Braided Italian Cheese Bread
Step up your pizza game. Want (or need) to make something special, but also really just want to eat pizza? This braided beauty's got you covered. It’s filled with a blend of mozzarella, provolone, and asiago cheese all melted together with caramelized shallots, kalamata olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. The top is then sprinkled with grated parmesan, dried oregano and red pepper flakes and baked until golden brown. We had this for dinner served with a marinara dipping sauce, but you could also cut it into slices and set it out for a snack while you’re watching Sunday football or the Great British Bake Off.
If you’d like a heartier version by adding salami or pepperoni if you like, or other veggies even, just make sure they’re all pre-cooked so they don’t make the bread a soggy mess.
Don’t be scared of the braid, I’ve added some photos and videos below, it’s not that hard. And please oh please, don’t skip caramelizing the shallots. If you can’t find shallots, half of a sweet onion will work, but the caramelized onions melting into the cheese is what really makes this great!
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Photo by Daniel Marks
Braided Italian Cheese Bread Recipe:
Yield:
1 loaf (approximately 16 inches long)
Difficulty:
Moderate, just because braiding the bread takes a little finesse, or at least patience!
Special Equipment:
Pizza or pastry wheel for making the braid
Large spatula or pizza peel (optional but really useful for transferring the braid to the baking pan.)
Ingredients:
Bread Dough*:
2 tsp instant yeast
1 cup (227ml) water, 80°F–100°F
2 TBSP (25g) olive oil
¾ tsp fine salt
245 grams (1½ cups) semolina flour
150 grams (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour
*The dough is from King Arthur’s Stromboli recipe
Filling:
1 or 2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 or 2 thinly sliced shallots, thinly sliced
2 TBSP olive oil
340 grams (3 cups) shredded cheese
34 grams (about 10) kalamata olives, pitted and diced
46 grams (9 or 10) marinated sundried tomatoes**
*I used a blend of mozzarella, provolone, and asiago. I would avoid cheeses like cheddar that tend to get greasy when they melt.
**I used the 365 Organic brand from Whole Foods. They’re marinated in olive oil, oregano, basil, garlic, and rosemary.
Topping:
1 large egg (for egg wash)
1 TBSP water
1 ½ TBSP grated parmesan
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions:
Start with the dough. Combine all ingredients and kneed by hand or in a mixer with the dough hook attachment until the dough is smooth and only slightly tacky. In a mixer this took me about 7 or 8 minutes. Coat the dough lightly with oil, cover and plastic and let it rise until doubled in size. This should take about 1 hour, but your time may be different.
Tip: If you press a finger into the dough and it springs right back at you, it’s not ready yet. It should either come back very slowly or leave a slight impression.
While the dough is rising, caramelize the shallots: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and spread out evenly over the pan and let them cook until they turn translucent and then brown. If they start to get crispy turn the heat down and continue cooking, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
When the dough is ready, gently press the out the air bubbles, and roll out into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Brush olive oil over the surface. Leaving a 1-inch border at the top and bottom, spread ⅓ of shredded cheese down the center 4-inches of the braid (see photo below), spread shallots over top, add another third of the cheese, then the olives and sundried tomatoes, then one final layer of cheese.
To make the braid: Make 1-inch horizontal cuts all the way down the sides of the dough on either side of the filling, making sure they line up with each other on either side of the cheese mixture. Fold in the top and bottom edges, then alternate crossing the edges over each other all the way down the braid.
Need some visuals? See the photos below or watch the video. I found it helpful! (The video is for a dessert recipe but the braiding technique is the same.)
Cover the braid with a damp towel and let rise until visibly puffed, 30-60 minutes. Start preheating the oven to 350° F while the braid rises.
Transfer the braid to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Lightly beat the egg with 1 TBSP of water and brush over the braid. Sprinkle parmesan, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes over top. Bake 30-40 minutes until golden brown and there’s no visible raw spots of dough.
Tip: I used a large pizza peel to help me transfer the braid to the baking sheet, pizza peel under one end, my hand under the other.
Photo by Daniel Marks
