Day 2 – Countdown to Christmas Spinach Garlic Thyme Stuffed Bread 2012

This recipe is one of the best recipes for a party, snack, football game or just because it’s Tuesday night and you want cheesy goodness!

Now before I go any further into this recipe you need to know something…

This is honestly one of the most versatile recipes I think I’ve ever written from a bread/roll perspective. Why?  Well the stuff you stuff in it is totally your call.  We’re talking the skies the limit.  How so?

Well look at a few suggestions

1. Buffalo Chicken – Use shredded cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, cream cheese, ranch,  cheddar cheese and minced celery.  For these make the filling more on the thicker side. You can always dip it into buffalo sauce.
2. BLT – 3-4 cups cooked crispy bacon, roasted tomatoes that have been chopped up and drained, rough cut strips of arugula or romaine hearts, and a mixture of mayo, garlic powder, onion powder and some mayo as the ‘sauce’.
3. Pepperoni – tons of pepperoni, oregano, shredded mozzarella.
4. Roasted vegetables – roast off some asparagus, thick onion slices, thick pepper slices and mushrooms.  Drain them an allow to come to room temp. Put down some grated gruyere, veggies. seasonings (salt/pepper/garlic) and then a good slather of pesto.
5. Roasted Garlic & Cheese – just as the name says.  Roast a ton of garlic and mash that up, add in some thyme, oregano, onion powder, black pepper and 2 tablespoon soft butter. Layer some grated fontina and provolone cheese, add the garlic mixture and more cheese.
6. Sinfully Sweet – slather the dough with a thick cinnamon sugar butter paste, add thinly sliced apples, top with a cup of raisins, a sprinkle or two of bourbon and a few pats of cold butter cubed.  Sprinkle with brown sugar. On the outside brush with egg white wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  When it’s done drizzle with cinnamon cream cheese glaze.

See – versatile!  I opted to go with stuff I had on hand – spinach and tons of fresh thyme.

God – LOOK at that cheese just oozing out!  It was all I could do to contain myself from picking it off and stuffing it in my mouth.  But I did that once before and learned my lesson – *note:  when you burn your mouth/tongue and roof of your mouth they do not make bandaids that stick there.  Just sayin…

This has to be probably my most favorite shot.  The peek-a-boo effect of the spinach and cheese is just so tempting!

You could easily whip out a boatload of these in one fail swoop, all different flavors too!  These would be PERFECT for holiday gatherings, buffets, Super Bowl parties, road trips, etc!

Day 2 – Countdown to Christmas Spinach Garlic Thyme Stuffed Bread 2012

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer
• Yield: 3-4

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Ingredients

Dough

• 2 teaspoon rapid-rising dry yeast
• 1 to 1 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon salt (table salt)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Cornmeal, for dusting

Filling

• 8–10 cups fresh spinach, fresh
• 1–2 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced *this depends on your liking of garlic
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
• 3 cups grated mozzarella
• 1 cup grated Asiago
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Topping

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, proof the yeast by combining it with the warm water and sugar. Stir gently to dissolve.
2. Let stand for 5-7 minutes or until foam appears and it bubbles.
3. Add the flour to the dough and mix for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the olive oil and mix for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the salt and turn the mixer to medium. Mix for 7-8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it’s sticky, add flour as necessary.
6. Remove the dough from mixer and put in a greased bowl/bucket.
7. If using a bucket, close the lid (make sure it’s a large bucket). If not, cover with plastic wrap and let double in size (about 45 minutes).
8. While the dough is rising, place a large skillet over high heat.
9. Add the spinach in the pan (you want to mound this – it will shrink down considerably), cover and stir every 30 seconds until the spinach is wilted. You may have to work in batches.
10. Place the spinach in a colander and allow to drain fully. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
11. When the dough is doubled, turn it out onto a very lightly floured board.
12. Roll it out so it’s 2” smaller than the length of your pan (about 12”) by 14”-16” wide.
13. Preheat oven to 400F.
14. In the center of the dough, working length-wise put down 2 cups of grated mozzarella and1/2 cup of Asiago cheese in a 4” strip going up to 1” from each end.
15. Add 1 tablespoon fresh thyme on top of the cheese.
16. Top with well drained spinach, garlic, onion powder, salt, black pepper and thyme.
17. Add remaining cheeses on top.
18. Starting at the end closest to you, pull the dough up and over your filling. Your edge should just touch (it’s okay if it barely touches) the other side of the dough (end of the filling).
19. Repeat with the opposite side, pulling that edge of the dough up and over the filling towards you.
20. Tuck that underneath the roll. You can gently pinch the seam to seal.
21. Pinch the ends to seal and tuck under the roll
22. Cover the roll with plastic wrap and let sit for 20-30 minutes in a warm area. The dough will puff up slightly.
23. Right before place this in the oven, remove the plastic wrap and with a very sharp knife make 2-3 slashes on the top ensuring you are going through the first 2 layers of dough. You want to see filling. This will allow the steam to escape and the insides to thoroughly cook through.
24. With sprinkle the salt, thyme and garlic powder over top.
25. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and firm to the touch.
26. Allow to cool for a few minutes before inhaling.

Notes

Buffalo Chicken – Use shredded cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, cream cheese, ranch, cheddar cheese and minced celery. For these make the filling more on the thicker side. You can always dip it into buffalo sauce.

BLT – 3-4 cups cooked crispy bacon, roasted tomatoes that have been chopped up and drained, rough cut strips of arugula or romaine hearts, and a mixture of mayo, garlic powder, onion powder and some mayo as the ‘sauce’.

Pepperoni – tons of pepperoni, oregano, shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle the dough with garlic salt or powder. Serve with hot pizza sauce.

Roasted vegetables – roast off some asparagus, thick onion slices, thick pepper slices and mushrooms. Drain them an allow to come to room temp. Put down some grated gruyere, veggies. seasonings (salt/pepper/garlic) and then a good slather of pesto.

Roasted Garlic
and Cheese – just as the name says. Roast a ton of garlic and mash that up, add in some thyme, oregano, onion powder, black pepper and 2 tablespoon soft butter. Layer some grated fontina and provolone cheese, add the garlic mixture and more cheese.

Sinfully Sweet – slather the dough with a thick cinnamon sugar butter paste, add thinly sliced apples, top with a cup of raisins, a sprinkle or two of bourbon and a few pats of cold butter cubed. Sprinkle with brown sugar. On the outside brush with egg white wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. When it’s done drizzle with cinnamon cream cheese glaze.

Keywords: stuffed bread, stromboli, pizza bread, garlic butter bread, appetizer, party food, football

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Now with this one I wanted some yummy garlicy cheesy bread to go with our pasta.

See all Countdown to Christmas 2012 recipes here