Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread #BreadBakers

Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and olives are blended with garlic to create the filling for this cheesy tomato tapenade party bread. Put it in the center of the table and let everyone help themselves!

At the beginning of what became this unusual year of social distancing and pandemic, I encouraged my Bread Baker group members to claim a month to host and choose a theme. So way back in February, our host Felice decided we should all bake tear-and-share breads. She wrote on our event page: “A Tear & Share, as it is known in the UK, is perfect for a holiday get-together. Sweet or savory, bake a tear & share (aka pull-apart bread) that celebrates the holiday season. It could be the shape, the flavors, or a tradition that fits with this theme.”

Little did Felice – or any of us know – that holiday get-togethers would end up being smaller or indeed postponed. Good thing that baking bread cheers us up!

I chose this bread because of the flavors, which remind me of a favorite party appetizer. Who doesn’t like a rich tapenade spread on tiny toasts? But I also think the shape would be beautiful to display, then share on a holiday table. 

Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread

The olives are the star ingredient for this pull-apart bread so use the best quality ones you can afford, preferably with the pits still in. I like dry oil-cured olives because the flavor is concentrated and the briny-ness they add really perks up a tapenade. This recipe is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe from his show Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast. 

Ingredients

4 cups or 508g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 1/4 cups or 295ml warm water

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the dough bowl and baking

3 1/2 oz or 100g whole black olives (100g was 32 dry oil cured olives)

1 clove garlic

6 soft sun-dried tomatoes (mine were already cut up – a little more than 1/2 oz or 16g by weight)

1 tablespoon drained capers 

3 1/2 oz or 100g Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.

Add the yeast and sugar to the measuring cup with the warm water and give it a quick stir. Set it aside for a few minutes to make sure the yeast is active and starts bubbling.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour the yeasty water in. 

Stir in the flour from the outside to form a dough. I have a handy tool for this but you can certainly use a fork or spatula. 

Sprinkle your clean work surface with flour and knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 10 minutes. Roll it into a ball. Oil the bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and pop the dough ball back in, turning it over to coat the outside with the oil.

 Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling film and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about one hour or until it doubles in size.

Tip: If your kitchen is cold, as mine is right now, add warm water to a larger bowl (or your sink) and place the dough bowl in it. You may have to change out the water for more warm from time to time before the dough is fully risen. 

Meanwhile, pit the olives and peel the garlic. 

Use a mortar and pestle (or a small food processor) to turn them, along with the capers and sun-dried tomatoes, into a rough paste or tapenade. 

Set aside a little of your grated Parmesan for topping then add the rest into the tapenade. I added mine in two lots, whirring in between to combine thoroughly. 

If you are using a mortar and pestle, muddle in four tablespoons of olive oil. If you are using a small food processor, tip add the olive oil and pulse again to combine. 

Once it has risen properly, divide the dough into two equal pieces. (Mine weighed just over 14 oz or 400g each.) Sprinkle your clean work surface with flour and roll one piece into a circle about 11 in or 28cm wide. Line a baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner. Transfer the of the dough circle to the pan. 

Spread the cheesy tomato tapenade all over the dough and right to almost the edge.

Sprinkle your clean work surface with a little more flour and roll the other piece of dough into a circle about 11 in or 28cm wide.

Carefully place that dough circle on top of the tapenade and press down gently. 

Put a clean jam jar or drinking glass in the middle of the dough circle. Use a sharp knife to make 12 evenly spaced cuts from the jar to the outer edge.

I pretended mine was a clock and made cuts at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock then tried to make the two cuts in between each as evenly spaced as possible, which as it turns out, wasn’t so even. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter though so just do your best. 

Pick up each piece of dough and twist it three times before putting it back on the baking pan. 

Cover the dough lightly with a damp cloth or cling film and leave to prove again in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. In retrospect, I should have baked this on a round pizza pan because it did rise beautifully. Unfortunately since it couldn't spread in all directions, it turned out a little wider on the sides. 

As you get near the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. 

Sprinkle the dough with the reserved Parmesan cheese and drizzle on some olive oil. 

Bake in your preheated oven for about 20-25 or until the bread is lovely and golden. 

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes. Garnish with some little basil leaves, if desired, and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Check out all the other great tear-and-share breads we have for you today! Many thanks to our host, Felice from All That's Left Are The Crumbs.

• Baklava Danish Tear and Share Bread by A Messy Kitchen
• Buttery Soft Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheesy Chicken Chutney Pull Apart Skillet Rolls by Sneha's Recipe
• Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread by Food Lust People Love
• Cranberry Cinnamon Star Bread by Making Miracles
• Fruit Mince Braided Star Bread by All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Gingerbread Spice Christmas Tree Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Herb and Cheese Star Bread by Ambrosia
• Koledna Pitka - Bulgarian Christmas Eve Bread by Magical Ingredients
• Pumpkin Spice Pull-Apart Loaf by Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Finnish Pulla Bread by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Spiced Chrysanthemum Bread by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Turkey, Cranberry and Cheese Pull Apart Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Cheesy Tomato Tapenade Party Bread! 

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Rolled Pepperoni Pizza Loaf #BreadBakers

A simple pizza dough is transformed into a rolled pepperoni pizza loaf, with mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic, freshly baked and ready to slice and serve.

You’d have to have been reading here a long time (more than seven years! Anybody?) to know my inspiration for this stuffed bread loaf. Madam Wong’s pizza rolls look like cinnamon rolls, but they are rolled up with rice tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. They are one of my favorite things in the whole wide world.

I’ve long thought it would be fun to bake a similar bread in a loaf shape instead of rolls so the filling would make a pretty spiral when it was sliced. Rather than a wet sauce, this time I’ve used soft sun-dried tomatoes and added pepperoni because, well, pepperoni is fabulous.

Rolled Pepperoni Pizza Loaf

If you don’t have fresh oregano, by all means substitute dried. Just a light sprinkle – perhaps a 1/2 teaspoon will do. 

Ingredients

For the dough:

3/4 cup or 180ml lukewarm water (not hot)

1 teaspoon active-dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

2 cups or 250g strong bread flour, plus more if needed

1 teaspoon salt

Drizzle olive oil for the dough bowl

For the filling:

3 oz or 85g sliced pepperoni

5 oz or 142g mozzarella cheese, shredded 

1/4 cup, firmly packed, or 45g soft (ready to eat) sun-dried tomatoes

2-3 sprigs fresh oregano

1 clove garlic, finely minced 

For baking:

1 egg, beaten

1 oz or 28g freshly grated Parmesan

Method

Put the yeast and sugar in a bowl. Pour in the warm water and give it a stir. Set aside for a few minutes. It should start to get foamy on top. 

In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the flour and salt together. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix well to form a soft dough.

Using the dough hook on the stand mixer, or kneading by hand against the counter, knead the dough on  until it forms a smooth, slightly tacky ball that springs back when you poke it, 5 to 8 minutes. If the dough sticks to the bowl or your hands, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it’s easier to work with.

Avoid adding too much flour if possible. I ended up adding two tablespoons this time. This is the sort of thing that can change with your flour and the humidity in the air. 

If you're planning to make the pepperoni pizza loaf today, then give the dough a rise. Clean out the mixing bowl, coat it with a little oil, and transfer the dough back inside. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

 

Alternatively, you can store the dough in the fridge and make the stuffed loaf the next day. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 

Take the dough out of the refrigerator about half an hour before you are ready to bake.

Line a 9x5 in or 23x13cm loaf pan with baking parchment. 

Pull the leaves off of your sprigs of oregano and cut the sun-dried tomatoes into skinny slices. Mix them both together with the mozzarella and garlic. 

Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle, about 10x14 in or 25x35cm. 

Cover it almost to the sides with the cheese mixture, then the pepperoni. 

Roll up from the short side. The pepperoni don’t really roll up well but do your best. Tuck the sides over slightly to contain the filling.

 Transfer the roll to your prepared loaf pan, seam side down. 

Cover lightly with a cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. Brush the beaten egg over the top of the loaf.

 Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in your preheated oven at for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top and sides are golden. Let the loaf cool on a wire rack before slicing it to serve. 

Enjoy!

This month my Bread Baker friends are sharing recipes for stuffed breads. Check them out below! Many thanks to our host Renu of Cook with Renu.

• Coconut Buns by Magical Ingredients
• Callaloo Loaf by Passion Kneaded
• Double Cheese Fatayers by Ambrosia
• Meatball Stromboli by Palatable Pastime
• Pepperoni Rolls by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Ricotta Calzones with Spinach and Sausage by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Rolled Pepperoni Pizza Loaf by Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Custard buns by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Stuffed Potato Kulcha by Sneha's Recipe
• Sweet Potato and Apple Braid by What Smells So Good?
• Taco Tuesday Calzone by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Whole Wheat Vegetarian Calzones by Cook with Renu

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin this Rolled Pepperoni Pizza Loaf! 

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Overnight Yeasted Cheese Scones

These overnight yeasted cheese scones have cheese inside and on top. They make a delightful breakfast or snack or use them as sandwich bread. 

A couple of months ago in this very group, you might recall that we posted recipes from Poland. I made a very tasty potato pie called baba kartoflana in Polish. While I was researching for that recipe, I somehow came across these overnight, yeasted cheese scones from Hungary and made a note for later. 

According to the original author, these are called pogácsa in Hungarian and they are a popular bite-size snack served at the beginning of parties or get-togethers. Makes sense because they would be wonderful accompaniments to cocktails. Pogácsa are always made with a yeast dough. 

Since we aren’t really doing parties these days, I made mine normal scone/biscuit size. They are perfect on their own, especially warm. After eating one scone for breakfast plain, my husband also made sandwiches with a couple for lunch. He highly recommends salami and mustard on these. I think smoked ham would also be delightful. 

Overnight Yeasted Cheese Scones

In the original recipe, as mentioned above, a much smaller cookie cutter is used so that the scones are bite-sized. They also have half the cheese. In our house more cheese is always a good thing so I’ve doubled the cheese and put some in the dough and on top. 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons lukewarm milk
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups or 250g flour
1/2 cup or 113g butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, separated into yolk and white
1/3 cup or 75g sour cream
3 1/2 oz or 100g extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated and divided

Method
Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk. Set aside. 

Whisk the flour and salt together into a large bowl. Add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender to cut it into the flour. 

Add in half of the grated cheese and mix well. 

Make a hollow in the flour and pour in milk/yeast mixture, followed by the egg yolk and sour cream. 

Use a wooden spoon (then a clean hand) to mix the ingredients together. At first it looks too dry but just keep at it and shortly, it comes together into a stiff dough. Knead until smooth. 

Press the dough into a fat disk and cover it with cling film. Chill overnight in the refrigerator. 

The next day, when you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator so it can warm up slightly.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner and preheat your oven to 428°F or 220°C. Beat the egg white to loosen it, adding a 1/2 teaspoon of water.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it is about 3/4 in or 2 cm thick. Use a 3 in or 7.5cm cm cookie cutter to cut out the scones.

Briefly knead together any leftover dough and roll it out again to cut more scones. 

Transfer all of the scones to the prepared baking sheet.

Brush the tops with the beaten egg white. 

Then top them with the other half of the grated cheese. 

Bake the scones in your preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Cool them on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving. 

Enjoy! 

Today's Baking Bloggers theme is yeast breads. Check out all the lovely recipes my blogger friends are sharing. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. 

• Bagels from Sneha's Recipe
• Connie's Swedish Rye from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Crunchy Herbed Whole Wheat Breadsticks from Cook with Renu
• Crusty No-Knead Oatmeal Bread from Making Miracles
• Hearty Slow Fermented Rustic Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Hveteboller (Norwegian Cardamom Buns) from Tara's Multicultural Table
• Overnight Yeasted Cheese Scones from Food Lust People Love
• Pizza Focaccia from Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin these Overnight Yeasted Cheese Scones!

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Cheddar Herb Scones #BreadBakers

These fluffy cheddar herb scones have the most wonderful flavor, not just from the cheese and herbs but also from the yeast used as the rising agent.

Most scones, at least in my experience, are raised with baking powder and/or baking soda but this month our Bread Bakers host, Sue of Palatable Pastime challenged us to bake them (or their American counterpart, biscuits) with yeast instead.

I’m here to tell you that yeast can make a lovely light scone as well and almost as quickly, with just one 30-minute rise of the dough before baking. The cheese and herbs are subtle in these scones but that just makes them more versatile.

Cheddar Herb Scones

My recipe is adapted from one on Kitchen Stories. My family ate a few for breakfast but I also served them with pork and bacon patties as a sort of alternative burger for dinner. Delicious!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup or 240ml warm water
2 cups or 250g bread flour
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra for the bowl
3 1/2 oz or 100g extra sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping, if desired
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method
Grate your cheese and set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the yeast and sugar into the warm water. It should get nice and bubbly if your yeast is healthy.

Sift the flours and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add in a few generous grinds of black pepper, the grated cheddar, and herbs and mix well.

Add the olive oil to the yeast mixture then add the wet mixture to the dry ingredient bowl.

Stir with a wooden spoon until it’s too stiff to stir. Tip the shaggy dough out onto a clean surface and knead until all the ingredients come together in a tidy ball.

Put a little olive oil in the bowl and turn the dough ball over to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it proof for 30 minutes, in a warm dark place.

When your dough is almost through proofing, preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and prepare your baking pan by lining it with baking parchment or a silicone liner.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly dusted work surface lightly knead. Pat it into a disc that is about 1 in or 2.5 cm thick. Use a floured cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the dough into 3 inch or 7.6cm circles. Depending on the thickness of your dough, you should get seven or eight scones.

Transfer the dough circles to your lined baking pan. Brush with the beaten egg.

Sprinkle on a little cheddar, if desired.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden brown and well risen. Remove from the oven and serve with butter while still warm.

Enjoy!

If you are a fan of scones or biscuits, this is the Bread Baker recipe list for you! Many thanks to Sue from Palatable Pastime for hosting this month!

• Angel Biscuits from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Buttery Jeera Biscuits from Sneha's Recipe
• Cheddar Herb Scones from Food Lust People Love
• Cheddar and Chive Blossom Scones from Palatable Pastime
• Cheese and Herbs Scones from Ambrosia
• Chocolate Scones from Passion Kneaded
• Freeze and Bake Yeasted Mini Ginger Scones from A Messy Kitchen
• Laminated Biscuits from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Herbed Angel Biscuits from The Schizo Chef
• Sourdough Orange Biscuits from Zesty South Indian
• Sourdough Sandwich Biscuits from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Yeast-Raised Angel Biscuits from Making Miracles

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Cheddar Herb Scones! 

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Overnight Rye Buns #BreadBakers

By volume, these overnight rye buns are about half unbleached bread flour, that is to say, wheat, and half dark rye flour, which means they have plenty of flavor and a lovely texture. Lighter than all rye and chewier than white bread, these buns are the perfect combination. Eat them split open and spread with creamy butter!

Years ago I found a blog that I loved so much that I actually signed up to get new posts in my inbox. It’s not that the recipes were extra fabulous. I read it because the author was so funny and honest about the challenges in her life that just reading her posts cheered me up. Sadly, she stopped adding posts years ago, but I am pleased to say that she’s left the blog up. Occasionally I visit just for a laugh.

I saved this recipe way back in October of 2014 because it sounded so easy, and indeed it was. Who knows why it took so long for me to make it!

Overnight Rye Buns

I followed the recipe trail back to the person who taught Esther of the Recipe Rifle to make these buns. Her name is Maria Mayerhofer and she has made a video so you can see how easy these are!  I am wondering if the same method will work with other combinations of flour and I cannot wait to experiment.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 150g dark rye flour
1 1/2 cups or 190g unbleached bread flour
1 rounded teaspoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 heaped tablespoons natural yoghurt (I actually subbed probiotic cashew yogurt because that was all I had. You could also use sour cream.)
1 1/4 cups or 295ml cold water

Method
Use a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. It's a soft and sticky dough.

Cover the bowl with cling film and pop it into your refrigerator for at least eight hours or overnight.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C and prepare a large baking pan by lining it with baking parchment. Put another large empty baking pan on the lower rack of the oven. When you put the buns in, you’ll add a cup of water to the hot pan to create steam.

Fill a small bowl with water and put two serving spoons in it.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use the wet spoons to scoop out bun-sized dollops onto your prepared baking pan.

The goal is to keep as many of the bubbles as possible so just scoop and plop. Make sure to dip the spoons back in the water between each dollop.

Slide the baking pan into your preheated oven and add 1 cup or 240ml of water to the bottom pan to create a steamy environment for the buns.

Bake the buns for about 20-25 minutes or until they are puffy and lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack before serving.

These are great with a smear of butter.

Enjoy!

This month my Bread Bakers group are sharing mostly recipes made with rye flour. Because of the pandemic, our host, Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories, has loosened the restrictions and all of our members can participate, even if they aren’t able to buy rye flour. Thanks, Karen! Check out the link list of recipes:

• Black Pepper Rye from A Messy Kitchen
• Coffee Scones with Maple, Raisins, and Rye from Palatable Pastime
• Everyday Multigrain Rye Sourdough from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Light Rye Sourdough Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Multigrain Spiced Raisin Bread from Passion Kneaded
• Overnight Rye Buns from Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Rye Boule from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Spelt and Rye Breakfast Sourdough Bread from Cook with Renu
• Sweet Rye Bread from Making Miracles
• Tangzhong Method Rye Bread from Sneha's Recipe

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the Bread Bakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Overnight Rye Buns!

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