Handmade Stuffed Braided Bread
I love trying new ideas to make appetizers to impress my guests. This time I have to say that I nailed it!
This braided bread is soft and rich in flavour. It requires a bit of patience to make the bread dough but trust me, it will definitely worth it! Everyone will fall in love with the taste and smell of this bread with melted cheese…
Get your hand dirty and call the little ones… we’re going to have some fun today!
Handmade Stuffed Braided Bread
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
400g Manitoba Flour
200g White Flour 0
100g Durum Wheat Semolina Flour
5g Baking Powder
25g Brewer’s Yeast
Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Il Vero”
Salt, as needed
FOR THE FILLING:
400g Spinach
300g Ham in cubes
200g Matured Cheese in cubes
200g of grated Parmesan
2 Eggs
50g of Pinenuts
Salt and Pepper, as needed
Poppy Seeds
LET’S GET STARTED!
Dilute the brewer’s yeast in 380ml of warm water.
In a bowl, mix the three different types of flour and the baking powder, then add the warm water with yeast and a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Il Vero” and a pinch of salt (around 15g).
Make the dough, until smooth.
Cover the dough and let it grow for 2 hours.
In the meanwhile, cut the olives in small pieces and boil the spinach for few minutes with a pinch of salt. Then, let them cool down.
Let’s prepare the braided bread.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces.
Roll each of them, obtaining a thin rectangular leaf of dough. Spread with beaten egg.
On the top of each sheet of dough put a quarter of the spinach, ham, cheese, pine nuts, chopped sundried tomatoes, salt, pepper and finally sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Roll it up.
Cut the rolls in 1cm thick slices.
Cover a baking tin with baking paper and place the slices, in order to create a wheat ear shape, to obtain our braided bread: put 2 slices near each other, then put a single slice in front of them in the middle. The continue with two slices, and further on.
Cover with a rag and let it grow for a further hour.
Spread with beaten egg, sprinkle poppy seeds on top and bake the braided bread at 180°C for 30 minutes.
Done! It took few hours and a little effort but it definitely worthed!
Enjoy and… Buon Appetito!
