Italian Braided Bread
( A vegetarian stuffed bread recipe).
Baking is an art! It involves a great deal of precision and perfection. I am not a very cake-cookie type of a person but occasionally, I like to try something new too. Not long ago I tried this stuffed braided bread recipe and I liked it! Now, I do make this bread when I have some time on my hands. This is a little time-consuming recipe, but worth trying!
Ingredients
For stuffing -
1 red, yellow and green bell peppers each
10-12 button mushrooms
1 medium onion
7-8 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt as per taste
1 cup mozzarella cheese
For proofing yeast -
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp yeast
For dough -
4 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
1/4 cup oil
1.5 tsp salt
water as required
For garnish before baking -
4 tbsp milk
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp butter melted
Method
Finely chop the bell peppers, onion, mushrooms. Mince garlic cloves.
Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté garlic on it for a minute. Add chopped onions and fry until golden. Add chopped mushrooms and cook till all the water they leave evaporates. Add the bell peppers and cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Add salt, oregano, and black pepper powder to the mixture and keep aside. Our stuffing is ready.
Now we start proofing the yeast. Take some lukewarm water and add powdered sugar to it. Add yeast granules to it and give the mixture a gentle stir. Cover it and keep it in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. After 15 minutes the mixture will become foamy and frothy as shown below-
Combine all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, and oil. Make a soft dough by adding adequate warm water. You can use a food processor too. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it. Keep aside for 1 hr 15 minutes. The dough will increase in volume. Then rub oil on your palms and knead the dough by adding 1 tbsp oil. The dough will absorb all the oil. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
Take one part and make a small ball.
Roll it using dry flour, in an oval shape.
Fill the stuffing in the center.
Use a knife to make slits on both sides as shown below-
Add grated mozzarella cheese over the stuffing.
Seal the bread in a criss-cross manner using the cut parts of the dough. Fold both the ends properly to make sure the stuffing doesn’t come out.
Keep this braided bread in a greased tray. Repeat the same procedure for other dough balls too.
Brush some milk on top. Then sprinkle some sesame seeds and finally brush butter on the bread.
Preheat the oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for 10 minutes.
Bake the bread at 200 °C(392°F) till the upper crust becomes golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and brush some butter on top!
ITALIAN BRAIDED BREAD IS READY TO SERVE !!
Notes -
The stuffing should be dry or else the bread will turn soggy.
It is very important to prove the yeast properly. Yeast is a leavening agent, which helps the dough rise, as it bakes. If the water is too hot or cold, the yeast will not grow.
It is also important to check if the yeast is alive or not. If the mixture doesn’t froth after 15 minutes it means that the yeast was not alive. Use a fresh pack to make the culture again.
Italian Braided Bread
Ingredients
- 1 red, yellow and green bell peppers each
- 12 button mushrooms
- 1 medium onion
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp oregano powder
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt as per taste
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
- 1/4 cup oil
- 5 tsp salt
- water as required
- 4 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Method
- Finely chop the bell peppers, onion, mushrooms. Mince garlic cloves.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté garlic on it for a minute. Add chopped onions and fry until golden. Add chopped mushrooms and cook till all the water they leave evaporates. Add the bell peppers and cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Add salt, oregano, and black pepper powder to the mixture and keep aside. Our stuffing is ready.
- Now we start proofing the yeast. Take some lukewarm water and add powdered sugar to it. Add yeast granules to it and give the mixture a gentle stir. Cover it and keep it in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. After 15 minutes the mixture will become foamy and frothy.
- Combine all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, and oil. Make a soft dough by adding adequate warm water. You can use a food processor too. Place the dough in a bowl and cover it. Keep aside for 1 hr 15 minutes. The dough will increase in volume. Then rub oil on your palms and knead the dough by adding 1 tbsp oil. The dough will absorb all the oil. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
- Take one part and make a ball. Roll it using dry flour, in an oval shape. Fill the stuffing in the center. Use a knife to make slits on both sides.
- Add grated mozzarella cheese over the stuffing.
- Seal the bread in a criss-cross manner using the cut parts of the dough. Fold both the ends properly to make sure the stuffing doesn’t come out.
- Keep this braided bread in a greased tray. Repeat the same procedure for other dough balls too.
- Brush some milk on top. Then sprinkle some sesame seeds and finally brush butter on the bread.
- Preheat the oven at 180 °C (356 °F) for 10 minutes.
- Bake the bread at 200 °C(392°F) till the upper crust becomes golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, and brush some butter on top!
Notes:
- The stuffing should be dry or else the bread will turn soggy.
- It is very important to prove the yeast properly. Yeast is a leavening agent, which helps the dough rise, as it bakes. If the water is too hot or cold, the yeast will not grow.
- It is also important to check if the yeast is alive or not. If the mixture doesn’t froth after 15 minutes, it means that the yeast was not alive. Use a fresh pack to make the culture again.
