( 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.