Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia Danish with Cream Cheese

October 1, 2025

Homemade blueberry sourdough focaccia Danish in a baking pan, topped with crumb streusel and powdered sugar glaze, with a serving on a plate and fresh blueberries on the side.

This Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia Danish with Cream Cheese is a unique way to combine the chewy crumb and crispy crust of focaccia with the sweet, creamy flavors of a Danish pastry. With minimal effort, some patience for fermentation, and a few pantry staples, you’ll have a bakery-worthy treat that’s sure to impress.

If you’ve been following my sourdough journey, you already know how much I love taking a classic recipe and giving it a farmhouse twist. Today, I’m sharing a recipe that might just be the best part of my baking experiments so far: Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia Danish with Cream Cheese.

Slice of blueberry sourdough focaccia Danish on a white plate, showing airy crumb, creamy cheese filling, and jammy blueberry swirl with crumb topping.

This recipe is the perfect marriage between simple sourdough focaccia bread and the sweet, jammy flavors of a Danish pastry. Imagine pillowy focaccia dough with an airy crumb, lightly sweetened with honey, folded around a juicy blueberry compote, and topped with pockets of creamy cheesecake filling. Once baked, it comes out golden brown, glossy, and irresistible. It’s part rustic Italian bread, part bakery-style dessert, and completely addicting.

The best part? It looks fancy, but it’s an easy recipe with minimal effort—no commercial yeast needed. All you need is an active sourdough starter, some good quality ingredients, and a little time to let the dough do its magic.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Bakery vibes at home – It tastes like you bought it at a coffee shop, but you made it in your kitchen.
Minimal effort, maximum payoff – This focaccia dough rises mostly on its own while you go about your day.
Unique flavor combination – Blueberries and cream cheese tucked into sourdough focaccia = Danish meets Italian bread.
Texture heaven – Crispy crust on the top of the dough, chewy crumb in the center, and jammy blueberries throughout.
Flexible – Serve it as a sweet breakfast treat, a brunch centerpiece, or even dessert.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Let’s break down what you’ll need to make this sourdough focaccia bread with a sweet Danish twist.

For the Dough

500 g bread flour – A higher protein content flour gives the best results for focaccia because it builds strong gluten structure. You can swap up to 20% with whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor.
100 g active sourdough starter – Make sure your starter is bubbly and recently fed. I fed mine at 9 AM, and by 12 PM it was doubled and ready to use. A strong, active starter ensures a good dough rise and that airy crumb we all love.
375 g warm filtered water – Temperature of your kitchen matters here; warmer water helps in cooler months.
30 g honey – Adds subtle sweetness and helps the crust bake golden brown.
15g melted butter– makes the dough easier to handle and prevents sticking to the sides of the bowl.
10 g salt – Fine sea salt or kosher salt both work. Salt strengthens the dough and balances flavor.

Cream Cheese Filling

225 g (8 oz) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
70 g (⅓ cup) sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional: zest of ½ lemon for brightness

Blueberry Compote

3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp water (slurry to thicken)
⅓ cup sugar

This makes a glossy, jam-like filling that sets nicely in the oven.

Crumb Topping

½ cup (65 g) flour (all- purpose flour works fine here)
¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon (optional but so good with blueberries)
¼ tsp fine sea salt
4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Powdered Sugar Glaze

1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
2–3 tbsp milk (start with 2, add more if you want a thinner drizzle)
½ tsp vanilla extract (optional)

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Tools You’ll Find Helpful

Large mixing bowl – My farmhouse favorite is this Mason Cash one (Amazon affiliate link).
Danish dough whisk – A great tool for mixing sticky dough with minimal effort.
Dough scraper – Perfect for lifting sticky dough off the sides of the bowl.
Stand mixer with dough hook attachment (optional) – Not required, but if you prefer less arm work, this makes kneading easier.
Sheet pan or 13-inch pan – A good quality baking pan ensures even baking.
Parchment paper – Prevents sticking (unless you’re using a nonstick baking tray).
Airtight container – For storing leftovers.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

This recipe is broken into three main stages: making the focaccia dough, preparing the fillings, and assembling/baking.

Step 1: Mix the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the starter, warm water, honey, and melted butter until combined.
Add the bread flour and salt, mixing with a wooden spoon or danish dough whisk until no dry flour remains. The dough will be wet and shaggy.
Cover the bowl with a shower cap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Hands holding up soft sourdough focaccia dough after a coil fold, showing smooth, elastic texture and gluten development.

Step 2: Coil Folds

Over the next 90 minutes, perform three sets of coil folds with 45-minute rests in between.

Wet your hands to prevent sticking.
Slide hands under the dough, gently lifting to create tension, then fold the dough back over itself.
Rotate the bowl and repeat until you’ve worked your way around.

This strengthens gluten structure, traps air, and creates that high hydration dough focaccia texture—crispy crust on top, chewy crumb in the middle.

Bowl of sourdough focaccia dough after bulk fermentation, risen tall and puffy, ready to be transferred to the baking pan.

Step 3: Bulk Fermentation

After the last fold, let the dough rest in a warm place for 6–8 hours, depending on the temperature of your kitchen. The dough should become airy and bubbly.

Cover the bowl and let it ferment until it has risen noticeably (about double in volume). This long time fermentation is what develops that complex sourdough flavor.

Step 4: Prepare the Pan

The next day, drizzle a good amount of oil into a sheet pan or cast iron skillet. I like to line mine with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Transfer the dough to the pan and stretch it gently to fit. Cover bowl or pan with plastic wrap and let it rest while you make the fillings.

Step 5: Make the Blueberry Compote

In a small saucepan, add blueberries, flour + water slurry, sugar, and lemon zest. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens slightly and the berries look glossy. Let it cool before using.

Make the crumb topping:

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
Drizzle in melted butter and mix with a fork until you have large, moist crumbs.
Chill in the fridge while you finish the final proof of the dough (this keeps the crumbs from melting too fast in the oven).

Step 6: Make the Cream Cheese Filling

Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and zest until smooth. Set aside.

Unbaked sourdough focaccia Danish in a white baking pan, with blueberry compote folded inside the dough and swirls of berry filling showing on top.

Step 7: Assemble the Focaccia Danish

Spread half of the blueberry compote over the dough.
Fold the dough up like an envelope to seal the compote inside. Flip it over, seam side down.
Gently stretch the dough again to fit the baking pan, working hands underneath to prevent tearing.
Spread the remaining blueberry compote on top.
Dollop the cream cheese filling in between the blueberry mixture.

Unbaked blueberry sourdough focaccia Danish in a white pan, topped with glossy blueberry compote and dollops of cream cheese filling before baking.

Step 8: Second Rise

Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm spot for 1–3 hours, until it’s puffed, airy, and super jiggly.

Sprinkle the crumb topping over the sourdough Focaccia Danish

Step 9: Bake

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the bottom of the pan looks crisp.
In a small bowl, whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Adjust consistency: add more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze, more milk for a thinner drizzle.
Once the focaccia has cooled slightly (about 15–20 minutes on a wire rack), drizzle the glaze right over the crumb topping. The crumb will soak in a little sweetness while still staying crunchy, and the glaze will give it that glossy Danish look
Let it cool on a wire rack before slicing—the cream cheese sets as it cools.

Freshly baked blueberry sourdough focaccia Danish in a white pan, topped with golden brown crumb streusel and jammy blueberry filling.

Tips for Best Results

High hydration dough: This dough will feel wet and sticky at first. Use wet hands and a dough scraper to make it easier to handle.
Temperature of your kitchen: A warmer kitchen speeds up fermentation, while a cooler kitchen will require a longer dough rise. Be patient—time is flavor.
Type of flour: Bread flour has higher protein content, which supports that airy crumb. All-purpose flour works, but won’t give quite the same structure.
Butter: Don’t skimp! A good quality butter adds depth of flavor and prevents sticking.
Toppings: Fresh rosemary or flaky sea salt can be sprinkled on the edges for a savory-sweet combo.

Storage & Make Ahead

Room temperature: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Fridge: Keeps up to 4 days—just reheat in a preheated oven for 5–10 minutes to restore the crispy crust.
Freezer: Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature and reheat before serving.

Serving Ideas

As a sweet breakfast treat with coffee.
As a brunch centerpiece alongside savory dishes.
As dessert, drizzled with a lemon glaze.
Next time, try swapping blueberries for blackberries, cherries, or peaches.

FAQs

Q: Can I make this with sourdough discard?
A: This recipe needs an active starter for the rise, but you can make a discard focaccia if you add a pinch of dry yeast.

Q: Can I skip the cream cheese?
A: Yes, but you’ll lose the Danish vibe. The cream cheese balances the sweet compote.

Q: Why is my dough so sticky?
A: This is a high hydration dough, so sticky dough is normal. Use wet hands, a dough scraper, and a little olive oil. Or you may need to perform a few more coil folds to build up the structure.

Q: Can I use commercial yeast?
A: Yes—use 2 tsp dry yeast instead of starter for a quicker rise, but you’ll miss out on the better flavor of sourdough.

Q: Can I bake this in a cast iron skillet?
A: Absolutely! Cast iron creates a beautifully crispy crust.