Filled Wooly Bread ~ Two Ways

Filled Woolly Bread ~ Two Ways

Vegetarian or Plant Based

Serves 5

Not only does it look good, it is delicious, easy to make and very versatile, as you can pick your own favourite filling, be it savoury or sweet. Here we offer two options: mozzarella garlic & chives and a wonderful chocolate version. The choice is yours!

Ingredients

For the bread:

80ml warm milk of choice

1tsp instant yeast

100ml warm double cream of choice

1 large egg or 60g aquafaba (serve 1tbsp for glazing +1tbsp milk)

300g bread flour

2tbsp sugar of choice

1tsp salt

For the garlic & mozzarella filling:

5 pieces of boconcini mozzarella or plant based alternative

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2tbsp fresh chives, finely snipped

Salt & pepper to taste

A few sesame seeds for sprinkling

For the chocolate filling:

100g roughly chopped milk or dark chocolate, or a mixture of both

A little icing sugar for dusting

Method

In a small bowl of jug, combine the warm milk with the yeast and allow to bubble for 10 minutes.

In a stand up mixer attached with a dough hook, mix all the bread ingredients till they come together and the dough is elastic, but still somewhat sticky.

With lightly oiled hands, shape the dough in a ball and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm place, (such as the oven with the light turned on). Allow to proof for an hour or longer, until it has doubled in size.

Turn the dough over onto a lightly floured surface and section it into 5 pieces. Roll them into smaller balls, cover them with a cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Prepare a round tin around 20cm by greasing it and lining the base with parchment paper.

As shown in the pictures, roll out each ball into a thin oval shape. Using a sharp knife or a dough cutter, slice the top part of the oval into thin, long strips. This will create the wool-like effect. Place your choice of filling into the centre of the bottom part of the oval. Fold in the sides and then fold and roll the bottom part of the dough over the filling, till all the thin strips have folded over. Carefully lift the parcel and place in around the perimeter of the prepared tin.

Repeat with the rest of the dough balls, placing them in the tin in the shape of a wreath.

Allow to rest and rise covered as before for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Glaze the surface of the bread with a beaten egg or some plant based milk.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the tin, allow to cool on a rack and decorate as desired.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Notes

This bread is best eaten on the day. However it could be frozen once cooled for up to a month.

Feel free to get creative with the filling. Some ideas we have tried are:

Your favourite jam

Dried fruits & nuts

Cooked mushrooms & cheese