Olive Pretzel Bread Flower with Muhammara Dip

 This soft pretzel tear-and-share bread  is delicious, stuffed with kalamata olives and perfect as an appetizer! Paired with a creamy muhammara dip - a rich and flavoursome Middle-Eastern dip made of roasted red pepper, toasted walnuts and pomegranate molasses -  this bread flower is simple, delicate and eye-catching.




Serves: Up to 16 (as a starter)

Recipe:
Ingredients:

For the bread:
  • 1 tbsp fast action yeast
  • 120 ml warm water (mix 90ml cold water with 30ml boiling water)
  • 2 tbsp agave nectar
  • 200 ml warm water (150ml cold, 50ml boiling)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 500-550g all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 200g jar kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
  • flaky salt
  • a handful of fresh thyme (optional)
To cook the bread:
  • 1 pan boiling water
  • 2-3tbsp bicarbonate of soda
(For the muhammara I use this recipe.)

Method: 

  1. First, activate the yeast: in a small bowl, whisk the yeast with the 120ml of warm water and the agave nectar, and leave to activate for about 15 minutes, until frothy.
  2. Mix the yeast mixture, the 200ml warm water, the olive oil, the flour, and the salt in a large mixing bowl. Knead together for about 10 minutes- you may need more flour to keep the dough from sticking, and it helps to drizzle some olive oil on your hands when kneading. 
  3. Knead in the chopped kalamata olives, until dispersed throughout the dough.
  4. Transfer the dough to a well-oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, until doubled in size. Alternatively, let the dough rise in the fridge for at least 12 hours, up to 48 hours, and allow to come to room temperature before proceeding.
  5. Once risen, punch the dough down to deflate it, then roll flat to about 1-1.5cm thickness.Cut out some small circles using a cookie cutter (depending on the size of petals you would like). Repeat to use up all the dough. 
  6. Preheat the oven to 200C.
  7. Bring a large pot of water and the baking soda to a boil. Boil the dough circles (in batches, a few at a time) for about 20 seconds, flipping halfway, before removing with a slotted spoon and allowing to drain and cool. 
  8. Shape the bread flower: Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place a ramekin dish in the centre. Lightly fold the dough petals, pinching the top of the petal, and place them in a circle around the ramekin so that they touch but aren't too crowded (see pic below). Repeat this step with 2 or 3 more ramekins so that you have few circles of petals on baking trays. You should end up with 3-4 small circles of petals.
  9. Sprinkle the dough petals with flaky salt. 
  10. Remove the ramekin dish before baking the bread for about 15-18 minutes, until deep golden brown.
  11. Allow to cool.
  12. Once cool, place one circle around an empty ramekin dish- this will be the centre of the flower. Next split up the other bread circles and tuck them slightly under the middle flower, clustered together so that they form a larger circle- the outer circle.
  13. Optional: Garnish with some sprigs of thyme or other fresh herbs.
  14. Serve with a dip of your choice: Muhammara works well!  

Enjoy! :)

Only shape the middle cluster of petals before baking.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vegan Huli Huli Tofu with Mango Dressing

Image
 "Huli Huli" is a Hawaiian marinade which is sweet and savoury, made from pineapple, soy sauce, and ginger. "Huli" is Hawaiian for "turn," referring to the method the dish is usually cooked: over a grill, turned halfway through cooking. To create a vegan version, I marinated tofu in huli huli sauce, grilled it until crispy, and served it with mango dressing over sushi rice and a salad, to imitate another Hawaiian dish, poke bowls!  Serves: 2  Ingredients : For the tofu: 140g extra firm tofu (drained/ pressed) 1 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp pineapple juice (from a can) 1 inch ginger, grated 2 tbsp ketchup  1 tbsp shaoxing wine  1 tsp chili flakes 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil For the mango dressing: 1/4 of a mango (40-50g) 1 tbsp lime juice 1/2 tbsp orange juice 1 tsp agave 1 small clove of garlic a couple tbsp of the leftover marinade (above) pinch chili flakes pinch salt and freshly ground pepper small handful coriander To serve: sush
Read more

Vegan Toasted Ravioli with Whipped Pistachio Feta (VG, GF)

Image
 Crispy and comforting butternut squash ravioli, served alongside a deliciously tangy pistachio whipped "feta" and crispy sage. This dish is the perfect winter appetiser! The filling is a creamy, cheesy butternut squash puree, stuffed inside pockets of crispy ravioli dough. If you don't want to bother making ravioli, I still recommend making the whipped feta- it's so creamy, delicious, and lovely spread on bagels!  This dish is also 100% vegan and gluten free! I created this recipe for my chef diploma :)  Makes: about 30 ravioli Ingredients : For the ravioli: 1 large butternut squash Drizzle olive oil (optional) 190g gram flour 10g psyllium husk 1 tbsp cornstarch ½ tsp turmeric ¼ tsp salt 1½ tsp olive oil 45-60ml (3-4 tbsp) aquafaba 4 cloves garlic Drizzle olive oil 1 tbsp natural maple syrup 1 tbsp smoked paprika Pinch salt 3 tbsp nutritional yeast 2 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp nutmeg ½ tsp garlic powder 45 ml (3 tbsp) coconut cream (the thick cream part of a can of coconu
Read more

Vegan Grilled Tofu and Za'atar Hummus Pita Wraps

Image
 These wraps are made with marinated and grilled tofu, za'atar hummus, and chopped veg salad, served over a fluffy, homemade wholewheat pita. So delicious, flavoursome and healthy! Serves: 3-4 Recipe: Ingredients: For the pita wraps (adapted from this recipe ): 1/2 7g pack of fast action yeast 1/2 tsp sugar 180ml lukewarm water (3/4 cold mixed with 1/4 boiling) 250g strong wholewheat bread flour 1/2 tsp salt a little olive oil for proofing and frying For the grilled tofu: 1 block tofu, pressed for at least 30 minutes drizzle olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice spice mix: 1 tsp each ground coriander, smoked paprika, cumin, sumac. 1/2 tsp each turmeric, salt. Pinch of cinnamon, allspice, freshly ground pepper. For the hummus: 1 400g (240g drained) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (save the aquafaba) 4 tbsp (60ml) lemon juice 4 tbsp (60ml) tahini 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp salt (more/less to taste) pinch cumin 1 tbsp za'atar seasoning (sesame, sumac, th
Read more