July Sourdough Surprises - Gozleme

This month's Sourdough Surprises theme was brought to us by one of the awesome cooks who bakes along with us each month. I love when that happens for two reasons. First, it's so awesome that we have such great, involved members! Second, it's usually something I never would have thought of before. Or, in this case, something I'd never even heard of before!

According to wikipedia, gozleme is a traditional dish in Turkey, consisting of a pastry dough, rolled out, filled with the toppings of your choice, folded over, and cooked on a griddle. From everything that I saw, the most traditional filling is spinach and feta cheese, but can really be anything.

If you do an online search for "sourdough gozleme," there really aren't many recipes that pop up. Sure people have done it before, and you'll find some great inspiration, but actual recipes for a traditional-style gozleme pastry? Couldn't find one.

Do we let that stop us?? No way!  Time to get creative.

For the pastry, I figured I'd need a flatbread style dough, and hopefully one strong enough to handle being rolled out, shaped and pan-fried.  I chose this sourdough pita bread recipe.

Very simple dough - flour, water, oil, salt, sugar (just a bit!) and starter.

And yes, I am using my soup pot as a mixing bowl. My real mixing bowls were already packed. I told you I had to get creative...

The dough comes together pretty easily, and is then set aside to rest until it's doubled in size.  Once it's ready, it's time to prepare the filling.

Inspired by the spinach and feta idea, but wanting to keep it a bit more... well... something little miss might enjoy, I went for the American version of that - broccoli and cheddar.

Yes, my graters were packed, too. So I had to chop my cheddar.

I rolled out circles of the dough, then piled on my toppings.

Then just fold them up and crimp the edges!

They kind of reminded me of calzones at the point, which I thought was pretty cool. But instead of baking these on my pizza stone, I cooked them in a pan right on the stove top.  About 10 minutes per side to make them nice and crispy.

And the results?

I definitely needed more filling, but other than that? These are awesome. Seriously. I don't know that the dough was as strong as it needed to be to hold up to the rolling, filling, crimping and movement to the pan, but it wound up flaky and delicious, with a slight sourdough tang, and the whole thing together, with the flaky crust and fun filling - it was great. I will definitely be making these again, and will try other fillings, too. I bet it would be tasty with all kinds of meats, veggies, cheeses... you name it!

I can't wait to see what everyone else chose!! So link up!

An InLinkz Link-up

Sourdough Gozleme
(dough from food.com, method inspired by The Witches Kitchen)

for the dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sourdough starter, freshly fed
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4-1 cup water

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar and salt. Mix in oil and starter.  Slowly add in the water, about 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, kneading until the dough is soft and elastic.
Grease a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover dough with a dish towel and allow it to double in volume.

For the filling:
Get creative! I used broccoli (about 1/2 cup, total) and cheddar (about 1/4 cup, total) to fill mine (I filled only three, and made the rest unfilled), but I think they definitely needed more filling than that - so be creative and generous!

To make the gozleme:
Gently deflate the dough and divide it into approximately lemon-sized portions.
Roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches around.
Put a generous scoop of filling onto one half of each round, then fold the un-filled half over the filling and crimp the edges to seal.
Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat and cook each pastry for about ten minutes per side, until they are golden brown.

Enjoy!

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May Daring Bakers' Challenge - Pao De Queijo

This month's Daring Bakers' Challenge took us on a trip to beautiful Brazil! Renata of "Testado, Provado & Aprovado!" taught us how to make Pao De Queijo, tasty cheese buns that make the perfect snack or treat, and that will make your taste buds samba!

I don't know a lot about Brazilian food. I mean, aside from the feijoada challenge from a year and a half ago, I've never specifically had Brazilian food.

But when the awesome Renata introduced these little cheese breads to us as this month's challenge, I couldn't wait to try them.

The recipe looked super simple, but the main ingredients was something that I have never used before - tapioca starch (flour).  But I knew just where to find it, and was soon ready to rock.

The other main ingredient in these buns, as their name (and translation) would suggest, is cheese. I chose Monteray Jack. Lots of it, all shredded up.

The dough actually comes together pretty easily, and soon turns from this dry mix...

...into an almost-dough.

Now, you are not supposed to over-work the dough, because you don't want the finished buns to be too heavy or dense.  So for me, it was still a little shaggy. I was a little worried about whether my little buns would hold their shapes.

But guess what happened when I started rolling it into balls?

It smoothed out beautifully and I had no problem at all!

Now, with little man's milk allergy, I didn't want to make too many of these - I didn't think it would be fair. So I froze half of the shaped balls right away, seeing as Renata told us that they bake up straight out of the freezer really well.

Then the other half went into the oven.

And they puffed and baked up beautifully!

These little buns are so delightful and so amazingly easy to eat, they're almost dangerous.  Little miss wasn't a huge fan, but I think it's just because she knew there was cheese in them (she doesn't like cheese except on pizza and in macaroni and cheese... I don't get it...). But I loved them. And so did my neighbor, who happened to stop by a few minutes after these came out of the oven. I can't wait to bake up the second half of these.

Oh, and Renata graciously found a dairy-free version of these treats which I had every intention of trying, but time totally ran away from me this month. But I still plan to try them at some point, and will definitely share the results here when I do.

Renata, thank you for this amazing challenge - I can't wait for my next taste of Brazil!

To see the challenge as Renata presented it to us, check it out here.

And to see the other awesome results this month, check them here.


Pao De Queijo
(from the Daring Bakers' Challenge)

500 grams tapioca starch
1 cup whole milk
2 3/4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste depending on how salty your cheese is)
3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese (or another cheese of your liking, or a mix of cheeses), coarsely grated
1 to 3 large eggs (I needed all 3)

Heat milk, butter, and salt in a small sauce pan until it comes to a boil. Watch closely as it may boil over. Remove from heat and set aside.
Sift tapioca starch into a large bowl.
Pour the boiled (hot) mixture over the tapioca and start stirring with a fork. The milk mixture will not be enough to form a dough yet. The mixture will be lumpy and that is okay.
Keep stirring with the fork, breaking down the lumps as much as you can, until the mixture cools down to warm.
At this point, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Add the grated cheese to the tapioca mixture and mix well, now using your hands.
Add one egg at a time, mix with your hands until dough comes together. Renata suggested that we lightly beat the egg(s) with a fork and add little bits until the dough comes together into a soft but pliable dough.  This worked out really well for me. You only have to knead it a bit, not as much as you knead a yeasted bread. It's OK if it is slightly sticky.
Form balls with the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat or lightly greased with vegetable oil. If necessary, you can oil your hands to make shaping easier. The size of the balls may vary from small bite-sized balls to the size of ping pong balls. They will puff up quite a bit after baking.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until they just start to brown on the bottom. You may have golden spots of cheese on the crust. Don't over-bake as they will get hard and bitter.
They are delicious served warm, soon out of the oven, or room temperature.

Enjoy!

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February Daring Cooks' Challenge - Spanakopita

The February Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Audax of Audax Artifex. The challenge brought us to Greece with a delicious, flaky spanakopita - a spinach pie in a phyllo pastry shell.

I have never made spanakopita before, but have been wanting to for a really, really long time. So I was super excited when this challenge came!

But then reality hit and I wondered how I could make this... daddy isn't eating carbs, so won't eat the phyllo dough portion, little man is allergic to eggs and dairy, making the spinach and feta filling, with egg as a binder, a no-go, and little miss... well... she can be hit or miss with spinach. So as excited as I was about this challenge, I had to be realistic and realize that I was really the only one who would eat it.

So, as close to the spirit of the challenge as I could stay, I made my own mini spanakoptia pockets.

I started with the filling, sauteeing onions, garlic and fresh spinach.

Once the sauteed vegetables cooled, I mixed them with an egg to hold everything together.

The mixture wound up being really wet, so I stirred in about a tablespoon of ground flax, which helped.

And then it was time to assemble.  I took a few sheets of phyllo dough and cut them each into thirds. Each third-of-a-sheet section was then brushed with melted butter and folded in half to make a double layer.  I then put a small scoop of filling on the end of each doubled-over strip of phyllo and sprinkled on a touch of shredded cheddar (which I prefer over feta... inauthentic, but hey...).

I then brushed the rest of the phyllo strip with more butter, then folded up the bottom corner and folded the whole strip up, the way you would a flag, to make little triangle pockets.

Which were then brushed with even more melted butter, before being baked.

But it worked! They were golden and puffy and looked super fun and cute!

And even better than that?

They were super tasty! I ate three as a side dish that night, and they re-heated beautifully the next night (then the following day as lunch!).  I kept offering tastes to little miss, but she refused. Her loss!

And daddy didn't have to fully miss out - I made nine of these little pockets, then took the rest of the filling, added one more egg, and poured it into a few wells of a muffin tin (and then topped them with shredded cheese) to make spanakopita-style baked fritatas that were both carb-free (or darn close...) and super tasty! He ate all three with his dinner and let me know he'd be happy to have me make them again.

Audax, thank you so much for hosting this delicious challenge. I hope to one day make the recipe you provided (you should seriously check it out here!), but had a lot of fun adapting it to these little single-serve triangles.

If you want to see some of the other spanakopitas that were cooked up (beautifully, I might add!) this month, check them out here.


Spanakopita Pockets

(my own interpretation, loosely based on this Food Network recipe)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 oz. fresh spinach leaves (I used a bag of baby spinach)

Salt and pepper to taste

grated cheese (I used cheddar, crumbled feta is what is traditional for spanakopita)

phyllo dough sheets (I used three sheets, cut into thirds, but there was enough filling to make more than this...)

melted butter (didn't measure, but you need plenty - probably a good 3-4 tablespoons, or more for more pockets than I made)

Heat the olive oil in a sautee pan, then add the onions. Sautee onions until translucent, then add the garlic. Sautee for a minute or two (you don't want to burn the garlic),then add the spinach to the pan. Allow the spinach to wilt down. Salt and pepper to taste. Allow filling to cool.

When the filling is cool, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, cover a baking sheet with parchment, melt your butter and prepare your phyllo sheets - I cut each sheet into thrids (by width).

Brush each third-of-a-sheet piece of phyllo with melted butter and fold it in half. Place a scoop of the filling on the edge of the stip of dough and sprinkle on a bit of your shredded cheese. Brush the still-exposed portion of the strip of phyllo dough with more melted butter. Now fold one corner up over the dough to create a point, then fold up and across repeatedly to create a triangle of phyllo-encased filling. Transfer the triangle to the parchment-covered baking sheet and brush the top with more butter.

Continue until you have made as many triangles as you want (or until you have used all of your filling).

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

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Gingerbread Cheesecake

We have a New Years tradition in our house. Well, it begins a few weeks before New Years.  And it always brings me back to the very start of this here blogging adventure. 

My first post (well, the first actual food post) was about the first ever gingerbread house that we made. It's crazy to look at that post now and think that the little three and a half year old girl helping me out is now a big first grader. And a big sister... But that first gingerbread house is what started our tradition. Each holiday season we bake and build a house and little miss decorates it with as much candy as she can. 

Then on New Years Day, we break it apart, letting out all the joy, love and luck that was baked and built into it, filling our home with all sorts of positive energies for the year ahead.  Fun and constructive while also being fun and destructive (breaking apart that house can be hard!)

Okay, so come New Years Day afternoon, we were trying to figure out what to bring for dessert to the family's traditional pork and sauerkraut and lentil dinner.  Daddy wanted cheesecake, which made me think of this awesome, delicious looking gingerbread version I'd seen the week before.  But it called for gingerbread cookie crumbs for the crust.  I lamented to daddy that I wished I had some leftover gingerbread cookies to crush up in order to make this. And he looked at me like I was crazy.  "Shell," he said, "you have so much baked gingerbread just waiting for you!" and he pointed to the battered, broken, good-luck house on the table.

Duh.

Crust ready, it was time for the filling. The recipe in the link above looked good, but after doing all of those Willow Bird Baking challenges, I know that Juile's basic cheesecake recipe is an absolute winner, so I just adapted that for the gingerbread flavor by adding molasses and traditional gingerbread spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove). Worked like a charm.

Rather than bake a large cheesecake, we made this individual-sized by using a muffin tin rather than the usual springform pan.

I am not sure what went wrong in the baking process - if it had something to do with the reduced size or what, but all of my mini cheesecakes cracked and sank.

But aside from that, they were absolutely perfect. Silky smooth texture plus delicious gingerbread flavor. Talk about a win-win!

Everyone really enjoyed them, and even asked to keep some of the leftovers!

Now, the recipe as I made it made both more crust and more filling than I needed for the twelve-well cupcake pan that I used, so I baked up the extra in a pie plate.

Next time I really want to make a full sized version of this, but these were the perfect dessert for the end of the holidays. And what a delicious way to share the good luck our our gingerbread tradition with the rest of the family!


Gingerbread Cheesecake
(inspired by That Winsome Girl, cheesecake base based on Willow Bird Baking)

for the crust:
2 cups gingerbread cookie crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter with cookie crumbs until all crumbs are moistened. Scoop into wells of muffin tin and use a small cup (shot glass?) to press the crumbs in and shape them up the sides to create mini crusts. Alternately, you can press it into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan. Bake for 6-10 minutes to set. Allow to cool.

for the cheesecake:
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1 heaping teaspoon ground ginger
1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
a dash of ground nutmeg
a dash of ground cloves

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well blended. Beat in the flour and spices. Add in the vanilla and molasses, and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Pour or scoop (if doing the mini version) the filling into your prepared and cooled crust(s).
Bake for about 40 minutes - the top(s) will be lightly browned and may have cracked.
Allow to cool completely and chill for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

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S'mores Cheesecake

This is it - the final Willow Bird Baking Challenge! I have been having so much fun innovating along with Julie and the Willow Bird Baking crew, and am super proud to have participated in each of the five weekly challenges.

That being said, I almost sat this one out. Not because I didn't want to participate, but because things have just been crazy busy around here, with school (little miss), work (daddy), broken legs (little man and daddy), hurricanes and random assorted other goings on, not to mention the fact that a typical cheesecake is not exactly allergy-friendly for little man. I considered trying a vegan alternative, but then decided I'd just jump in - use Julie's basic cheesecake recipe and create something the rest of us could enjoy, and provide other yummy goodness for little man.

Julie is something of a cheesecake master, and has made some absolutely amazing versions over the years. While she did not require that we use one of her recipes, I thought it would be appropriate to base my cheesecake on her tried and true base recipe.

The requirement for this challenge was to innovate a cheesecake that represents our own culinary journey.  I am not sure my selection really represents a true culinary journey, but it does represent one of my favorite flavor combinations, not to mention a flavor combination I have been thinking of incorporating into each and every one of the Willow Bird Baking challenges: s'mores.

I started with the crust - graham crackers.

I then prepared a ganache, using half milk chocolate and half semi-sweet. I used chocolate chips, but, if you are a purist, I'd recommend finding really good quality chocolate and chopping it into pieces.

The chocolate was mixed with hot heavy cream until smooth, then a couple of cups of that delicious, creamy ganache was poured right into the crust. As you can see, my crust was a little... crumby... so it fell apart a little bit as I tried to spread the ganache out, but I didn't mind too much.

While the ganache-covered crust went into the fridge to set, little miss helped me prepare the cheesecake filling. Well, she helped me get the cream cheese into the mixer.

Then she went into the other room and played. But that's an okay option for a six year old baker, too.

The filling was so light and creamy that, were it not for the eggs, I would have eaten it right out of the bowl. But I resisted, and poured it into the prepared and cooled crust.

This then went into the oven for about 40 minutes, until it was beautiful, golden and set.

But there was one problem. All of Julie's awesome cheesecakes (and the idea behind this challenge, really) have layers. This plain cheesecake layer was supposed to comprise half of the full cake. But it came up to the top of the pan. Oops.

I had originally planned my s'mores cheesecake to have a chocolate mousse layer with marshmallows folded into it on top of the cheesecake layer.  But now there was no way to give that mousse layer any structure.

So I had to resort to plan B.

I covered the prepared cheesecake with more ganache, cooled it, then topped it with lots and lots of marshmallow.

I then popped this under the broiler.  While it toasted, little man helped me crush up some more graham crackers.

And a minute and a half later, the marshmallows were nice and toasty.

We alternated layers of graham cracker crumbs and drizzled ganache to finish off the cheesecake.

Then the whole thing went back into the fridge until it was time for dessert.

The marshmallow layer was a little bit messy to cut through (next time I may try marshmallow cream or a marshmallow frosting instead...), but the whole thing was decadently sweet and amazingly delicious.

Julie, thank you so much for these amazing, fun challenges. And for the inspiration to innovate. I can't wait to try more braids, stuffed cookies, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes and cheesecakes, and will think of you and these awesome challenges each time that I do. I can't wait until you challenge us again!


S'mores Cheesecake
(inspired by Willow Bird Baking)

Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients:
2 heaping cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter

Ganache Ingredients:
20 ounces chocolate, chopped (I used half semi-sweet and half milk, you can use any type you like)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cheesecake Ingredients:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a springform cheesecake pan. Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Toss with a fork to moisten all of the crumbs. Using a flat-sided glass, press into an even layer covering the bottom and sides of your cheesecake pan (you want it to be tall — try to get to about 2.5-3 inches high — and a little thicker than for your usual cheesecake; maybe 1/4 inch thick so it won’t crumble). Bake the crust for about 6 minutes and let it cool as you make your cheesecake filling.

Prepare your ganache: Place chopped chocolate into a medium sized, heat proof bowl.  Then, in a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it begins to simmer. Carefully pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for a minute or two. Then, slowly and carefully mix the cream and chocolate (I start with a spatula and end with a whisk) until it is smooth.

Pour about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of the ganache into the prepared crust, spreading carefully to coat the crust (even up the sides, if you can). Freeze the crust for about half an hour to set the ganache while you prepare the cheesecake filling/

For the cheesecake filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well blended. Beat in the flour. Add in the vanilla and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Pour the filling into your prepared, ganache-coated crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

When you pull the cheesecake out, you can use a sharp knife to score a circle around the top of the cheesecake about an inch inside the crust so that as it cools and chills/sinks, it won’t pull the crust in too much. Don’t worry if the circle you cut isn’t pretty, because you won’t be able to see it in the finished product! Let cheesecake cool completely on a wire rack. Add another layer of ganache to the top of the cheesecake before chilling it in the fridge for at least 3 hours (I let mine chill overnight).

For the S'mores topping:
mini marshmallows (I used about half a batch of my homemade marshmallows, cut into small pieces)
prepared ganache, re-warmed to drizzling consistency
graham cracker crumbs (just a little bit, about one graham cracker sheet worth - for decoration)

Remove the chilled cheesecake from the refrigerator and turn your oven to the broiler setting. Top the cheesecake with your mini marshmallows/marshmallow pieces and place under the broiler for about 1 1/2 minutes, watching very carefully. You just want the marshmallows to melt and look a bit toasty. Too long and they will burn. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and turn off the broiler. Sprinkle the marshmallow coating with a few of the graham cracker crumbs, then drizzle with some of the ganache. Repeat graham cracker crumb and ganache layers one more time, or to your preferred design/taste. Chill the cheesecake for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

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Chicken Taco Braid

I am sorry that I haven't been posting much this week.  Things around here have been... well... crazy. 

It started when little man, who has had the nickname "stunt-baby" for a while, broke his leg. Yeah. Smallest cast I've ever seen in my life.

Then little miss got a stomach bug over the weekend. Yuck.

Then, in a twisted case of "you're never going to believe this...," Daddy broke his leg, too.

That's right. The boys in the house are sporting matching blue casts.

Luckily little miss is feeling better.

In the middle of all of this, Julie over at Willow Bird Baking announced her second baking challenge. I had so much fun with the first one (these cinnamon rolls) that I really wanted to participate. But with the reality of taking care of everyone, I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to.

But today I decided that I wasn't going to let anything stand in my way, and I just went for it.

This week's challenge was to make a braided bread of some sort, using this dough recipe. It's not a yeasted dough. In fact, it is a super simple, very quick dough. It's usually used for sweet or breakfast-y treats, but we were challenged to innovate, and to choose a filling and glaze/topping of our choice.

I first thought I'd just punt and go with a simple jam filling.  But then I figured, if I am going to bother participating in the challenge, I couldn't cop out.  So I decided to make a dinner braid, using what I had on hand.  

The dough is super simple. It's supposed to be made in the food processor, but, not having a full-sized one, I used my KitchenAid mixer.  The key is to only mix the dough until the ingredients are just incorporated, being careful not to overwork it.  And, seeing as I was going for a savory braid, I chose to omit the flavoring extracts called for in the breakfast version of the recipe.

The dough is then carefully rolled out and sectioned and cut to be filled and braided.

And what did I choose for my filling? I went easy. But tasty. I had a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the refrigerator, so I boiled them, shredded them, and simmered them in taco seasonings.  The shredded meat was topped with grated cheddar cheese, and I started "braiding."

My braid turned out a little uneven, but not too bad.

And it baked up super quickly. 15 minutes and dinner was ready.

I mean, almost ready. Remember that we were supposed to choose not only a filling, but a glaze, too. With a taco filling, I decided on salsa and sour cream as "glazes."

Oh. My. Gosh.

This was so delicious. Everyone loved it. And had seconds. And little miss requested that I send the leftovers with her as lunch for school tomorrow.

With how easy this dough is, I see many more braids in our future.

Julie, thank you, thank you, thank you for another awesome, inspiring and truly delicious challenge!! I can't wait for next week!!

Chicken Taco Braid

(inspired by Willow Bird Baking)

for the dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup milk, minus 1/2 teaspoon (I used coconut milk)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor (or stand mixer), mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cream cheese and butter into the flour mixture and pulse (or mix on low speed with paddle attachment) to cut the fat into the flour (about 6 pulses). Add the milk and blend (mix on medium speed) into a loose dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead VERY LIGHTLY for 4-5 strokes. (note: This is the step at which you can ruin the braid. If you overwork the dough, the pastry will be tough. Just gather the dough together and don’t worry about making it smooth. It will still look a little rough. That’s perfect.)

Between two sheets of waxed paper, roll the dough to a rectangle approximately 8" by 12". Turn dough out onto a lightly greased baking sheet and remove the waxed paper. (note - I rolled my dough between one piece of parchment paper and one piece of waxed paper, then just peeled off the waked paper and transferred the parchment paper to my baking sheet - worked like a charm!) Measure and mark the dough lengthwise into thirds.

Make 2¾-inch slight diagonal cuts at 1-inch intervals on each the long sides. Do not cut into the center area, where the filling goes.


for the filling:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 packet taco seasonings
1/2 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (more or less to taste)

Boil chicken breasts for about 25 minutes until cooked through. Remove from water and shred the meat.
Add the shredded meat to a skillet, sprinkle taco seasoning on top and add water to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
Allow the chicken to cool before filling dough.


to prepare the braid:
Spread the seasoned, shredded chicken along the middle section of the rolled out dough. Top the chicken with the shredded cheddar cheese.  Fold the cut strips, first one from one side and then one from the other side in a rotating fashion, over the filling. It will now resemble a braid.

Bake in a 425° oven for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is cooked through and the top is lightly browned.

As a topping, spoon or pipe (if you want to make it look like glaze) salsa and sour cream over the top of the finished braid.

Enjoy!

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Cheese-Filled Garlic Focaccia for Twelve Loaves

Are you on Twitter?

I recently joined, and am still figuring it out. 

At this point, I am following a bunch of fellow food-bloggers, but I'm starting really slowly.

But I'm glad I joined, because that is how I learned the theme for this months Twelve Loaves (#TwelveLoaves) bread baking group - cheese!

At first, all of my thoughts were of the sweet variety - danishes and other breakfast or dessert treats using sweet cheese fillings.

And then I changed my mind. While it might not be the most original thought, I suddenly had the desire to make a focaccia. And to try to stuff it with cheese.

I started by making the most basic dough that I make - the one that I used when making my French Fougasse. I know, "French" focaccia... but I was looking for a basic lean dough, and that one does it.

Once the dough was done rising, I gathered the rest of my ingredients - oil, garlic salt, sliced provolone and grated Parmesan.

And then it was time to work on the dough.

I started by covering a cookie sheet with parchment, then rolling out my dough as large as I could.

I transferred the dough to the baking sheet, where it hung off of both sides, and then placed slices of provolone over the middle.

I then folded the dough back over itself and did my best to seal all the seams.

And then I did my best to turn it into a focaccia by using my fingers to dimple the surface. I then brushed lots of olive oil over the top and gave it a healthy coating of garlic salt and grated Parmesan.

I let the prepared bread to rest for half an hour, and then baked it in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes. And when it came out, it smelled amazing and looked beautiful.

And it was BIG! It was the size of my biggest cutting board.

But most importantly, it was DELICIOUS.

I shared some with my neighbor, and between me, daddy, little miss and that neighbor, we ate the whole thing by the end of the day.

I want to give a big thanks to this months hosts, Cake Duchess, Creative Culinary and Life's A Feast for this fun challenge. I still may make a sweet cheese bread, but this is something I wouldn't have thought of if not for the cheese theme.

And don't forget to check out gallery at the bottom of Lora's post to see the other cheese breads baked up for Twelve Loaves this month!


Cheese-Filled Garlic Focaccia
(my own adaptation, based on my previous bread)


500 grams bread flour
5 grams active dry yeast
10 grams salt
375 ml water
5-8 slices of provolone cheese
extra virgin olive oil
garlic salt (to taste)
grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Stir yeast into the flour until evenly distributed. Stir in salt, then water, and mix until the dough begins to form.
Transfer the dough to a clean work surface. Continue mixing/kneading the dough by stretching it out and folding it over onto itself repeatedly and from each direction. Continue working the dough until it comes away cleanly from the work surface and is not (or, for me, is less...) sticky.
Move the dough to a floured area of your work surface, and shape the dough into a ball (as best as you can - it is still a wet dough). Transfer the dough into a lightly oiled (large!) bowl, cover it with a tea towel (or plastic wrap) and allow it to rest for at least one hour.
After the dough has rested, turn it out (carefully) onto a floured work surface. Generously flour the top of the dough, then cover with a tea towel and allow it to rest for another five minutes or so.
Cover an 11" x 17" cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray.
Roll out the dough until it is a rectangle about double the size you want it and transfer it to the prepared cookie sheet.
Place the slices of provolone on the dough and then fold the ends over itself to cover all the cheese, fully enclosing the bread. Pinch all of the seams and then use your fingers to spread the dough evenly over the surface and dimple the top.
Brush the top liberally with olive oil and sprinkle (to taste) with garlic salt and grated Parmesan cheese.
Allow prepared bread to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Bake bread for about 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

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