Stuffed Bread
A paprika loaf stuffed with Italian sausage, caramelized onions, peppers, and smoked gouda cheese.
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
This paprika loaf pairs well with lots of different fillings. I've done a version with roasted butternut squash, blue cheese crumbles, and spinach and it was great. Feel free to get creative (just make sure the filling doesn't have too much moisture).