Ingredients

Units Scale

Dough (From a King Arthur Flour Recipe):
1 cup (8 ounces) milk, scalded
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder OR 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
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Spinach-Cheese Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup minced roasted hazelnuts - you can whiz in a food processor
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 Pinches cayenne
1 teaspoon fenugreek
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked spinach
4 ounces feta cheese, roughly crumbled
3 ounces havarti, coarsely grated
1 ounce Mountain gorgonzola, finely crumbled (JH note - most U.S. recipes call for feta, but I think Feta/Havarti/Blue is a closer taste to the original)
8 ounces Armenian string cheese or mozzarella, coarsely grated

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Instructions

Dough: Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan, or in the microwave, till the butter has melted. Put the malt powder, coriander and salt in a medium-sized bowl, and pour the hot milk over them, stirring to combine and to dissolve the malt or sugar. Set aside to cool to lukewarm.
Add the instant yeast and flour to the milk mixture and stir to form a shaggy mass. Set this rough dough aside for 30 minutes.
Knead the dough until it’s smooth — in a bread machine set on the dough cycle, about 2 minutes in a food processor, 6 to 8 minutes by electric stand mixer, or 8 to 10 minutes by hand. Put the dough in a greased bowl, turn it over to coat the entire surface, and cover the bowl. Let the dough rise for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until it increases in size by at least one-third.
For the Spinach-Cheese Filling: Mix together the cream cheese, hazelnuts, garlic, cilantro, coriander, cayenne, fenugreek, salt, and black pepper. Thoroughly drain the spinach and chop. Mix into the mixture, then fold in the Other cheeses. Set aside until ready to use.
Shaping and Baking: After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in half (you’ll be making two loaves), and cut a small (1-ounce) piece of dough off of each half. Round all four pieces of dough into balls, and let them rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
Roll each large ball into a 10- to 12-inch circle. Place one circle into a lightly greased small pie tin, 8- or 9-inch round cake pan, or onto a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Dollop half of the cheese mixture into the middle of the circle, and pull the dough up around the cheese, folding and pinching it, and “pleating” it into a topknot. Leave a small hole in the very center of the knot, and place the small ball in this hole. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover the loaves and let them rise for 45 minutes or longer — they’ll look puffy, but not doubled in size. If the pleats have opened, pinch them shut.
Bake the loaves in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. When finished, the loaves will be golden brown, and the middle should feel set. Tent the loaves with aluminum foil after 15 minutes if they seem to be browning too quickly. Remove the loaves from the oven, and allow them to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Slice the bread into wedges, and serve it warm, or at room temperature. Yield: 2 round loaves.

Prep Time: 0 hours
Cook Time: 0 hours
Category: Recipes

Nutrition

Calories: 1235.51 kcal
Sugar: 11.45 g
Sodium: 869.9 mg
Fat: 78.19 g
Saturated Fat: 38.15 g
Trans Fat: 0.35 g
Carbohydrates: 90.28 g
Fiber: 6.58 g
Protein: 46.41 g
Cholesterol: 195.29 mg