This stuffed bread recipe is a paprika-flavored loaf filled with Italian sausage, caramelized onions, peppers, and smoked gouda cheese— an all-in-one dinner!
If you couldn’t already tell, I am a huge fan of the Great British Bake Off. It’s what got me really into baking. This stuffed bread recipe is inspired by one of the contestants, Steven’s, bread week showstopper. (If this means nothing to you, you should really watch the show. You’ll love it.)
Why You’ll Love This Stuffed Bread Recipe
- The bread is light and fluffy and is a perfect complement to the sausage and gouda filling.
- Your whole meal in a slice. You can eat this with your hands like a pizza or with a fork and knife. And you get a little bit of everything (protein, carbs, and veggies) in every bite.
- Keeps for up to 5 days. (if it lasts that long). This recipe will give you about 8 slices depending upon how big you cut them.
- Have fun with it. Don’t like spice? Remove the serrano pepper. Want to use chicken instead? Go for it. This bread has a mild enough flavor to be paired with a variety of combinations.
Tips for Successful Baking
Plan accordingly.
Like many yeasted bakes, this one requires two resting times. Overall it should take about 2 and 1/2 hours so make sure you factor that in or you’ll be having a late dinner.
Knead the dough until smooth.
You’ll want to make sure you’ve incorporated the gluten evenly so be sure to knead for around 10 minutes or so. If you’re new to baking with yeast, check out this Beginner’s Guide.
Prepare the filling.
Typically, I will saute the sausage in one pan, peppers in another, and then use another pan to caramelize the onions. Drain all the grease from the sausages and place them in a bowl lined with a paper towel. This will help absorb additional grease.
Once the onions and peppers are done, combine them with the sausage into one large bowl and mix. I will then place the bowl in the fridge until the dough is ready to be shaped. You want to remove as much liquid as possible so that your bread doesn’t get soggy.
Shape the dough.
After the first rise, split the dough in half and roll out into 9-inch round discs — slightly larger than the springform pan. Press one disc into the bottom and guide it up the side about 1/3 of the way creating a bowl. The dough will want to slide back down so you’ll want to watch it.
Fill the bottom with your semi-chilled filling and top with shredded smoked gouda cheese. Then, place the other disc on the top. Try to “tuck” or push the edges down as far as you can. The goal is to try to get the bottom and top discs to touch.
Cut 2 slits in the top of the loaf and let rise for another 25 minutes or so until it’s almost reached the top of the pan. I preheat my oven at this point (425) and the bread is usually ready by the time it’s heated up.
Bake for 20 minutes until top is golden brown and when you tap the top it sounds hollow. Let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before releasing it. Slice and serve!
Looking for more dinner ideas?
Stuffed Bread
Equipment
- 1 springform pan
Ingredients
Bread
- 500 grams bread flour
- 2 tsp yeast
- 8 grams salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 70 mililiters olive oil
- 300 mililiters water (+ 2 Tbsp if necessary)
Filling
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 green pepper
- 4 oz smoked gouda (shredded)
- 1 lb italian sausage
- 1 serrano pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, salt, and paprika with your hand. Pour in the olive oil, followed by warm water.
- With your hand (or a wooden spoon) mix together the dough until it forms into a ball. It should be slightly sticky (but not too wet that you can't work with it). Turn out onto a lightly oiled surface. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is stretchier and slightly firmer.
- Transfer to a bowl brushed (or sprayed) lightly with oil. Cover with plastic wrap, a clean towel, or beeswax wrap and let rise for 1 hour or until tripled in size.
- While the bread is rising, make the filling. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned (8-10 minutes). A 2 tbsp sugar and 1/3 cup water. Cook, stirring until caramelized and jammy (3-4 mins more). Turn off heat and set aside.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the chopped Italian sausage until brown and crispy. Dry off with a paper towel to remove some of the grease.
- In a separate pan, add the chopped green pepper and serrano pepper (be sure to remove all the seeds so the spice level isn't overwhelming).
- Combine the cooked Italian sausage, onions, and peppers into a medium-sized bowl and mix together. Set aside to cool.
- Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Take one half and shape and flatten into a 9in disc and press into the bottom of the greased tin and about 1 inch up the sides. Spoon in the Italian sausage, peppers and caramelized onions mixture. Sprinkle the shredded smoked gouda on top.
- Place the second flattened disc of dough on top, sealing the two halves together by pinching the edges together. Cut two small slits on the top of the loaf.
- Cover gently and let rise for another 1 hour until the bread rises to the top of the tin. Preheat oven to 425F
- Bake for 30 minutes until the bread is golden brown. Place on a cooling rack and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Last Updated on December 31, 2022 by Kari Bakes
