Christmas Wreath Bread with Spinach Dip Stuffing
This Christmas wreath bread is soft, buttery, cheesy, garlicky, and so delicious! Creamy spinach stuffing is baked into spinach bread, and this green treat is perfect for all of your holiday dinners.
Equipment
- Skillet
- Food processor or a blender
- Large bowl
- Spatula
- Rolling pin (Optional)
- Basting Brush
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the spinach stuffing
- ½ package 10oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons black pepper
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 8 ounce cream cheese
- ½ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
- ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
For the spinach bread
- 2 cups bread flour divided 1 cup each, +more for dusting
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for greasing
- ¾ cups warm water
- ½ package 10oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preparation
- Thaw one 10oz package frozen chopped spinach following the package instruction and drain it well.
- Divide the spinach into two even portions. One portion is for the stuffing, and the other is for the bread.
For the stuffing
- In a skillet, cook drained chopped spinach and minced garlic.
- Mix in cream cheese, ricotta, and parmesan cheese until fully combined. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Place the stuffing in a container and keep it refrigerated.
For the bread
- Place warm water and drained chopped spinach in the food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside. See NOTE 1.
- Combine 1 cup of bread flour, instant yeast, sugar, garlic powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add olive oil and the spinach mixture and use a spatula to stir well.
- Gradually add another 1 cup of flour. Add any additional flour as needed. Stir until the dough is forming into an elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will still be slightly sticky but should not be so runny that it coats the spatula.
- Coat the dough ball and the inside of the bowl with some olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place (about 90ºF/32ºC).
- Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, gently punch the dough to deflate it. Then transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly by hand until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
- Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into a 12″ x 13” rectangle.
- Spread your spinach stuffing out on half of the dough. Then, take the other half and fold it over the top of the spinach stuffing, pinching the seams to enclose the stuffing.
- Cut the rectangle into three even strips. Then, braid the strips and enclose them together into a circle, pinching the seams where the two ends meet. If you are not sure how to braid, check out NOTE 2.
- Transfer the bread to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Baste it with melted butter and sprinkle it with grated parmesan cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. Enjoy!
Notes
NOTE 1: The spinach water needs to be warm enough to activate the yeast. It should be between 80ºF – 95ºF (26ºC – 35ºC).
Note 2: check out how to braid here