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I was at a restaurant for brunch this past weekend and had a pastry basket that included, among other things, a dried fruit focaccia. It was much lighter than a typical, savory focaccia, almost like a yeasted cake. The top was glazed with what tasted like honey and some sliced almonds.

My question is, when I try to duplicate the dish for an upcoming brunch I'm hosting, how do I handle the glaze? It seemed like it would have been added before the baking, but if that is even accurate, would I have to dilute the honey with water before brushing it on? Or am I crazy and this would only work if applied after baking. I certainly don't want the sugars to burn during baking.

JShweky
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2 Answers2

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I would simply add it near the end baking. If you add it at the beginning it will almost certainly burn, as you said. Pop it on 5 minutes or so before you need to take the bread out and the honey will have a chance to 'bed in' and the almonds will toast a little (if that's what you want).

ElendilTheTall
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  • Excellent I'll give this a shot. But would you use pure honey or would you dilute it / heat it up to make it thinner before applying? – JShweky Nov 16 '15 at 16:29
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    @JShweky Depends on how much sweetness you want (you tasted the bread). Pure honey will be very sweet and sticky. I suggest at least warming the honey to make it easily spreadable. – Stephie Nov 16 '15 at 16:35
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I would not use water. I would mix the honey and almonds with some butter. If you were going to bake at 350F or lower, you could brush on before baking. Focaccia is typically baked at significantly higher temperature and the honey and almonds would surely get too dark. There is a honey glaze on these dinner rolls. You could add the almonds and glaze during the last couple of minutes of baking, just keep an eye on the almonds so they don't get too dark.

Debbie M.
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