Caramelised Red Onion & Goats Cheese Wreath
This bake is basically a couronne (French for crown) but with my own Christmas twist. This bread is so simple to make - the basis of this bake is a white loaf mixture filled with a spiral of Goats cheese & Caramelised red onion - the challenge comes when decorating it. I made a dough ribbon for mine to give the effect of a Christmas wreath but I fear I will not be able to give you an accurate method for creating a dough ribbon because I made mine more on instinct and stopped when it looked right. If you feel confident, give shaping some dough decorations a go but if not the bread is so delicious that it just won't matter!
INGREDIENTS
For the Dough
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 300ml Water
- 30g Parmesan cheese (finely grated)
- 1tsp Salt
- 460g Strong white bread flour
- 1tsp Sugar
- 2tsp Yeast
For the Filling
- 200g Goats cheese (chopped into small cubes)
- 2 Small red onions (Chopped into thin slices)
- 2tsp Caster sugar
- 1tbsp Olive oil
- 1tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 egg (beaten)
METHOD
- Prepare the bread dough by placing all your ingredients (ensuring the sugar and salt are separate from the yeast) into a freestanding electric mixer (with dough hook attachment).
- Mix on a low speed until the mixture comes together before removing from the mixer and kneading by hand for approximately 10 minutes - the dough should be smooth and stretchy.
- Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare your caramelised red onions by placing the onions, oil, sugar and vinegar into a saucepan and place on a medium heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly to allow the onions to soften.
- Once cooked place the onions on a sheet of kitchen towel and pat dry to remove any excess oil.
- When the dough is ready, roll out into a 20 x 30 rectangle and sprinkle the cheese and onions across the dough randomly. Roll from the long end of the dough so that it creates a log shape (similar to if you were making cinnamon rolls).
- Take the dough by each end and bring together to make a circle. Using a little bit of water, if you need to, seal the two ends together to make one complete circle of dough.
- Leave the wreath to rise for around 30 minutes before brushing with beaten egg all over.
- Bake in the oven at 180 degrees (fan) for 35 minutes.
- This bread tastes delicious warm so, if you can, serve soon after baking; it will also keep for 3 days in an airtight container.
