From the blog For Love of the Table
1/4 c. (56 g.) lukewarm (105 to 115 degrees) water
2 1/4 t. active dry or instant yeast
1/2 c. (121 g.) sour cream
4 T. (56 g.) unsalted butter, sliced 1/4-inch thick and softened
1 large egg
3 c. (360 g.) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1 T. (12 g.) sugar
1 t. salt
1 c. (250g) whole milk ricotta
1/3 c. (30g) finely grated pecorino
1 fat clove garlic, smashed to a purée with a pinch of salt (or grated on a microplaner)
1 t. minced fresh rosemary
1 egg yolk (save the white for the egg wash)
2 to 4 T. olive oil
14 to 16 oz. crimini or white mushrooms, sliced
10 oz. baby spinach, large stems trimmed if necessary, leaves coarsely chopped
7 to 8 oz. Cambozola, sliced a scant 1/4-inch thick and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 large egg white beaten until frothy with 1 T. cold water
3 to 4 T. sesame seeds
Place the water in a mixing bowl and scatter in the yeast. Whisk or stir to dissolve. Add the remaining ingredients in the order listed, adding only 340 grams of the flour and making sure the salt doesn’t touch the yeast-water mixture directly. Mix and knead (by hand or mixer fitted with a dough hook) until you have a smooth, velvety dough. The dough will be very dry at first; resist the urge to add more liquid. It'll come together and smooth out as you knead. Once the dry ingredients are absorbed (and this only takes a minute or two) the dough may begin to stick. Use small increments of the extra 20 grams of flour…and the help of your bench scraper…to keep the dough from sticking. It is unlikely that you will need all of the reserved flour.
Place the dough in a lightly buttered bowl or other container, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour). Deflate the dough, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight (and up to three or four days). It may or may not look risen when you pull it out to use it. That's OK.
When you are ready to bake, make the filling: Combine the ricotta, pecorino, garlic, rosemary, and egg yolk. Set aside.
Prepare the mushrooms and spinach: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to sauté the mushrooms in batches—don't overcrowd the pan. Heat a sauté pan (non-stick, if you have one) over high heat. Add oil to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms. Cook, shaking the pan and tossing the mushrooms occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, tender and any liquid that they have given off has evaporated. If they seem dry at any time as they cook, drizzle in a bit more oil. If sautéing in batches, transfer the finished mushrooms to a plate and season with salt & pepper. Return the pan to the heat, add more oil and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. When all the mushrooms are cooked, return them all to the pan and heat through. Begin adding the spinach to the pan a handful at a time, turning with tongs to coat the greens in the oil and mushrooms and adding successive handfuls of spinach as the previous one collapses. Continue to cook until the spinach is tender and any liquid given off has evaporated. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
Divide the chilled dough into two pieces. Working with one piece at a time (and keeping the other chilled), flatten/pat the dough into a rectangle. Flour the surface and dough very lightly and roll the dough out into a 10" x 15" rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to a piece of parchment paper.
Spread half of the ricotta mixture down the center third of the rectangle. Leave 1/4-inch of dough bare at each end. Spread half of the mushroom spinach mixture over the ricotta. Arrange half of the Cambozola over all.
Using a pizza cutter (or a sharp knife), cut 12 to 13 slightly slanting lines down each side—angling the cuts from the edge of the filling to the outside edge of the dough. The cuts should be a generous one inch apart and should start about 1/4-inch away from the edge of the ricotta. Being careful not to stretch the dough, fold the strips of dough over the filling, criss-crossing the strips by alternating a strip from the left with a strip from the right. Lightly press/pinch at the two ends of the loaf to seal. Transfer the braid (using the parchment to lift it) to a sheet pan and cover loosely with greased/sprayed plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling ingredients.
Let the braids rest at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes. (Alternatively, transfer the formed covered loaves to the refrigerator for 8 to 10 hours or overnight.)
Whether you choose a traditional rise at room temperature or an overnight cold rise, the loaves will not “double in bulk.” They might look a bit puffed, but that is all. This is how it should be.
To finish and bake: Brush the egg white/water mixture over the loaves. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
Bake the braids in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until they're puffed and golden brown. The cheese might be bubbling or oozing a bit. This is fine. Remove the loaves from the oven and place them on a rack to cool slightly (10 minutes or so). Serve warm. One loaf will serve 4 to 6 as an accompaniment to soup or salad as a light entrée. Or, each loaf may be cut into 12 slices and served as part of an appetizer spread.
Store any leftovers, well-wrapped, for several days in the refrigerator or for longer in the freezer. To serve, thaw if frozen, and then reheat in a 350°F oven, wrapped in foil, for about 20 minutes.
Note: Although you can put both of the loaves on one sheet pan, I find that they bake best on two sheets. When one is done, just slide the second one into the oven…or bake on separate racks, rotating half way through the baking time.
As published on forloveofthetable.com
Unless otherwise noted, all content and photos © 2010-2019 Paige Vandegrift, All Rights Reserved
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