Cinnamon Brain Focaccia for Halloween

Ingredients

• 229 g Flour
• 175 g Warm water
• 0.75 tsp Dry yeast
• 3 tbsp Olive oil (Additional oil may be used to lightly oil the bowl and/or hands.)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Sugar (For activating the yeast.)
• Butter (Softened; use generously to brush the shaped dough.)
• Sugar (For sprinkling over the buttered dough; use generously.)
• Ground cinnamon (Use generously for dusting.)
• Icing (Mix with the red-colored jam in a 1:1 ratio after baking.)
• Red-colored jam (Mix with the icing in a 1:1 ratio after baking.)

Steps

1. 1

   Mix the warm water, sugar, and dry yeast in a bowl. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, until it becomes foamy.

2. 2

   Add the flour, olive oil, and salt to the activated yeast mixture. Mix until combined.

3. 3

   Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 8–10 minutes on low speed with a mixer, or by hand. The finished dough should be soft, stretchy, and slightly tacky.

4. 4

   Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rest for 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Using wet or lightly oiled hands, stretch one side of the dough and fold it over itself. Repeat on all four sides.

6. 6

   Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, then repeat the folding process until it has been folded 3–4 times in total.

7. 7

   Roll the dough out to approximately ½ cm (¼ inch) thick.

8. 8

   Cut the rolled dough into strips approximately 3 cm (1¼ inches) wide.

9. 9

   Arrange the strips into brain-like squiggles, following the shape shown in the video.

10. 10

    Generously brush the shaped dough with softened butter.

11. 11

    Dust the buttered dough generously with ground cinnamon, then sprinkle it with sugar.

12. 12

    Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 30–40 minutes, or until golden brown.

13. 13

    After baking, mix the icing and red-colored jam in a 1:1 ratio.

14. 14

    Spread the icing-and-jam mixture generously over the baked bread.

Notes

The source does not specify exact quantities for the topping ingredients beyond the 1:1 icing-to-jam ratio, so add those toppings generously to taste. The recipe refers to shaping the dough according to the video; the precise brain pattern is not otherwise described.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• sweet bread
• baked
• Halloween
• vegetarian
• Italian-inspired
• yeast bread