Spinach and Brie Filled Bread
Spinach and Brie Bread
Went to a wine tasting party on Saturday at my dear friends Marge and Larry’s. What a crazy and fun group of friends. I decided to make a filled bread with spinach, kale, onions and several cheese including half a pound of brie. Needless to say it was well received. It looks difficult but is really easy to make. I often make them switching out the fillings. You can fill with meats and cheeses. I like Ham and Swiss, Chicken with broccoli and pizza fillings. For Pizza breads: after rolling out the dough brush with a little oil, spread thick pizza sauce down middle of dough and top with pizza toppings and cheese. Fold up and proceed as directed.
Spinach Filled Bread
3 ¼ c. flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1 c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 T. oil
4 c. fresh kale, washed and chopped
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 oz. brie, cubed
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
healthy dash hot sauce
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in large skillet. Cook onion until wilted and add kale cooking until kale is wilted. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce. Place kale mixture in a bowl and add spinach and cheeses and mix well. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile prepare dough. Set aside 1 cup of the flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle about 16 x 8. Place spinach mixture down center of dough. Cut one-inch wide strips of dough from filling to edge on both sides. It will sort of look like fringe. Alternating sides, fold strips up and over the filling at an angle. Carefully lift loaf onto greased baking sheet and place at an angle. Cover with a towel and place sheet on top of a roasting pan half-filled with simmering water for 15 minutes. Take bread and bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
Note: The variations for this bread are almost endless. Some favorite combinations are ham and Swiss with mustard, corned beef with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing, roast beef and cheddar, chicken, broccoli and cheese, Spinach with ricotta or feta and onions, pizza, assorted fillings. You get the idea. Use your imagination and have fun. Just be careful not to overfill, or the bread will be hard to move, use fillings that aren’t too runny and always use cold fillings.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, don’t let dough rise over boiling water. After kneading cover dough and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and assemble as in original recipe. Cover with a towel and let rise until dough looks puffy, about 40 minutes. Bake as directed above. These breads can also be frozen.
