gluten has well-developed
I divide the dough into two and place in two separate container that I have oiled lightly. Cover and let them proof at a warm place, about 78-80 F (26-27 C). They should double in volume. This takes about 3 hours or so if you use sourdough starter and about 1 – 1 1/2 hours if you use instant yeast
Rub some oil on the surface of the dough to prevent it from drying out. Cover and put this inside the fridge overnight. It won't rise much anymore after this
Shaping:
Drain the cherries and gently squeeze out any excess liquid
Oil your baking pan and line with parchment paper. Oil the parchment paper on all sides as well
Oil your work surface and tip the dough out. Oil your hands and gently press the dough out into a rectangle.
Spread 1/4 of the chocolate chips, 1/4 of rosemary, and 1/4 of the soaked cherries (I forgot to include the cherries in this step-by-step photo) on the center of the rectangle.
Fold 1/3 of the dough over to cover and then spread another 1/4 of chocolate chips, 1/4 of rosemary, and 1/4 of soaked cherries on top.
Fold the other 1/3 of the dough over
Fold the top of the dough down into 1/3 and then fold the bottom over.
Flip over and put inside the 8 x 8 inch pan or 9 x13 inch pan (if you are making one large focaccia). Let it rest for 5 minutes and then use your fingers to gently coax the dough to cover the pan corner to corner. If the dough resists, give it a rest and then do it again
For the loaf pan, it's the same shaping method. Put inside the prepared pan and gently push the dough to fill up the loaf pan
Second proofing:
Let the dough proof at a warm place until they are really puffy and double in volume. This take about 2-3 hours at 78-80 F for sourdough starter and about 45 minutes to 1 hour if you use instant yeast
Dimple the dough:
30 minutes before the end of proofing time, preheat the oven to 430 F (220 C)
When the dough is done proofing and the oven is already preheating, Drizzle the surface of the dough with oil, then oil your fingers and then gently dimple the dough with your fingers, pushing all the way in. Try not to deflate the dough in the process. Because I forgot to include the cherries during shaping, I have put the cherries on top of the dough and then dimple the dough
Since I have some Oreo crumbs leftover, I sprinkled some on one of the dough and include some white chocolate chips for contrast. It's just a last minute decision LOL!
Do the same thing with the dough in a loaf pan. With the loaf pan, I dimple the dough more gently by using just one or two fingers, instead of all ten fingers
Baking:
Once the dough has been dimpled, it needs to be baked immediately. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown or the internal temperature is 200 F. If you use a half-sheet pan, in which the focaccia is thinner, bake for 23-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown or internal temp is 200 F.
Cool down:
Remove from the oven and immediately remove the focaccia from the pan by grabbing on the parchment paper and place on a cooling rack. Then use a metal offset spatula to loosen the bottom and remove the parchment paper. This is to keep the bottom of the focaccia from getting soggy
Prepare the glaze and serve:
Combine the powdered sugar with orange juice. You want the consistency to be thick but still pipeable. Only prepare this while the focaccia is cooling down a bit
Pipe the glaze on the surface of the focaccia. This is not a whole lot of glaze because I don't like it with too much glaze. If you prefer a generous glaze, you can double or triple the recipe for glaze
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Cherry Focaccia with Rosemary and Orange Glaze
Serving Size
1 serving
Amount per Serving
Calories
235
% Daily Value*
Fat
4
g
6
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
0.3
mg
0
%
Sodium
262
mg
11
%
Potassium
82
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
44
g
15
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
11
g
12
%
Protein
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
15
IU
0
%
Vitamin C
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
13
mg
1
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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